Soldiers in the Philippines Lesson Plan

Central Historical Question:

What accounted for American atrocities during the Philippine War?
Materials:
Timeline (from Philippine War Political Cartoon Lesson)
Copies of Soldiers in the Philippines Documents A-D
Copies of Soldiers in the Philippines Graphic Organizer
Plan of instruction:
1. Introduction: Hand out (or ask student to take out) Philippine War Timeline
(from Philippine War Political Cartoon Lesson).
Point out that between January and June 1902, the Senate conducted
hearings on the Philippine War because many 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.
2. Explain to students their task:
Historians today are trying to figure out what causes some soldiers to behave
brutally during war (students should assume that the soldiers arent
sociopathic criminals to begin with).
Your task is to read these documents and figure out why many American
soldiers were brutal to the Filipino insurgents.
Hand out Documents A-D and Graphic Organizer.
NOTE: This Graphic Organizer is a bit trickier than usual. WE
RECOMMEND:
a) Going over the Graphic Organizer with students first. Explain to
students that these hypotheses do not represent all the possible
explanations. If they have alternative hypotheses they should write
about them in the conclusion.
b) Having students READ THROUGH all documents before beginning to
fill out the Graphic Organizer.
Soldiers in the Philippines

3. Debrief: Discussion questions:

What evidence did you find for each of the hypotheses?

Is some of the evidence more or less believable? Why?
Based on the evidence, which hypothesis do you find most convincing
for why some American soldiers treated Filipino insurgents with
brutality?

Citations:
Affairs in the Philippine Islands, Senate Committee on the Philippines, 57th Congress,
1st Session, April 1902.
Stuart Creighton Miller, Benevolent Assimilation, (New Haven and London, Yale
University Press, 1982), 88, 188, 189.
Francisco, Luzviminda, The First Vietnam: The US-Philippine War of 1899, in L.B.
Francisco and J.S. Fast, Conspiracy for Empire, (Quezon City, Foundation for
Nationalist Studies, 1985), 313.
New York Sun, March 10, 1902 as quoted in Stuart Creighton Miller, Benevolent
Assimilation, (New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1982).
Agoncillo, Teodoro, The History of the Filipino People, (Quezon City, R.P. Garcia
Publishing, 1990), 230.

Copyright 2009, Avishag Reisman and Bradley Fogo.

Soldiers in the Philippines

Document Set A: Testimony from Senate Hearings

Between January and June 1902, the Senate conducted hearings on the war in
the Philippines. The excerpts below come from testimony given at those
hearings.

Testimony of Corporal Richard OBrien

The first shot was fired by Sergeant. His target was a mere boy, who
was coming down the mountain path. . . .
The shooting attracted the villagers, who came out of their homes
in alarm. They did not display a weapon, made no hostile movement
whatsoever, but they were ruthlessly shot down in cold blood, men,
women and children. The poor natives huddled together or fled in
terror. Many were pursued and killed on the spot. Two old men,
bearing a white flag and clasping hands like two brothers,
approached the lines. Their hair was white. They fairly tottered, they
were so feeble under the weight of years. To my horror and that of
the other men, the order was given to fire and the two old men were
shot down in their tracks.
Testimony of Corporal Daniel J. Evans
One of the Americans took one of the men by the head and jerked
his head back, and then they took a tomato can and poured water
down his throat until he could hold no more, and during this time one
of the natives [who supported the Americans] had a whip and he
struck him on the face and on the bare back . . . . And when this
native could hold no more water, then they forced a gag into his
mouth; they stood him up and tied his hands behind him, they stood
him up against a post . . . . Then one man, an American soldier, who
was over six feet tall, and who was very strong, too, struck this native
in the pit of the stomach as hard as he could strike him, just as rapidly
as he could. It seemed as if he didnt get tired of striking him.
Source: Testimony to the U.S. Senate on the use of the water cure
in the Philippines. Affairs in the Philippine Islands, Senate Committee on the
Philippines, 57th Congress, 1st Session, April 1902.

Soldiers in the Philippines

Document Set B: American Soldiers Letters Home

The town of Titatia [sic] was surrendered to us a few days ago, and
the two companies to occupy the same. Last night one of our boys
was found shot and his stomach cut open. Immediately orders were
received from General Wheaton to burn the town and kill every native
in sight; which was done to a finish. About 1,000 men, women and
children were reported killed. I am probably growing hard-hearted, for
I am in my glory when I can sight my own gun on some dark skin and
pull the trigger.
From A. A. Barnes, soldier, a letter to his parents in NY

Soon we had orders to advance, and we started across the creek

in mud and waters up to our waist. However, we did not mind it a bit,
our fighting blood was up, and we all wanted to kill ni----rs. This
shooting human beings is a hot game, and beats rabbit hunting all
to pieces. We charged them and such a slaughter you never saw. We
killed them like rabbits; hundreds, yes thousands of them. Every one
was crazy.
From a soldier from Washington

The old boys will say that no cruelty is too severe for these brainless
monkeys, who can appreciate no sense of honor, kindness or
justice With an enemy like this to fight, it is not surprising that the
boys should soon adopt no quarter as a motto, and fill the blacks full
of lead before finding out where they are friends or enemies.
From a soldier from Utah

Source: Miller, Stuart Creighton, Benevolent Assimilation, (New Haven and

London, Yale University Press, 1982), 189.

Soldiers in the Philippines

Document C: Filipino Soldiers

The guerillas, in violation of Aguinaldos orders and circulars, treated
captured Americans with barbaric cruelty. Noses and ears were
lopped off and bleeding wounds treated with salt. In some cases,
American prisoners were buried alive. Kicking, slapping, spitting at
the faces of American prisoners were common, the hatred of the
American being such that the guerillas forgot or conveniently forgot
Aguinaldos injunctions regarding the good treatment to be accorded
the prisoners.
Filipino soldiers report to Aguinaldos government

Document D: Frederick Funston

Frederick Funston fought in 19 battles in the Philippines in less than a year and
was involved in an undercover operation that led him to the headquarters of
Philippine President Emilio Aquinaldo. He earned a Medal of Honor and returned
to the US a national hero for his actions in the Philippines. In 1902, Funston
toured the United States to increase public support of the Philippine-American
War.

I am afraid that some people at home will lie awake [at] night worrying
about the ethics of this war, thinking that our enemy is fighting for the
right to self-government. They are as a rule an illiterate, semi-savage
people who are waging war, not against tyranny, but against AngloSaxon order and decency.
I personally strung up thirty-five Filipinos without trial, so what was all
the fuss over Wallers dispatching a few treacherous savages? If
more [people who did this], the war would have been over long ago.
For starters, all Americans who had recently petitioned Congress to
sue for peace in the Philippines should be dragged out of their homes
and lynched.
Source: New York Sun, March 10, 1902 as quoted in Stuart Creighton Miller,
Benevolent Assimilation, (New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1982).

Soldiers in the Philippines