Reaction Paper on the Filipino Is Worth Dying for

“...We govern our children without their consent...Would not the people of the Philippines prefer the just, human, civilizing government of this Republic…” (Doc B, Albert J. Beveridge). I disagree with this black and white view of the world. The Filipinos are grown people capable of making the best decision for themselves. Children are not (due to their undeveloped frontal lobes). They do not need America to save them. They wanted freedom enough to attempt war with Spain, a global power, so they have earned that

Inmates at Shawshank were often beat within an inch of their lives by the administration at Shawshank in order to instill a sense of obedience and to keep enforcing routine. Head Guard Captain Hadley would on occasion hurt the prisoners so much they would die of injury’s they sustained from him. “Black man, white man, red man, yellow man, it doesn’t matter because we’ve got our own brand of equality. In Prison every con’s a nigger and you have to get used to the idea if you intend to survive men like Hadley and Greg Stammas who really would kill you just as soon as look at you. When you’re in stir you belong to the state and if you forget it woe is you. I’ve known men who have lost eyes, men who have lost toes, Men who have lost fingers, I knew a man who lost the tip of his penis and counted himself lucky” (44) this shows the lack of moral judgment

Ronald Takaki’s chapter in his sweeping 1989 text, Strangers from a Different Shore, “Dollar a Day, Dime a Dance: The Forgotten Filipinos”, outlines the experiences of primarily male Filipino immigrants to the U.S in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The author did a good job showing what the Filipino went through. Like many immigrants before them, they came seeking work and a better livelihood. They faced backbreaking work, low wages, and at time, extreme racism. However, in many ways the Filipino immigrant experiences were extremely different from other ethnic groups, the Chinese and Japanese immigrants.

The acquisition of Philippines by the United States is the topic that is going to be focused upon throughout this paper. The historical context of this topic deserves to analyzed with reference to both the primary and secondary readings assigned. The highlighted issue takes place after the treaty of Paris was signed between the United States and Spain which liberated Spain’s remaining colonies. Towards the end of the 19th century, Americans were influenced by the ideology of imperialism. They believed that advanced industrialized nations like the United States, Great Britain and France needed to acquire colonies in order to provide raw materials to feed their industrial economies. Extensive markets were wanted in order to sell finished products to those colonial masses.

There can be no doubt that we had full knowledge that they were fighting for their own independence.” The United States understands that the Filipinos wants their own independence but still annexed the Philippine because they think it was the right thing to do without asking the Filipinos what they want and their

By showing an example of courage to counter the bravery against the America and their domination which shows that they have no fear and they did not lost their hope in life. Rather, they manage to endure, no matter what comes to their front in the matter of their oppression they still try to fight not just being silent. As the authors pointed out that the league insist about imperialist ideas that “Much as we abhor the war of "criminal aggression" in the Philippines, greatly as we regret that the blood of the Filipinos is on American hands, we more deeply resent the betrayal of American institutions at home.” There is no doubt that the America portrayed a great state but their doing of evil things of killing people is not tolerable to any human history. Also, it hard to find out if the enemy is the own homeland and support the America’s domination as they not only the breaking the trust of the country as they reason for the death of the other

According to Aguinaldo, the Philippines had much respect for Americans by treating them well, thinking that they were good people. Filipinos viewed American people as protectors and one who could transform the Philippines island from a land of tyranny to an progressive republic guided by Americans. Aguinaldo imagined that his people would be happy and contented with Americans without sacrificing a single American life, but this was not to be. He urged America to conquer the heart of the Philippine people by being just and leading them with a soft hand instead of dragging them with chains of steel.

     First of all I think that the if we would have maybe let some of the well respected citizens in our great nation to speak their opinions and if the government would have listened to the that maybe we could have evaded war and ended our struggle with the Filipinos peacefully. One example of the great citizens that I was talking about would be Mark Twain who said "We have robbed a trusting friend of his land and his liberty; we have debauched America’s honor and blackened her face before the world…" If we would have listened to Mark Twain who knows how things would have ended up!

1) What perceptions of “others” are reflected attending Miss Columbia’s School House (Document 1)? How does Aguinaldo’s criticism of America’s policies towards the Philippines (Document 2) echo the 1894 political cartoon? What do these two documents suggest about the way America perceived conquered peoples and the likelihood that they would ever be fit for American citizenship and its liberties?

With everything, I do agree with Hampton Sides in his view of this story even though what he would talk about with each prisoner and their stories would go back and forth, jumping from one story to another making it hard at

In his novel Exciting Experiences in Our Wars with Spain and the Filipinos, author Marshall Everett describes his experience with the US soldiers marching through the Filipino jungle. “The Filipinos tried to ambush the Americans several times, the county in the neighborhood being well adapted to these tactics; but the troops stopped for nothing, forcing their way through or over obstacles and firing whenever they could locate the fleeing enemy.” Everett goes on in the novel to describe the state of constant awareness and skepticism when anywhere near a Filipino town or road, and it is the constant distrust of all Filipino settlers that led to extreme racism and prejudice. The rebel soldiers often drew on this fair for military success, and were encouraged to plan surprise attacks and ambush the US troops. As the soldiers were constantly scared that any civilian could be hiding information, tactics, or even soldiers of an insurgent army, the soldiers responded with force and anger towards the entire

Both men that are sworn to uphold the law are bending it for a desperate person. The book shows that there is a kind of justice that goes beyond courts and that sometimes its right not to stick with the

     Confucius’s complimentary behavior not motivated his disciples but also set forth the example of decency and citizenship within society. “I can try a lawsuit as well as other men, but surely the great thing is to bring about that there be no going to law.” (Confucius p. 70) Confucius stresses not only the importance of bearing down society with avoidable lawsuits, but also that the relationships between neighbors should be above petty differences and disputes. He continues to encourage the importance neighbors by counseling his followers about the perspective in which we view others. “The man of noble mind seeks to achieve the good in others and not their evil. The little-minded man is the reverse of this.” (Confucius p. 70) The goodwill of which Confucius wishes to implant in his followers is evident in his statements as he encourages optimism and

The Spanish colonization in the Philippines lead to us to make some questions in our mind on how does the Filipino survived? Even though they

“Rizal had a burning desire to know exactly the conditions of the Philippines when the Spaniards came ashore to the islands. His theory was the country was economically self-sufficient and prosperous.  Rizal entertained the idea that it had a lively and vigorous community enriched with the collective and sensitive art and culture of the native population. He