Mark Twain

“There has never been a just WAR !”

Mark Twain, No figure from our past exemplifies more what it means to be an American. The first author of American Literature who dared, in his classic stories, to create a role as the voice of humanity, a moral compass, being portrayed as a Black man, a Slave, as the Hero.

“Mark Twain became a staunch anti-war advocate, especially against American imperialism, viewing war as brutal, hypocritical, and driven by greed, famously condemning the Philippine-American War as a conquest, not liberation, despite a brief early enthusiasm for the Spanish-American War”.  He penned powerful critiques like “The War Prayer,” satirizing the pious justifications for slaughter, and called soldiers “uniformed assassins,” fiercely denouncing colonial expansion and the hypocrisy of fighting for freedom while subjugating others.“ ¹

“The statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is being attacked, and every man will be glad of these conscience-soothing falsities” ²

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Statesmen will invent cheap lies, blaming the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception.
– “Chronicle of Young Satan”

Mark Twain was a prominent anti-imperialist who came to oppose American imperialism, particularly after the Philippine-American War.

Initially more supportive, his stance changed after he believed he understood the true, exploitative motives behind America’s actions. He became a vocal critic, arguing that imperialism was fundamentally un-American and contradicted the country’s ideals of freedom and equality, and was active in the Anti-Imperialist League. 

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Statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception.
– “Chronicle of Young Satan”

This sentiment aligns with Twain’s broader anti-war stance, often expressed in his writings, where he exposed the hypocrisy and brutality behind military conflicts, even as individuals within them might display nobility.

http://www.twainquotes.com/War.html

Mark Twain, “The War Prayer” (ca.1904-5)

Mark Twain, “The War Prayer” (ca.1904-5)