William Rainey Harper’s Founding Vision for the REA and the Rhetoric of American Imperialism

Abstract This article engages the question: In what ways and to what extent was William Rainey Harper’s founding vision for the R.E.A. shaped by the rhetoric of American imperialism and its legitimation of violence against other nations? Using a historical methodology, this research explores how Harper’s originating vision for the R.E.A. grew out of his conviction that the United States, critically informed and democratically inspired by the Bible, could be the world’s prophet of democracy. It analyzes how Harper’s vision for the R.E.A. supported the ideological framework of American imperialism while offering a broader vision in working toward peace.