The Damage from Historical Revision

Before enrolling into this study abroad program, I did not know much about the history of the Philippines, let alone the history regarding the war between the Spain and the Philippines, as well as the war with the United States and the Philippines. After reading the assigned articles for this week, I feel that I have learned a lot about the history of the wars and I am eager to learn more. As Susan Quimpo stated in lecture and discussion, revised historical textbooks don’t teach everything and often will leave out crucial events (Susan Quimpo; 7-27-2016). The article, The Philippine-American War: Friendship and Forgetting puts into perspective why often times the Philippine-American War is forgotten, along with all of the negative actions and events that occurred due to American conquest. America is often remembered as kind and generous even after America had killed numerous Filipinos and destroyed their land because Filipinos established a “dependency relation” with the US. Filipinos had no other choice but to rely on the resources that the US provided such as food, sanitation and hygiene products, in order to survive the breakdown of agriculture and food scarcity (Ileto, 1990; pg 13). The dependency on America is a factor that has contributed to the forgetting of all the negative actions and events that took place during the Philippine-American War.

Howard Zinn provides great insight about benevolent assimilation in his comic, A people’s History of American Empire. Zinn (2008), as well as Ileto (1998), both explained the way the US planned a mock war as a way to make the Filipinos believe that they were helping them fight for their independence from Spain. After the mock war the Filipinos viewed the US as heroes; however, little did Filipinos know that America would force the country to assimilate to Western culture and use their country for their profit and as a way to ease into China’s Market (Ileto, 1998; pg 6).   
Another connection to the business venture of the Philippines is a powerful statement from Mark Twain. “There is more money in it, more territory, more sovereignty and other kinds of emolument then there is in any other game that is played” (Twain 2008; pg 61). Zinn reveals that America used their conquest of the Philippines to send missionaries to introduce Christianity among the Filipinos (Zinn, 2009; pg 55). President McKinley stated, “There was nothing left for us to do but to take all the islands and educate the Filipinos” (Zinn, 2009; pg 55). The influence of the American conquest is seen in the amount of Christian churches that have been established after the colonization.

Mark Twain’s satirical, anti-imperialistic essay, To the Person Sitting in the Darkness, stresses that it is better for a country to be in “darkness” or uncivilized than to be in enlightened with colonization. Going back to the idea of historical revision, often in American historical literature, Filipinos were described to be savages that are incapable of being an independent nation. Twain’s essay helps augment America’s deceitful relationship with the Philippines as they acted as both friends and colonizers (Zinn, 2008; pg 58). Twain stated, “There must be two Americas: one that sets the captive free, and one that takes a once-captive’s new freedom away from him, and picks a quarrel with him with nothing to found it on; then kills him to get his land” (Twain, 2002; pg 64).

It is exasperating that the Filipinos were blamed and oppressed for resisting colonization from the US. Their behavior was framed to be a “misguided, rejection of a gift of further enlightment instead of a suppression of their revolutionary and nationalist dreams” (Ileto, 1998; pg 14). This shows that American history favors the Western perspective and conceives it as the person of color problem.  It is never the fault of a white society because they are deemed to be righteous and true (Twain, 2002; pg 67). This notion of white privilege is revealed in McIntoch’s article, White Privilege and Male Privilege. McIntosh also indicated that the idea that checking privilege for white people could also directly lessen oppression for people of color.

(Dusenbery, 2014) 

Question: 

Why did Mark Twain hate the concept of imperialism?

What do you think of Twain's characterization of the US as playing “the game” and McKinley as “The Master”?

Dusenbery, M. (2014). “No one cares if you never apologize for your white male   privilege.”. Feministing. Retrieved 2 August 2016, from   http://feministing.com/2014/05/05/no-one-cares-if-you-never-apologize-for-your- white-male-privilege/

Ileto, Reynaldo C. “The Philippine-American War: Friendship and Forgetting.” Vestiges of War. Ed. A. Shaw and L.H. Francia. New York Press: New York, 1998. 3-21. Print.

McIntosh, P. (1988). White Privilege and Male Privilege. A Personal Account Of Coming To See Correspondences Through Work In Women's Studies.

Spanish American War “A Splendid Little War”. Causes of Spanish American War American Sympathy towards Cuban Fight for Freedom against Spanish Rule Monroe. - ppt download. (2016). Slideplayer.com. Retrieved 2 August 2016, from http://slideplayer.com/slide/8773030/

Susan Quimpo. 7-27-2016. Presentation.

Twain, Mark. “To the Person Sitting in Darkness.” Vestiges of War. Ed. A. Shaw and L.H. Francia. New York Press: New York, 2002. 57-68. Print.

Zinn, Howard. “Invasion of the Philippines.” A People’s History of American Empire.  Metropolitan Books: New York, 2008. 53-72. Print.