A Land Without a People for a People Without a Land: Civilizing Mission and American Support for Zionism, 1880s-1929

Jul 7, 2026

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This dissertation examines the origins of the U.S.–Israel “special relationship” by tracing early American support for the Zionist project in Palestine from the late nineteenth century to the August 1929 Arab uprising. It shows how Western audiences were persuaded to privilege the Zionist narrative over arguments for Palestinian Arab self-determination. It analyzes how Zionists advanced their case to Western governments through pamphlets, speeches, petitions, interviews, and meetings, reframing colonization as a “civilizing mission” akin to earlier settler expansion.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages470

Reading Time19 h 44 min

Introduction

Part I: Civilizing Mission and American Support for Zionism, 1880-1922

Chapter 1 American and Zionist Images of the Middle East

Chapter 2 Zionism as Civilizing Mission

Chapter 3 The Balfour Declaration

Chapter 4 The Failure of the Peace

Chapter 5 American Support for the “Establishment of a Jewish National Home in Palestine”

Part II: The Discourse on Zionism and Palestinian Resistance During the Early Mandate Period

Chapter 6 The Zionist Narrative and U.S. Foreign Policy During the Early Mandate Period

Chapter 7 The 1929 Arab Uprising: Pogrom or Intifada?

Chapter 8 The Shaw Commission, Hope-Simpson Report, Passfield White Paper, and MacDonald Letter

Conclusion

"A LAND WITHOUT A PEOPLE FOR A PEOPLE WITHOUT A LAND": CIVILIZING MISSION AND AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR ZIONISM, 1880S-1929 Robert L. MacDonald A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY December 2012 Committee: Dr. Gary R. Hess, Advisor Dr. Timothy Messer-Kruse Graduate Faculty Representative Dr. Beth Griech-Polelle Dr. Tiffany Trimmer © 2012 Robert L. MacDonald All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Dr. Gary R. Hess, Advisor This dissertation explores the origins ofthe “special relationship” between the United States and Israel and documents the early American support for the Zionist project in Palestine from the late nineteenth century through the Arab uprising in August 1929 and illustrates how the West privileged the Zionist narrative over arguments emphasizing the Palestinian Arab right to self-determination. The question central to this dissertation is how and why the United States came to identify with the Zionist movement during the first half century of Jewish colonization in Palestine. This dissertation focuses on how the Zionists presented their arguments for the Jewish colonization of Palestine to the West in pamphlets, books, speeches, petitions, interviews, and meetings with officials. In the early stages, Zionists and their supporters presented their colonial movement to the Western powers as an extension of the Western civilizing mission, adopting the idealistic rhetoric of benevolent imperialism and the Biblical justifications of earlier settler colonies such as the United States. Zionists presented their movement as congruent with the history of white Americans, essentially characterizing Jewish pioneers and the Jewish colonization of Palestine in such a way so as to remind white Americans of how they understood themselves and their history of settlement, conquest, and expansion. Consequently, Zionists and white Americans understood the indigenous population of Palestine as congruous with Native Americans, which simply compounded the already negative attitude Americans often exhibited toward Islam and the peoples ofthe Orient. The Jewish colonization of Palestine began during the final stage of the U.S. conquest of Native Americans, and white Americans justified the removal, expropriation, and extermination of the natives on the prevailing ideologies of civilization and race. Zionists would adopt a similar ideology and strategy of conquest regarding the Palestinian Arabs, whose possession of the land and existence represented an obstacle to Zionist goals, primarily the establishment of a Jewish state. For the memory of my grandpa, Peter Jurski ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Although scholars spend countless hours alone researching, thinking, and writing, the final product is unquestionably the result of the invaluable contributions, assistance, and support of many individuals. While it is customary to acknowledge these contributions, words can barely express my gratitude for all the help and support I have received along the way. It has been a pleasure to study under Dr. Gary Hess during my time at Bowling Green State University. He has been very patient and giving of his time and knowledge. Completing this dissertation would not have been possible without his efforts. I am very indebted to my committee members, Drs. Timothy Messer-Kruse, Beth Griech-Polelle, and Tiffany Trimmer, for their contributions to this project and for challenging me to become a better scholar and historian. Drs. Trimmer and Amilcar Challu deserve special mention for their invaluable mentoring and support throughout my graduate studies at BGSU. I owe a special debt to Tina Thomas and DeeDee Wentland for all oftheir help and support. Thanks also to my friends and colleagues, especially Mike Carver, Joe Faykosh, Gary Cirelli, Beth Dutridge-Corp, Ian Mladjov, Stephanie Gaskill, Dale Pelz, and Alan Zobler.

FAQs

What central question does the dissertation address about U.S. identification with Zionism?

It asks how and why the United States came to identify with the Zionist movement during the first half century of Jewish colonization in Palestine.

How does the dissertation explain Western preference for the Zionist narrative over Palestinian claims?

It argues that Zionists framed colonization as aligned with the Western “civilizing mission,” which helped marginalize Palestinian Arab right to self-determination.

What sources does the dissertation use to examine Zionist arguments to the West?

It focuses on how Zionists presented their case through pamphlets, books, speeches, petitions, interviews, and meetings with officials.

Jul 7, 2026

Upload by Hazel