America at the turn of the 20th century was having an existential crisis of Inception-style proportions.

You may have heard that the explosion that completely destroyed the U.S. battleship USS Maine helped to spark what we've come to know as the Spanish-American War. But did you know that that war started another war, the Philippine-American War? Or that there was a war within that war over how America should even go to war?

By the late 1890s, Americans were so entangled in a war within a war within a war that they couldn't tell which part of the American way of life was real anymore.

But before anybody fell too deep into that philosophical rabbit-hole, William Jennings Bryan showed up on the scene to tell the country to wake up or they'd be late to school.

When the United States defeated the Spanish Empire in 1898, they inherited all sorts of headaches. Cuba and the Philippines were two of those problems and the U.S. was now responsible for them. What are you supposed to do when entire nations are dropped into your lap? (This is not a problem that we at Shmoop have ever had to deal with…although we know exactly what to do when we drop a burrito into our lap—eat the dang thing anyway.)

An entire war of words broke out over what to do. Some wanted to exploit the islands for resources and profit. Others wanted to get all authority-figure on them with a "you can't do this or you can't do that without my permission" kind of attitude. And anyone who's ever been a rambunctious child knows how well that kind of parenting approach works out. Spoiler alert: not well.

That's where Bryan's "Imperialism" speech came in. The speech itself was meant to be a warning: that if the U.S. started acting like the empires of Europe it would lead to terrible places. Plus, imperialism is simply not very nice.

…oh yeah—and that it also stated that Republicans were terrible human beings for believing in American empire. Ouch.

Bryan wrote this speech for the Democratic Party in 1900. It's political. It takes some cheap shots. But it's also remembered for its elegance, respect for the imperialized, and logical articulation.

Plus he wasn't the only one throwing the political dirt. L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, created the character "the Cowardly Lion" to make fun of Bryan's stance on empire.

And not unlike the movie Inception, the U.S. woke up from its war with Spain to find itself ensnared in another war. On top of that, the country was left with a nagging paradoxical and philosophical question: is it possible to be both an imperialist and an American?

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire.

Sound familiar? It should—it's the opening crawl from Star Wars: A New Hope.

Dum, dum-dum-dum, dum-dum-dum—sorry. We can't help it. It's so stirring.

But it's also an insight into how Americans have typically interpreted imperialism in popular culture—especially after the influences of individuals like William Jennings Bryan.

Bryan's "Imperialism" speech was for sure less dramatic than the Star Wars movies—fewer Stormtroopers and Cinnabon hairstyles—but many of the premises are strikingly similar. Empire is seen as immoral/evil, the events themselves took place in exotic/otherworldly locales, and cute little teddy-bear mammaloids nearly single-handedly take down the intergalactic empire. (Okay, maybe we wish that that last one existed in real life.)

But the "Would George Lucas' Star Wars been different or even not exist at all without the likes of anti-imperialists like Bryan?" is a legit one…and not just because there's no such thing as a wrong question.

When Bryan wrote his "Imperialism" speech in the late 19th century, the U.S. was seriously debating taking on the role of the imperialist. And the Filipino people were increasingly playing the part of the rebel forces intent on taking the empire down.

By characterizing the American way of life as being somewhat antithetical to its imperial aspirations, Bryan helped to create a narrative where the empire was to be seen as the dark side of the force and the rebels as the light.

Now, if only we had adorable little BB-8s to follow us around and give us a thumbs-up with its lighter whenever we needed a quick pick-me-up. Sci-fi always seems much more fun than the real world. Oh well.