mongster's nest

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War and Dissent: Philippine-American War Exhibit

Links: An ancient town in Vietnam is being proposed as a possible UNESCO world heritage site. A Cambodian social worker is among the CNN Hero of the Year nominees. A message for expatriates based in Singapore. Respecting the Bao Ve in Vietnam.

Humanitarian crisis in south Philippines, a post written for Global Voices.

Last week, I persuaded my family to visit the Philippine-American War exhibit at the Presidio Park. The exhibit featured war photos, diaries of soldiers, rare maps and even the resistance to the U.S. invasion of the Philippines.

The United States sent 120,000 troops to occupy the Philippines. It spent $400 million in order to “pacify” and “civilize” the wild Philippines. The war’s overall cost was $1 billion if military pensions are added. During that time, colonialism was referred to as “outward impulses.”

Above: US soldiers marching in San Francisco, California. They were preparing to be shipped to the Philippine Islands. Below: A map of the Philippines prepared by the Americans in 1899. They included Sabah as part of the Philippine territory.

Below: The Philippines is the First Vietnam. Filipino freedom fighters waged a valiant resistance against American invaders. The Americans launched brutal campaigns of suppression which wiped out more than 10 percent of Philippine population (and almost all Carabaos in the country). US soldiers used different forms of torture (including the infamous water cure technique) to defeat the rebels.

Below: An old version of the Philippine flag which was brought by Philippine leader Emilio Aguinaldo to Hong Kong. See also the escape route used by Aguinaldo to evade the American soldiers who were pursuing him relentlessly. The famous Tirad Pass is highlighted at the upper left side of the map, in the Ilocos Region. Aguinaldo was eventually captured in Isabela province.

Political cartoon: See how the Americans justified their invasion of the Philippines. They portrayed Filipinos as barbarians who do not know how to take a bath. Excuse me, araw-araw kami naliligo, noh, kahit malamig at may snow. The intent here was to assure the American public that the military mission in the Philippines was noble.

Above: Political cartoons depicting the White Man’s Burden. See the cartoon showing Uncle Sam carrying his newly adopted babies: Filipino negritos, Cubans, Hawaiians and Samoans. Inside the gates are children from California and Alaska who were earlier adopted by Uncle Sam. A friend of Uncle Sam is England’s John Bull who is carrying the babies from China, Egypt and other colonies.

Below: The Philippines was invaded by the U.S. so that the latter can also access the big China market. Para yang si Magellan: ang hinahanap niya eh Moluccas pero una muna niyang narating ang Visayas.

Above: The Americans gave an offer Filipinos couldn’t refuse – learn from American teachers (Thomasites) or we will kill you. Eh di siyempre pinili natin/namin yung hindi tayo/kami papatayin.

Above: Many Americans opposed the invasion of the Philippines. The Anti –Imperialist League in Boston was one of the groups which criticized the militarist policies of the US government. Mark Twain was a prominent member of the anti-imperialist circle. Read an excerpt of the letter written by an African-American soldier who served in the Philippine-American war.

The exhibit is free. It is open to the public until January 2009. I hope more Filipinos and Fil-Ams will visit the exhibit.

See more pictures: click here and here.


Related entries:

US meddler
In other words
Aguinaldo and Imelda

posted by: mongpalatino at November 23, 2008 05:05 | link | comments (1) |
nation

Comments:

#1  17 December 2008 - 16:51

 

Looks like a great exhibit. I try to inform my mom about U.S. colonialism. It's interesting how many Filipinos (a generational thing?) simply have NO clue about U.S. atrocities and subsequent structural/cultural (de)formations made in the archipelago. Why is colonialism so invisible?

Anonymous

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