Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dream

Pulitzer Prize-finalist Gregg Jones shares the extraordinary story of America's drive for an overseas empire on the eve of the 20th century, and the brutal realities for those living under foreign domination. Honor in the Dust brings to life one of the most pivotal moments in U.S. history, telling the story of Theodore Roosevelt's first major crisis as president — a torture scandal spawned during the United States' controversial conquest of the Philippines — examining the critical election of 1900, when Americans weighed economic concerns against a divisive overseas war, and recalling the United States' dramatic rise as a world power and the cast of forgotten characters behind it.

The issues at the heart of the forgotten debate about the emergence of the U.S. as a world power will sound familiar to anyone who has followed the contemporary back-and-forth over military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over the use of U.S. power, the propriety of torture in the pursuit of American interests, the obligations of national honor — then, as now, as readers will see, Americans held passionately disparate views.

About the author
Gregg Jones is a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and Gerald Loeb Award. His work has appeared in the Dallas Morning News, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Guardian, and The Observer (London), as well as other papers throughout Australia and the United States. He lives in Dallas, Texas.

Co-sponsored by the Mechanics' Institute Library, and the Japan Policy Research Institute at University of San Francisco Center for the Pacific Rim.