The American parallel

The fight for freedom is in its underlying spirit and essential aspects almost always the same in every country. So a study of the struggle through which other people have won their liberty in the past must prove to be of no small value to us in our present attempt. The goal that we have in view and the methods that we are prepared to employ may be in many respects different from those adopted by the nation whose history we are studying. Still, since human nature and the secret of success in such struggles are very much the same all the world over, we have to gain much from a careful and sympathetic study of the achievement of freedom by any country, and especially one like America which once raised her standard of revolt against the same Imperialism which we are now suffering under.