"American Century" is a term coine by Time publisher Henry Luce used to claim the historical role of the United States during the 20th century. Luce, the son of a missionary, in a 1941 Life magazine editorial urged the United States to forsake isolationism for a missionary's role, acting as the world's Good Samaritan and spreading democracy. According to David Harvey, Luce believed "the power conferred was global and universal rather than territorially specific, so Luce preferred to talk of an American century rather than an empire." He also called upon the U.S. to enter World War II to defend democratic values: