Philippine Literature during the time of the

Americans
Dark Chapters of Filipino-American History We Rarely Talk About
(filipiknow.net)
America Lied About Giving Independence To
The Philippines.
As history would tell us, America
essentially deceived and lied its way
into occupying the Philippines.
With promises of independence
and sovereignty, the Americans
gained the cooperation of the
Filipinos who were yearning to be
free from Spain.
Its Occupation Of The Philippines Was Primarily
Self-Serving.

Coined by US President William

McKinley, “benevolent
assimilation” refers to the American
policy of absorbing the Filipinos into
their culture out of their magnanimous
desire to “civilize” them. As the policy
would have it, Filipinos are too
uneducated and uncivilized to govern
themselves, hence the need for
American intervention.
The Americans Committed Numerous War Crimes
Against Filipinos.

It is estimated that 20,000 –

35,000 Filipino combatants died
in the conflict, with the civilian
population suffering anywhere
from 200,000 – 1,000,000 deaths
(a cholera outbreak also led to
high casualty rates). The
Americans, on the other hand,
suffered approximately 4,000
deaths.
They Exploited And Vilified Real Filipino Heroes

For one, they heavily promoted Jose Rizal as

a “model hero” since he was a patriot who
disavowed violent revolutions in favor of
reforms—music to the new colonizer’s ears.
Aside from that, the Americans designated
the few remaining revolutionaries who
continued to fight them as bandits and
conducted a massive smear campaign
against them. The foremost recipient of this
would be none other than Macario Sakay,
the leader of the Republika ng Katagalugan.
Filipinos Faced Discrimination Here And In The States

Filipinos were subject to even more

bigotry especially when they
immigrated to the United States to
work and study. At stateside, many
Filipinos—especially the laborers—
suffered discrimination at the hands
of the locals who believed their jobs
were being stolen from them due to
the Filipinos’ willingness to work
longer hours for less pay.
The US Abandoned Filipinos—And Americans—During World War II.

“We’re the battling bastards of

Bataan:
No mama, no papa, no Uncle Sam,
No aunts, no uncles, no nephews, no
nieces,
No rifles, no planes, or artillery pieces,
And nobody gives a damn.”
It Broke Its Promise To Filipino War Veterans

After the war, many Filipino

soldiers were expecting to
receive the same benefits as
their American counterparts
as promised by the US. After
all, they had just fought—and
suffered—side-by-side with
the Americans against the
Japanese.
The Establishment Of Neo-colonialism In The Philippines

No matter how Filipinos try to

deny it, the Americans have
succeeded in molding us into their
ideal “little brown brothers.” America
never really left our shores, and it’s
doubtful if the Philippines can
truly shake off its neo-colonial
mentality and finally move
forward.
Paz-Marquez Benitez