On June 15, 1898, a group of anti-imperialist Bostonians met at Faneuil Hall to rally against the United States’ move to assert itself on the world stage. By the end of the year, through both peaceful and forceful means, 11 million people in Guam, Hawaii, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines would be under US control.

THE TRUE FLAG chronicles how politicians, the press and most of the citizenry came to adopt an expansionist policy that, author Stephen Kinzer argues, continues to this day, though each president has had a different vision (or lack thereof).

"[T]his well-researched study of the many forces that influenced decisions to expand the United States’ purview analyzes the arguments used by each side to defend its respective position."

Each side in this debate on expansionism had its supporters, some of whom switched sides at least once. On the pro-expansionist side were Teddy Roosevelt, William McKinley, Henry Cabot Lodge and William Randolph Hearst. Mark Twain, Andrew Carnegie and Booker T. Washington fought it, as did William Jennings Bryan, until he switched sides for political expediency. William Howard Taft was dubious, but nevertheless accepted the post as governor of the Philippines.

What is somewhat misleading is the book’s subtitle, which suggests that the focus is on Roosevelt and Twain’s differing perspectives. True, they were on opposite sides and certainly Twain was no fan of Roosevelt’s, of whom he wrote after his inauguration: “We have never had a President before who was destitute of self-respect & of respect for his high office. We have had no President before who was not a gentleman; we have had no President before who was intended for a butcher, a dive-keeper or a bully.” But there were many passionate defenders of both positions --- Carnegie offered to buy the Philippines so he could return it to its “rightful owners” --- and for the years leading up to this pivotal period, Twain lived abroad, lobbing his opinions in from all corners of the globe. He returned only in October of 1900, just before McKinley was elected for a second term --- with Roosevelt as his Vice President.

Subtitle aside, this well-researched study of the many forces that influenced decisions to expand the United States’ purview analyzes the arguments used by each side to defend its respective position. While Kinzer’s sympathies lie with Twain et al., he valiantly attempts to make a case for expansionism as well, conceding that “any story can be happy or sad depending on where you end it.” But ultimately he makes a good case that the question of whether we should be interventionists or isolationists continues to be, as Senator William V. Allen said in 1899, “The greatest question that has ever been presented to the American people.”