Erving Winslow was an author and activist that lived from 1839-1922. After he graduated from Harvard, he served on the United States coast survey and the United States sanitary commission during the Civil War. Some of his works include The Anti-Imperialist League: Apologia Pro Vita Sua and Neutralization: America’s Opportunity. Winslow was involved with the anti-imperialist league to try and prevent America’s annexation of the Philippines. A few others who were also involved included Jane Addams, Mark Twain, and Andrew Carnegie. Of course, this group was not supported by those who wished to Annex other countries. One newspaper article written in 1911 discusses how the secretary of the interior of Philippine Insular government attacks the league and Winslow specifically. He states that Winslow, who was the secretary of the league with making false claims to the public. After America won the Spanish-American war in 1989, the Treaty of Paris was signed where Spain ceded its control over the Philippines. Nationalist groups in the Philippines began to fight against America leading to the Philippine-American war that killed 20,000 Filipino troops and 200,000 civilians as well as 4,300 American troops. After the Treaty of Paris, the anti-imperialist league began to decline and eventually disappeared in 1920.

In a letter to Jane Addams written on August 7, 1912, Winslow criticizes Addams for supporting Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt fought in the Spanish-America war and when he became president in 1901, he agreed with his predecessors that Philipinos were incapable of self-government. Unlike previous presidents, he created a ceasefire in 1902 to stop the bloodshed between the American military and nationalist Philipino groups fighting for independence. Winslow claims that supporting Roosevelt is contradictory for “those who are laboring for social welfare” because the effects of the war “increase of the navy, the fortification and appropriation of the Panama Canal and the hypocritical support of women’s suffrage to be decided by the votes of women instead of a natural right.” 1

This source is not directly relevant to the topic of LGBTQ in the military, but it is interesting to see how a society can react to imperialism and war. I am interested in how support or anti-war attitudes may have affected the LGBTQ community later in history. For example, if there was a war happening and you needed more members, it may be likely if you were homosexual this was ignored. If the public no longer wishes for war, or if the country is not involved in a conflict, being part of the LGBTQ community might become more of an issue. 

Again, the source was written in 1912. It makes sense that Winslow wrote to Addams during this time because Theodore Roosevelt was running for President. His Bull Moose Party’s foundation was defined as progressive. He called for “direct election of U.S. senators, woman suffrage, reduction of the tariff, and many social reforms.” 2 One can infer that Addams likely supported Roosevelt due to his platform coinciding with her beliefs. Roosevelt was not elected though, instead, Woodrow Wilson became president. Winslow wrote Addams numerous times about the Philippines and wrote three letters in 1912 about the race for president. This shows that on behalf of the Anti-imperialist league, he was actively trying to change Addams’ mind throughout 1912.

The letter was written in Boston, which was where Winslow lived. His environment may have influenced his beliefs. For example, some of his fellow league members may have lived near him, like Andrew Carnegie who also lived in Massachusetts.

The fact that it was a letter to Addams shows why he tried to convince her that Social workers should not support Roosevelt. The tone of the letter was chastising, but not extremely harsh. For example, he ended his letter signed with “your obedient servant” 3 His purpose is reflected by his wording, his background, and the situations happening during his time period. 

Work Cited and Footnotes

1 and 3 “Erving Winslow to Jane Addams, August 7, 1912.” Jane Addams Digital Edition. Accessed March 1, 2020. https://digital.janeaddams.ramapo.edu/items/show/5221.

2 “Teddy Roosevelt Nominated as Bull Moose Candidate.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, February 9, 2010. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/teddy-roosevelt-nominated-as-bull-moose-candidate

“American Anti-Imperialist League.” American Anti-Imperialist League – New World Encyclopedia. Accessed March 1, 2020. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/American_Anti-Imperialist_League.

History.com Editors. “Andrew Carnegie.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, November 9, 2009. https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/andrew-carnegie.

“Philippine-American Conflict.” TR Center – Philippine-American Conflict. Accessed March 1, 2020. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Learn-About-TR/TR-Encyclopedia/War-and-Military-Affairs/Philippine-American-Conflict.

Surveys are a very effective way to collect data while also saving time and even money. Surveys can also be sent out to people across the country and even the globe, which helps get a wider basis of answers and more accurate, representative data. Surveys are usually online or through mail, which is convenient for those on the go or who are rushing to complete them. Other traditional methods, such as focus groups and interviews, can discourage people from participating because they are seen as a huge time consumer and in today’s society, as it has always been, time is money. Surveys are very practical, especially with today’s technology (for example, Google Surveys). Though the effortless forms of surveys, whether in person or online, is seen universally as a good thing, those taking the surveys will obviously not share the same world views, and their answers will differ. Even two siblings taking the same survey could have completely different answers based on their personal beliefs, and the exposure to the topic(s) they are being asked about. Gender does play a role in how we see the world. As females, we are portrayed as weak and very dependent on men. We care immensely  about our rights and issues related to us, such as domestic violence. Men are more focused on their own gender problems, which they do not have a lot of. Unless they are an activist or just very woke, there is a slim chance that they will think certain issues are of importance. The same theory applies with race and social class, in that the issues that apply to certain people will matter more to them than those issues that don’t. For example, those who can not afford health care are most certainly fans of universal/free healthcare, while those who can afford it with ease probably don’t spend as much time thinking about the issue. Those who struggle to make ends meet will most likely fight harder for more rights and help for the poor than those who can spend money with ease. Our race, gender, and social class affect the way we view the world and in turn, affect how we would answer potential survey questions.

This graphic, taken from the SurveyAnyplace Blog, (1)  shows the most basic advantages of surveys. With the anonymity of surveys, such as the one we made for class, people are less afraid to speak their minds. When a survey taker knows that their name or a certain characteristic of themselves will be associated with the answers they give, they are less likely to speak their true mind, especially if the opinions they hold are controversial. When the surveys are anonymous, there is a higher chance of the questions being answered completely and honestly, which helps the data remain accurate. Though, as stated before, those of different genders, races, and social classes will have different answers, the style of surveys allow those answering them to speak their true mind and save time while doing it. 

References 

[1] “10 Advantages and Disadvantages of Questionnaires.” Survey Anyplace, August 20, 2019. https://surveyanyplace.com/questionnaire-pros-and-cons/.

James Addams, a progressive activist, wrote this document, listing proposals to defend the immigrants. According to The New York Times article, Jane Addams devotedly fought for labor rights and immigrants, even though she was most famously known for her role in fighting for women’s right and civil rights.[1] Addams’ article was published on September 29, 1912 in the Chicago Tribune under the heading “Jane Addams Tells of Progressive Plans to Protect the Immigrants.” The source can be found here.[2] I was looking for documents dealing with the rights of immigrants and the different political perspectives regarding the issue of immigration and I was immediately hooked by the title of the newspaper article containing Addams’ work since it was exactly what I was aiming to find.

Another Chicago Tribune article called “Wave of Immigration May Be Only Starting” the growing numbers of immigrants into America, listing the data collected of the numbers of immigrants coming in earlier years. At the time it was published only a million immigrants were predicted to enter the United States, but it proved to be even more than that. It shows America’s concern and belief that this increase does not stop there.[3] Additionally, a newspaper article in The Times-Democrat states that Washington is trying to propose solutions to the immigration issue since they are stampeding into the nation in large numbers. Not only were the immigrants at a loss, but the rulers of the nation as well. Many come to believe that the reason for immigrants not finding work was that workers were unwanted to work where they applied, but the main reason during the Progressive era is that the nation had an aversion toward these non-English speaking immigrants.[4] Addams is against the fact that the government at the time had been making the immigration process stricter and harder to pass, especially for the immigrants who were regarded as “unfit” to contribute to America; that the government hastily fought to not let immigrants in when there was a high need of laborers in the nation, especially since America was starting to go through a transformative process from being an agricultural nation to an industrial one. In this time period, America began to have anti-immigrant sentiments, and this is what Addams was speaking against in this article. The fact that Jane Addams lived in Hull-House in Chicago is evident in her writing because, in the document, she makes the connection between her experience to those of the many immigrants who have no choice but to live in the small tenement houses. Her experience at Hull-House caused her to be more empathetic towards immigrants since she had been made more aware of their struggles by living in an identical environment.

In the document, Addams provides different stories as well as specific examples and statistics of some of the struggles immigrant families faced at the time, responding to local and nationwide events. According to the Library of Congress, the time period between 1900 and 1915 was comprised of a skyrocketing rate of immigrants coming into the United States. These “new” immigrants, however, differed from those that came before them since they came from non-English speaking nations.[5] In the document, Addams expresses her concerns about the unfair labor force that was unwilling to provide the future citizens with opportunities in the land of opportunity, mentioning that both industrial and agricultural jobs were still needed due to people fleeing the overcrowded cities and those fleeing from the farms to take the jobs in the cities. She also touches upon the unjust working conditions which put the health of the immigrants at stake. She additionally emphasizes how the government only aimed at pushing immigrants into the melting pot but does not help out concerning basic matters. The government officials refused to control situations that should have been overseen by the government since many immigrants had been left indolent, powerless, and dependent.

She alludes to the future, saying that immigrants will eventually become threats to society if they are left on their own in the new nation with nothing set for them to do, being left to degenerate, which will cause the nation itself to crumble. They are only becoming a bother to the nation because the government is not taking action or implementing any organizations for the immigrants; they are coming to America at a loss for what to do.

[1] Addams, Jane. “Jane Addams Tells of Progressive Plans to Protect the Immigrants.” Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois), Jane Addams Digital Edition, September 29, 1912. Page 4. https://digital.janeaddams.ramapo.edu/items/show/8875.

[2] Knight, Louise W. “The Story of Jane Addams.” The New York Times, May 3, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/opinion/the-story-of-jane-addams.html.

[3] Dorsey, George A. “Wave of Immigration May Be Only Starting.” Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois), April 6, 1910. Page 10. https://www.newspapers.com/image/349266823/?terms=immigration.

[4] “Exodus of Aliens: Thousands of Immigrants Returning to Europe.” The Times-Democrat (New Orleans, Louisiana), December 9, 1907. Page 2. https://www.newspapers.com/image/166233430/?terms=immigration.

[5] “Progressive Era to the New Era, 1900-1929: Immigrants in the Progressive Era.” The Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/progress/immigrnt/.