The Philippine Genocide of 1899

 

The Philippine Genocide of 1899

(By: DinggolAranetaDivinagracia - October 5, 2018)

“The Philippine genocide of 1899 happened because of a prayer to God!” --dinggol.d~~~

American writer and anti-imperialist league leader Mark Twain wrote:

“…I have seen that we do not intend to free, but to subjugate the people of the Philippines. We have gone to conquer, not to redeem… and so i am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the american eagle put its talons on any other land.”

On 15th of October 1900 Twain wrote the New York Times.

“We have pacified some thousands of the islanders and buried them; destroyed their fields; burned their villages, and turned their widows and orphans out-of-doors; furnished heartbreak by exile to some dozens of disagreeable patriots; subjugated the remaining ten millions by Benevolent Assimilation, which is the pious new name of the musket; we have acquired property in the three hundred concubines and other slaves of our business partner, the Sultan of Sulu, and hoisted our protecting flag over that swag. And so, by these providences of God — and the phrase it is the government’s, not mine — we are a World Power.” — Mark Twain

Mark Twain also spoke of the almost universal racism of the white American troops and politicians he called them shameless. He was deeply disturbed by the sadistic war crimes that were committed by the American troops. He suggested that the stars and stripes on the American flag should be replaced by a skull and cross bone.

Was it American policy to kill as many Filipinos as possible? Brigadier General J. Franklin Bell wrote “With a very few exceptions, practically the entire population has been hostile to us at heart,” so there is no doubt the Americans saw every Filipino as the enemy.

The USA carried out a scorched earth campaign in burning and destroying villages, they also tuned villages into concentration camps where they burnt the land around them and built watch towers that looked over the free-fire zones, anyone trying to leave the village was shot. They called these concentration camps “reconcentrados”.

The reconcentrados (concentration camps) were full of disease which caused a very high death rate the death rate in some camps was as high as 20%. One camp was 2 miles long by 1 mile wide and was the prison for 8,000 Filipinos. Men were often rounded up to be questioned using torture if they gave the Americans the information they wanted or not did not matter as they were still shot.

A soldier from New York wrote:

“The town of Titatia was surrendered to us a few days ago, and two companies 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 gun on some dark skin and pull the trigger”

Corporal Sam Gillis wrote “We make everyone get into his house by seven p.m., and we only tell a man once. If he refuses we shoot him. We killed over 300 natives the first night. They tried to set the town on fire. If they fire a shot from the house we burn the house down and every house near it, and shoot the natives, so they are pretty quiet in town now.”

A British eye witness in the Philippines said:

“This is not war; it is simply massacre and murderous butchery.”

Why the Philippines Genocide happened? It all happened because of a prayer to god.

President McKinley was in the White House praying when he claimed it came to him that he could not give the Philippines back to Spain as that would look cowardly.

McKinley said he did not want the Philippines. But then one night in the White House, when he was down on his knees praying to God, it came to him:

That we could not give them back to Spain – that would be cowardly.

He could not let France and Germany have the Philippines as that would be bad for business.

He could not let the Filipinos rule themselves as he considered them incapable.

So he decided America should take the whole Philippines rather than just Manila which is all they had at the time, educate the people and Christianize them, something the Spanish had already done to many of the people for almost 400 years.

So in 1899 the U.S.A. declared war on the Philippines as a way to educate, Christianize and civilize the people; thus, the Philippines Genocide began.

A travesty of history, a diplomatic faux pas

It should be noted, that there was no formal "Declaration of War" between two conflicting sovereign nations, the USA and the Estado Federal de Bisayas (EFB). The global armed confrontation was the Spanish-American War that did not involved in any way the EFB, a separate, distinct and an independent legitimate sovereign nation. This was brought about by Spain's "formal" surrender earlier to the Visayan Federal Republic based in Iloilo.

On the contrary, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldos' government whose authority and jurisdiction had never truly included the territories of Central and Western Visayas under the Estado Federal de Bisayas (spearheaded by the Ilonggos), could still be considered "subject" under the Spanish crown because although his revolutionary forces were successful in several encounters, he really never formally won the war against Spain.

His opportunity was derailed by the betrayal of his erstwhile American trusted allies during the 13th of August, 1898 "Mock Battle of Manila" in Intramuros--

The invasion of the Ilonggo Nation

On December 27, 1898 - A few days after Spain's formal surrender and the Federal Republic of the Visayas based in Iloilo became independent; thus, achieved the status as a sovereign Nation --a 3,000-strong American military force led by Gen. Marcus Miller arrived in four US warships (USS: Baltimore, Boston, Concord and Petrel) to Iloilo harbor in Fort San Pedro to demand the surrender of the City. Several negotiations were made but the Ilonggos vehemently refused to surrender their battle scarred freedom and legitimate independence and stood their ground. On February 14, 1899 - After about a week of continued naval bombardment, American troops led by Gen. Robert Hughes landed at Fort San Pedro in Iloilo and took the City by storm. Thus; began another ilonggo war, this time against American invaders. (Excerpted from: The Philippine-American War as Race War; by Paul A. Kramer) "...This point was also made at Senate hearings in 1902, when General Hughes described the burning of entire towns by advancing U.S. troops as a means of "punishment, " ---U.S Senator Rawlins inquired: "But is that within the ordinary rules of civilized warfare?" General Hughes replied succinctly: "These people are not civilized."Gen. Robert Hughes admitted he ordered the burning of villages and murder of women and children but he reasoned out that his victims were "not civilized." Describing the Filipinos in racist terms as "Chinese half-breeds" ..."

The Assassination of President William McKinley

William McKinley, the 25th U.S. President whose popularity was heightened by the victory of the United States in the Spanish-American war, was easily returned to a second term in the election of 1900.

However, in September 1901 or less than a year of his second term as U.S. president, his life was cut short by an assassin's bullet delivered during the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo in New York. A slim, 28-year-old man named Leon Czolgosz fired twice. The first bullet bounced off McKinley's chest. The second ripped through his stomach. He lingered for eight days finally succumbing to gangrene and infection on September 14, 1901. ~~~

WILLIAM MCKINLEY, the 25th President of the United State of America (USA)