Nineteenth Century Roots
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THE REALITIES OF FOREIGN HUMANITARIANISM AND THE U.S. MILITARY: NINETEENTH CENTURY ROOTS by David Mock A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Boise State University May 2015 © 2015 David Mock ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE COLLEGE DEFENSE COMMITTEE AND FINAL READING APPROVALS of the thesis submitted by David Mock Thesis Title: The Realities of Foreign Humanitarianism and the U.S. Military: Nineteenth Century Roots Date of Final Oral Examination: 18 November 2014 The following individuals read and discussed the thesis submitted by student David Mock, and they evaluated his presentation and response to questions during the final oral examination. They found that the student passed the final oral examination. David M. Walker, Ph.D. Chair, Supervisory Committee Raymond J. Krohn, Ph.D. Member, Supervisory Committee Michael Allen, Ph.D. Member, Supervisory Committee The final reading approval of the thesis was granted by David M. Walker, Ph.D., Chair of the Supervisory Committee. The thesis was approved for the Graduate College by John R. Pelton, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate College. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to thank my family and friends, Arnold and Tammy Mock, who provided me with reassurance and support as I pursued my Master’s degree. My experience with the history department at Boise State University has been great. I appreciate them allowing me into the program and providing me a guiding and supportive hand. I particularly want to thank my classroom instructors: Dr. Joanne Klein, Dr. Jill Gill, Dr. Lisa Brady, Dr. Katherine Huntley, Dr. John Bieter, Dr. Leslie Madsen-Brooks, and Dr. David Walker. Thanks also to Dr. Raymond Krohn and Dr. Michael Allen for accepting positions on my advisory committee. A special thanks goes to Dr. Walker for the time he has committed to my thesis, his interest for the topic, and his encouragement, as well as his constructive criticism. He has taught me how to be a truly professional historian. v ABSTRACT For nearly two centuries, United States (U.S.) political policy and non- government organizations (NGOs) had delivered foreign humanitarian assistance (FHA) when and where needed. The logistical capability of the professional U.S. military has allowed it to become an enduring delivery method for FHA. Since the 2000s, Congress has actively shaped the Department of Defense’s (DoD) role in humanitarian operations through a wide variety of authorities contained in the Armed Services (Title 10 U.S. Code) and Foreign Relations and Intercourse (Title 22 U.S. Code) statutes, and through annual legislation. Each branch of the military has also developed more defined doctrines in response to this increasing role in FHA. The U.S. army has developed the Army’s Technique Publication 3-57.20 in order to prepare for an increased humanitarian role. This thesis will challenge traditional notions of U.S. military FHA that places its origins either at the creation of the United Nations (UN) and the Truman Doctrine in the late 1940s, or at the Spanish-American War of 1898. That year, the American populace created a growing demand to right the wrongs committed by the seemingly inept and corrupt Spanish Empire. When action did finally come, the American people landed an army on the shores of a battered people. Incidentally, the United States did not land its troops on foreign soil in 1898 in the name of humanitarianism for the first time. No, decades of prior experience and custom fell alongside those troops. From aiding in the suppression of the Atlantic slave trade beginning in 1819 to providing order and medical vi attention to the people of Alexandria near the end of the century, the United States began a tradition of using its military for FHA that proves nearly as old as the nation itself. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................... v ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................... x LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................. xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................. xii INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER ONE: AN INCOMPLETE HISTORY................................................................... 8 Regional and National Politics ...................................................................................... 8 Philosophical Ideology, International Law, & Legitimacy ......................................... 14 19th Century Military Humanitarianism ...................................................................... 20 Concentration on 1950s Forward ................................................................................ 31 CHAPTER TWO: BEHIND THE SCENES .......................................................................... 36 Analysis of 19th Century Altruistic/Abolitionist Ideologies ....................................... 36 The Southern Impact ................................................................................................... 44 Types of Foreign Humanitarianism ............................................................................ 50 Analysis of Modern Federal Legislation ..................................................................... 56 U.S.C. Title 10 & 22 ....................................................................................... 56 CHAPTER THREE: 19TH CENTURY MILITARY FOREIGN HUMANITARIANISM .... 60 Suppression of the Atlantic Slave Trade ..................................................................... 60 viii 1819 African Slave Trade Patrol ..................................................................... 60 The American Colonization Society (ACS) (The Founding of Liberia) ........ 67 The Webster-Ashburton Treaty and the Continued Growth of U.S. Military FHA .................................................................................................. 75 The Navy Continues to Fight Piracy Today ............................................................... 79 A Tradition of Humanitarian Assistance .................................................................... 80 The U.S. Government and the Great Famine .................................................. 80 Continued Pattern of Foreign Humanitarianism ........................................................ 87 Naval Operations: 1868 Uruguay ................................................................... 87 Naval Operations: 1873 Colombia .................................................................. 91 Naval Operations: 1882 Egypt ........................................................................ 94 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 99 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................... 102 APPENDIX ........................................................................................................................... 115 U.S. Military Engagements, 1789–2011 ................................................................... 115 ix LIST OF TABLES Table A.1 Chronological List of U.S. Military Foreign Humanitarian Assistance ............................................................................................... 116 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. “U.S. Military Engagements Abroad, 1789-1860” ..................................... 7 Figure 2. Painting of USS Jamestown by Ted Walker showing the return of the naval vessel to Boston Harbor after carrying supplies to Ireland ................................................................................................... 30 Figure 3. U.S. armed force member looking at destruction of 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Sendai, Japan ...................................................................... 53 Figure 4. Victims of the Spanish reconcentration camps ......................................... 55 Figure 5. “Liberia.” Liberia Past and Present. .......................................................... 71 Figure 6. “U.S. Military Engagements in Africa and the Mediterranean, 1789-1860” ............................................................................................... 72 Figure 7. Drawing of “The Herald of Relief from America” by Thomas Nast ........ 83 Figure 8. “U.S. Military Engagements in the Americas, 1789-1860”...................... 89 Figure 9. Photography of the bazaar in Alexandria after the bombardment ............ 96 xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS FA Foreign Humanitarianism FHA Foreign Humanitarian Assistance ACS American Colonization Society NGOS Non-Government Organizations xii 1 INTRODUCTION While humanitarianism is a simple concept, the act of carrying it out has not been. In its most general form, humanitarianism is merely an act of sympathy and benevolence extended universally to all of mankind. As simple as the concept may be, academic writers and journalists continue to show the complex relationship governments and non- government organizations hold