Philippine-American War Centennial Forum Welcome to the Centennial Forum, an interactive cyberforum that we specially created for the purpose of discussing the issues concerning the Philippine-American War (1899-1902) and its direct relationship to the long history of U.S. territorial acqusitions driven by a silent imperialistic force called Manifest Destiny.
The war has so many names such as the downgraded Philippine "Insurrection", the "First Vietnam", the "First War for Humanity." Looking back, the war was actually a "baptism of fire" for the U.S. as it emerged as a new superpower of the 20th Century against a "rag tag army" of Filipinos --at the expense of their independence.
After a century of the conflict, the war still has many chapters left open that will continue to cause as constant irritant between the U.S.-Philippine relationship and understanding of the common past. Said open chapters of the war are:
- The Bells of Balangiga --the impropriety of a known war booty made as war memorial for dead U.S. comrades;
- The humiliating title of Philippine "Insurrection", as if the U.S. had "established authority" in the Philippines when the war broke;
- Century-old U.S. denial and 'silence' on the war atrocities; and
- The immorality behind Spain's selling of the Philippines to the U.S. for $20,000,000.
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Philippine-American War Centennial Initiative (PAWCI)
page started by bns 4/2/99