"Benevolent Assimilation" - how the US
waged a filthy colonial campaign ...!


In 1896 an uprising against Spanish foreign rule began in the Philippines, which was then part of the Spanish Empire.

But the rebels have no chance against the regulares of the Spanish army, their political leaders have already fled abroad!

However, when the rebels face ultimate defeat, luck comes to their aid! This "luck" is the outbreak of the American-Spanish War in 1898.

After the catastrophic sea battle off Manila for the Spaniards ...



... the exiles returned and began to prepare the country for independence. On June 12, 1898, their undisputed leader, the young Emilio Aguinaldo ...



... the independence of the Philippines and convened a constituent assembly.

And as early as January 1899, the Philippine Constitution was proclaimed in Malolos Cathedral and the Philippine Republic was founded.

The scene is still immortalized today on a state bank note ...:



Now everything could be good - the soldiers from the "Land of the brave and the home of the free" would have brought peace, freedom and independence to another enslaved nation.

Would have ...! Stupid word, especially in history!

Because US President William McKinley ...



... has something completely different in mind with the Philippines that have just become free, something that he calls "benevolent assimilation".

Other - bad - countries have colonies, which of course the President condemns in the strongest terms! But "benevolent assimilation" is something completely different - isn't it ...?

No!

McKinley, who was murdered on September 14, 1901, wrote:

“I walked around the White House night after night until midnight; and I am not ashamed to admit that I knelt down and approached the Almighty more than once for light and guidance. And one night late it dawned on me:

First, that we could not return the Philippines to Spain - that would be cowardly and dishonorable; second, that we could not leave them to France or Germany, our trade rivals in the east; that would be bad business style and discrediting; third, that we couldn't just leave them to their own devices; they were not ripe for self-government, they would soon have anarchy and worse mismanagement there. "

In doing so, the imperialist McKinley overlooks (he would not have used this word and instead something "finer"!) That it is his and the whole US's damned mess about the kind of self-government and economic system that will develop a free, independent country.

And so the passage on the Philippines in McKinley's memoir closes with the following words:

"The next morning I called the chief engineer at the Department of War, our cartographer, and ordered him to put the Philippines on the map of the United States, and there they are, and that is where they will stay as long as I am President."

On February 4th, 1899, the first shot between the US soldiers and the Filipino militias was fired - the residents naturally draw the short straw - both of the following pictures were taken on the first day of the war!





But the USA under General Arthur MacArthur (the father of the later Commander in Chief in Asia during the Second World War) ...



... will need an overwhelming superiority until July 4th, 1902 ...







... to overpower the desperately armed and lousy armed (with muzzle-loaders!) Filipinos and to integrate the archipelago into their sphere of activity ...







As their most important commander - that Emilio Aguinaldo, whom we met earlier ...



... 23. March 1901 by troops of US General Frederick Funston ...



... captured, brought aboard of USS "Vicksburg" ...



... and is being dragged off to the USA, the resistance gradually collapses.

In order to break the resistance of the population, the troops of the "hoard of freedom" used the whole range of war crimes that still exist today:

The scorched earth tract, hostage shootings, rape, terror against civilians ...



... and so on ...!

For example, there was an order from General Jacob Smith...



... to shoot anyone over the age of ten without a hitch ...:



This order, which was carried out in many cases, brought Smith - quite rightly! - for friends and enemies the nickname "The Monster of the Philippines".

Oh yes, the notorious "waterboarding" torture for forcing statements from captured enemies (or what was thought to be) already existed - only they were called differently back then ...:



From January to June 1902, under the presidency of Republican Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, there was a Senate investigation into the crimes committed by the United States' troops during the Philippine-American War, but apart from the publication of several extensive reports, the investigation did not lead to any result .

Nobody was charged or even convicted.

The balance:

The US armed forces lost 4,234 dead. On the Philippine side, more than 16,000 armed freedom fighters and 1.5 million civilians paid for "benevolent assimilation" with their lives!

This US colony only gained independence in 1946.

Perhaps there will be contemporaries again who say this article is "too political".
But history is based on facts - and they are not always beautiful.
That's why I asked the admin not to delete the article.

Another piece of political opinion attached to history, perhaps we should have one about 200 german troops burning innocent villagers alive in WW2.

Atrocities are happening today in myanmar but this forum is about modelling and these posts should stop martin.

I used to love reading your historical essays but you are moving into an altogether more emotive arena of late.

Keith

Hi Keith!

I notice that you regularly speak up with such reproaches when it comes to the United States and its history. When I wrote about how the Nazis liquidated the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, I did not notice similar objections from you ...

Therefore I would like to answer you:

If you read my contributions here, you will have noticed that I am by no means silent about the nameless crimes that Germans committed during the Nazi era (and at other times, for example in South Africa).

And as for Myanmar, I absolutely share your opinion!

But neither one nor the other is a reason for me to conceal (war) crimes that have been committed by members of other nations in the course of history, be they French (e.g. Algeria), Japanese (death march from Bataan) or the USA.

My article is based on irrefutable historical facts - it will be difficult for you to prove false facts to me as I research very carefully.

And General Jacob Smith's order to kill all Filippinos over ten years old is historic - even if you don't like reading it!

In this series I will also come to other incidents in the USA, for example the "Trail of Tears". I will also take up the completely illegal mass internment and persecution of US citizens with Japanese roots during the Second World War.

This, too, may seem "too political" to you - but a historian does not work with such terms, he evaluates irrefutable facts.

And, sorry: that is a contradiction in terms:

Does it mean that you like it when I write about history but just want me to leave the US out...?

Cheers

Martin, l am not american l don't live in the USA and at the moment wouldn't care to. It just happens that your posts, well researched as they are, could more recently have been construed as having had a political bias.

The quantanimo bay one was rightly taken down.

There is enough crap going on in the world right now and maybe 20th century history is just too recent for me to enjoy.

Keith.

As for regularly speaking up this is only the second time and if you check back l have very often expressed my pleasure at reading your historical posts

As for irrefutable historical facts even the most arrogant historical researcher would be cautious about making such a statement.

Keith

Martin.

Your historical summaries are normally very informative, well constructed and interesting but this post is nothing more than an anti-USA diatribe and subjectively, with a personal political agenda and opinion interwoven into the historical summary. That is certainly how it reads to me anyway; others may differ. There isn't a nation on earth I can think of which at some time hasn't had some social or military episode during its existence of which it should be ashamed and would readily seek to forget or airbrush out of the history books. Can we also assume as well (for balanced reporting) that when Filipinos captured any US troops during that same brutal conflict, that they were (all) afforded the full rights of respect and fair treatment as prisoners of war.....please confirm or otherwise?

As Keith says, there is enough going on in the world at the moment (including subjective 'revisionist' and political agendas by organisations like BLM constantly raking over the past to create mischief and destroy harmony) without being subjected to it on a site for people who come here to escape from it all and indulge in their hobby. You are entitled to your opinions of course, but please don't try and present this as some sort of balanced and impartial summary of a conflict when your own interpretation, innuendos and sentiments on the subject are evident for all to see (read) in every paragraph you write.

Ultimately, what are you trying to prove here (to yourself or others) with an article like this; that countries like Russia, Japan, China and even Germany don't have a monopoly on reported 20th Century atrocities? Everyone accepts that they don't...so why not 'let it go' and relax?

Gary

Any event that kills 1.5 million non combatants deserves to be remembered, no matter who the perpetrators were. Shameful episodes in history always make uncomfortable reading, but that makes it more important that they are read. To be honest, I don’t see this report as particularly biased and wonder why you are getting bent out of shape.

Moonraker,
As a new member you may not realise what an opinionated political animal Martin can be. His historical reporting is well researched and illustrated but he invariably puts his own biased slant on it. In my opinion the facts themselves are all that are required.
There were several totally obnoxious threads on Brexit by Martin that were taken down. This is a modelling forum not a personal soapbox sounding board. We all have opinions about lots of things but most don't foist them on others.

Bill

It's true that this is a modelling forum but since so many of the models are based on history in general and the history of conflict in particular, I think it's correct to pay attention to historical incidents, especially the lesser-known ones.

I'm certainly not a historian but I thought it is well accepted that something like 'objective history' does not exist unless you would like to consider a meaningless listing of events (1600 battle of Nieuwpoort, 1602 VOC, ...). In my opinion, the hypocrisy alluded to in the article goes beyond a personal trait of this-or-that president (which would be less interesting to me). It's a major factor in 'selling' foreign policies at home. As such, I think it deserves to be exposed.

I'm Dutch, proud of my country and interested in its history. Last month, we missed an opportunity to hear about the February Strike. I would have appreciated that because it makes us (hah!) look good but I am also looking forward to any episodes that illustrate atrocities during the Indonesian independence war or the Aceh struggles or any of the things they didn't want us to learn in school.

History, like democracy, is not for the timid.

Henk