The Boxer Rebellion

I’m reading this morning about how President William McKinley handled the Boxer Rebellion. I thought it was worth sharing in light how Trump appears to be inspired by his example.

The following excerpt comes from Robert W. Merry’s book President McKinley: Architect of the American Century

“Hay’s handiwork was soon overtaken by the revolt that enveloped northern China when a call went forth that quickly inspired millions: “Support the Qing; exterminate the foreigners.” It came from yet another secret society, Yi-He quan, translated as Righteous and Harmonious Fists and known among Westerners as “the Boxers.” Like earlier Chinese secret societies, the Boxers emerged almost spontaneously among Chinese peasants, particularly in the fertile, densely populated northern province of Shandong, a strategic expanse that encompassed long stretches of the Yellow River and the Grand Canal and extended to the Chinese coastlands nearest Beijing. The Boxers of Shandong, displaying red sashes of defiance, were out for blood. …

Thus did a combination of developments, social and natural, set off an explosion of anti-Christian and anti-Western savagery. The leaderless and loosely organized Boxer movement spread through the countryside, killing Chinese Christians initially but threatening Westerners with increasing menace …

McKinley understood that events in China contained political and global significance far beyond the fate of Beijing’s beleaguered Westerners. He was responsible for the safety of American citizens everywhere around the globe, and any horrendous outcome in Beijing would undermine his leadership in an election year. Further, not even Hay’s adroit diplomacy could forestall a China carve-up by the Western powers if a massacre should occur. The president’s China policy would be in ruins, along with Asian stability. …

The New York Times, reflecting widespread sentiment among increasingly apprehensive Americans, editorialized, “If the Oriental intellect in its twistings and turnings is capable of comprehending Western ideas set forth in straightforward speech the grave rebuke which President McKinley has found it necessary to administer directly to the Emperor himself ought to serve as an admonition that Chinese ways are no longer to be tolerated.” The hapless emperor and his mother were in a bind, unable to rid their capital of the foreigners who were at the heart of the hostilities; unable to rein in the Boxers, whose fulminations had precipitated the crisis; and unable to stop the multinational foreign army bent on seizing their imperial city. …

Alliance forces reached Beijing on August 15 and pummeled it with artillery fire, but the Chinese army held off the assault with abundant small-arms fire from the big outer walls. Japanese and Russian troops positioning themselves to the northward of the Tung-Chow Canal, while American and British forces occupied the south side. At nightfall the Japanese blew up the two eastern gates of the city, while the Americans and British entered through the two southern gates. Detachments of each contingent, facing heavy resistance, where the parties met and opened up communications. British troops from India entered the British legation grounds at 1 PM the next day, the Americans arrived at 3.”

The Boxer Rebellion was an anti-Christian, anti-Western pogrom by Chinese peasants in 1900. Westerners were massacred in China and were put under siege in Beijing.

Here is how Google Gemini sums up American involvement in China at the turn of the 20th century:

“During the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, American sailors and marines played a crucial role in defending the foreign legations in Beijing and participated in the international relief effort to lift the siege, ultimately contributing to the suppression of the rebellion. 

Here’s a more detailed account of the American involvement:

• The Siege of the Legations: In the summer of 1900, foreign diplomats in Beijing’s Legation Quarter were besieged by Chinese imperial soldiers and “Boxers,” members of a secret society opposed to foreign influence. 
• American Defense:A small international guard, including 56 American sailors and marines, defended the Legation Quarter, communicating with foreign allies via hand signals and fighting fiercely despite dwindling supplies. 
• Relief Expedition:To lift the siege, the United States, along with other nations, sent additional troops to join an international coalition. 
• Marine Detachments:Two marine detachments, totaling over 130 men, left Cavite in the Philippines and joined the relief effort near Taku, China. 
• Battle of Tientsin:These marines, along with Russian forces, engaged Chinese troops near Tientsin (present-day Tianjin) but were forced to retreat after an overwhelming counterattack, suffering casualties. 
• International Relief Force:The international relief force, including U.S. troops, eventually fought its way to Beijing, lifting the siege and suppressing the Boxer Rebellion. 
• Key Figures:Marine Private Dan Daly single-handedly defended a critical position on the Tartar Wall, earning his first Medal of Honor. 
• Lessons Learned:The Boxer Rebellion marked the U.S. military’s first experience with coalition warfare on a global stage and its first encounter with China on the battlefield. 
• Aftermath:After the siege, the international relief force cleared the outer walls of troops, and American artillery units blasted their way through a series of walls and gates into the Imperial City, halting their advance at the gates to the Forbidden City.