3. General Arthur MacArthur called it "the most legitimate and humane war ever conducted on the face of the earth."

4. American-Philippine War Timeline
U.S. bought the Philippines for $20 million and annexed the Philippines:
1899 begins
Started conventional turned guerilla
lasted 3 years
Death toll:
4,200 Americans
20,000 Filipino combatants
200,000 civilian lives
U.S. went to war with Spain in Cuba.
U.S. also sent ships to the Philippines and destroyed the Spanish fleet there.
Press censorship was so effective that few Americans actually knew the difficulties being experienced in the Philippines-or, in fact, that there were 70,000 U.S. troops in the Islands. In early 1900 the first whiff of scandal reached American shores when
On February 4, 1899, just two days before the U.S. Senate ratified the treaty, fighting broke out between American forces and Filipino nationalists led by Emilio Aguinaldo who sought independence rather than a change in colonial rulers.
200,000 Filipino civilians died from violence, famine, and disease.
The first phase, from February to November of 1899, was dominated by Aguinaldo’s ill-fated attempts to fight a conventional war against the better-trained and equipped American troops. The second phase was marked by the Filipinos’ shift to guerrilla-style warfare. It began in November of 1899, lasted through the capture of Aguinaldo in 1901 and into the spring of 1902, by which time most organized Filipino resistance had dissipated. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed a general amnesty and declared the conflict over on July 4, 1902 – uprisings until 1915
A standard response was that "harsh" methods had to be employed against "savages." As the war progressed and as American atrocities became routinized, so did platitudinous defenses of American action. MacArthur called it "the most legitimate and humane war ever conducted on the face of the earth." Senator Foraker, a staunch defender of annexation, announced solemnly (and with a touch of unintended irony), "Our army has shown in this work a surprising degree of humanity."
Lack of firearms indeed continued to be perhaps the single most pressing problem for the Filipinos. By mid-1900 they had at most 20,000 rifles, meaning that only one partisan in four was actually armed. The American naval blockade made it all but impossible to o,btain arms and supplies from abroad and although efforts were made to manufacture gunpowder locally, cartridge shells had to be used over and over to the point of uselessness. The Filipinos had to adapt to their limitations as best they could. They stood up to the heavily armed Americans with spears, darts, the ubiquitous bolo, and even stones, prompting General Lawton to remark, " ... they are the bravest men I have ever seen."17
they laid booby traps, they attacked at night and during driving tropical rainstorms, and they ambushed the Americans by getting as close as possible by stealth and employing their bolos at close quarters, bolo fights Americans mutiliated
as the people dealt with an estimated 34,000–1,000,000 casualties, disestablishment of the Catholic Church as the Philippine state religion (as the United States allowed freedom of religion), and the introduction of the English language as the primary language of government and most businesses.
1907 first assembly 1916 Jones Act eventual freedom – new organic law in the Philippines, promised eventual independence and instituted an elected Philippine senate autonomous commonwealth – 1946 independent
BOLO

5. The Fate of the Philippines
1916 Jones Act – eventual independence
1934 autonomous commonwealth with US approval – first president (10 years),
1946 Republic of Philippines
independent
Victors do not matter – sheds light on our attitudes towards people we are “helping”…

6. What did your documents show about the war?

7. Answer with your group:
1. Based on the documents, describe the Filipino-American War?
2. After reading all four documents, what do you think was the main reason for so much brutality during the Filipino-American War?
3.How do the documents contradict the US’ justification to taking the Philippines?

8. The Brutal War
Between January and June 1902, the Senate conducted hearings on the Philippine War
Americans had become outraged at the reports of how American soldiers were treating Filipinos.
The result of the hearings: In April 1902, Lieutenant General Miles’ report on Army atrocities and torture in the Philippines was released.
General Miles condemned General J. Franklin Bell for his policy of reconcentration, calling it “a direct violation of the law.”
President Roosevelt was enraged that Miles publicly criticized the Army and General Miles retired in August.
these camps were overcrowded and filled with disease, causing the death rate to be extremely high. - some camps death rates as high as 20%
January 1899, the New York World published a story about an American soldier, Private William Lapeer, who had allegedly been deliberately infected with leprosy. The veracity of the story, however, has been questioned, and the opinion expressed that the name Lapeer

9. New York Journal, May 5, 1902 “K
Kill every one over ten." - Gen. Jacob H. Smith.
Bottom caption: "Criminals Because They Were Born Ten Years Before We Took the Philippines"
New York Journal -- May 5, 1902.
“Criminals because they were born Ten Years Before We Took the Philippines”

10. Make any sense?
I thought it would be a great thing to give a whole lot of freedom to Filipinos, but I guess now that it’s better to let them give it to themselves.
Anti-imperialist Mark Twain

11. Comparing Attitudes
How does McKinley justify America’s actions in the Philippines? Do you agree with him?
What does Twain’s satire show about anti-imperialist attitudes? Do you agree with him?

12. Filipino-American War
Document
Source & Date
Summarize the document & pick one quote that you think best captures the brutality of the war.
Based on the document, why did so many atrocities occur during the Filipino-American conflict. Pick a quote that illustrates your point. A B C D