American Defense Society
Encyclopedia
The American Defense Society was a nationalist
American political group founded in 1915. It advocated American intervention against Germany
during World War I
and opposition to the Bolsheviks when they came to power in Russia after the October Revolution
of 1917.
, Cushing Stetson, and John F. Hubbard formed the ADS in August 1915 as a splinter group from the National Security League
(NSL). They objected to the NSL for being uncritical in support of the Wilson
administration. Like the NSL, the ADS favored progressivism
and its reform programs, but it was much more militarist and nationalistic than the NSL. Its first honorary president was former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt
. The Chairman was Richard Melancthon Hurd
.
Among the political positions of the ADS were:
In February 1918, the Society called on Congress to take action on a series of measures required by U.S. entry into World War I. It wanted an "overwhelming force" sent to France: "the quicker we put our full strength into the war the sooner it will be over." It called for the internment of enemy aliens and sympathizers, to prevent sabotage because "if enough munition factories are blown up here we shall lose the war." It claimed that England saw an end to foreign plots and propaganda after interning 70,000. On the educational and cultural front, the Society was uncompromising:
The ADS also called for compulsory military training for all men between the ages of 18 and 21
At the end of 1918 it launched a campaign to eliminate instruction in German nationwide.
Following World War I, the ADS joined the campaign against American participation in the League of Nations
. It described the League as a surrender of national sovereignty "obnoxious to the Constitution of the United States." It denounced "the impossible doctrines of the self-determination of races which is contrary to our fundamental doctrines as a nation."
The Society was officially non-partisan, but in 1920 Charles Steward Davison, Charirman of the Board of Trustees, wrote an open letter to ADS officers, members, and contributors urging them to support the Republican presidential ticket, Harding
and Coolidge
.
The manager of the ADS' Washington Bureau in the 1920s was Richard Merrill Whitney, the author of an expose of radical activity called The Reds in America.
. The group conducted a campaign against the attempt of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
to "pack" the Supreme Court by expanding the number of members in that body. Later, the group was hamstrung by the death of two of its principals: Chairman of the Board of Trustees Davison in 1942 and Board Chairman Elon Huntington Hooker in 1948.
In its later years, it maintained its public profile by giving awards. In 1939, it presented awards called the Atlantic Fleet Silver Cup for excellence in gunnery and the Distinguished Service Gold Medal for work on behalf of national defense and preparedness. In 1943, it honored Theodore Roosevelt
on the eighty-fifth anniversary of his birth.
The Society seems to have essentially been terminated with Davison's death, finally disappearing from New York City directories in 1956.
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
American political group founded in 1915. It advocated American intervention against Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and opposition to the Bolsheviks when they came to power in Russia after the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
of 1917.
Formation
Clarence Smedley ThomasClarence Smedley Thomas
Clarence Smedley Thomas was a Progressive who founded the American Defense Society. Earlier in his career, he headed the Authors Syndicate Bureau with muckraker Will Irwin for the Progressive Party in 1912, worked as a publicist for the Commission for Relief in Belgium, and focused on publicity...
, Cushing Stetson, and John F. Hubbard formed the ADS in August 1915 as a splinter group from the National Security League
National Security League
The National Security League was a nationalistic, militaristic, and eventually quasi-fascist nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that supported the naturalization and Americanization of immigrants, Americanism, a strong military, universal conscription, meritocracy and government regulation of the...
(NSL). They objected to the NSL for being uncritical in support of the Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
administration. Like the NSL, the ADS favored progressivism
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
and its reform programs, but it was much more militarist and nationalistic than the NSL. Its first honorary president was former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. The Chairman was Richard Melancthon Hurd
Richard Melancthon Hurd
Richard Melancthon Hurd was a pioneer real estate economist and political activist.Hurd was born in New York City and attended St. Paul's School. He graduated from Yale University in 1888, where he was a member of Skull and Bones and editor of the Yale record. He headed the mortgage department of...
.
Among the political positions of the ADS were:
- Total victory against Germany in World War I, with no discussion of peace terms
- Centralized organization of national industry, as accomplished temporarily under the War Industries BoardWar Industries BoardThe War Industries Board was a United States government agency established on July 28, 1917, during World War I, to coordinate the purchase of war supplies. The organization encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency and urged them to eliminate waste by...
- Expulsion of socialists from U.S. politics
- Suppression of seditionSeditionIn law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
- One hundred percent Americanism
In February 1918, the Society called on Congress to take action on a series of measures required by U.S. entry into World War I. It wanted an "overwhelming force" sent to France: "the quicker we put our full strength into the war the sooner it will be over." It called for the internment of enemy aliens and sympathizers, to prevent sabotage because "if enough munition factories are blown up here we shall lose the war." It claimed that England saw an end to foreign plots and propaganda after interning 70,000. On the educational and cultural front, the Society was uncompromising:
"The appalling and complete breakdown of German Kultur compels a sweeping revision of the attitude of civilized nations and individuals toward the German language, literature, and science. The close scrutiny of German thought induced by "Hun" frightfulness in this war has revealed abhorrent qualities hitherto unknown, and to most people unsuspected. Hereafter, throughout every English-speaking country on the globe, the German language will be a dead language. Out with it forever!"
The ADS also called for compulsory military training for all men between the ages of 18 and 21
At the end of 1918 it launched a campaign to eliminate instruction in German nationwide.
Following World War I, the ADS joined the campaign against American participation in the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. It described the League as a surrender of national sovereignty "obnoxious to the Constitution of the United States." It denounced "the impossible doctrines of the self-determination of races which is contrary to our fundamental doctrines as a nation."
The Society was officially non-partisan, but in 1920 Charles Steward Davison, Charirman of the Board of Trustees, wrote an open letter to ADS officers, members, and contributors urging them to support the Republican presidential ticket, Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
and Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
.
The manager of the ADS' Washington Bureau in the 1920s was Richard Merrill Whitney, the author of an expose of radical activity called The Reds in America.
The ADS and the Second World War
The ADS made a brief resurgence during the years immediately preceding World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The group conducted a campaign against the attempt of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
to "pack" the Supreme Court by expanding the number of members in that body. Later, the group was hamstrung by the death of two of its principals: Chairman of the Board of Trustees Davison in 1942 and Board Chairman Elon Huntington Hooker in 1948.
In its later years, it maintained its public profile by giving awards. In 1939, it presented awards called the Atlantic Fleet Silver Cup for excellence in gunnery and the Distinguished Service Gold Medal for work on behalf of national defense and preparedness. In 1943, it honored Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
on the eighty-fifth anniversary of his birth.
The Society seems to have essentially been terminated with Davison's death, finally disappearing from New York City directories in 1956.
Further reading
- John HighamJohn Higham (historian)John William Higham was an American historian, scholar of American culture and specialist on issues of ethnicity.-Life and career:...
, Strangers in the Land. New York: Atheneum, 1981. - William Temple Hornaday, A Searchlight on Germany: Germany's Blunders, Crime and Punishment. New York: American Defense Society, 1917.
- William Temple Hornaday, The Lying Lure of Bolshevism. New York: American Defense Society, 1919.
External links
- Guide to the Records of the American Defense Society, 1915-1942, New-York Historical SocietyNew-York Historical SocietyThe New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library located in New York City at the corner of 77th Street and Central Park West in Manhattan. Founded in 1804 as New York's first museum, the New-York Historical Society presents exhibitions, public programs and research that...
. Retrieved March 29, 2010.