Benevolent Assimilation: The American Conquest of the Philippines, 1899-1903 [Paperback]

Stuart Creighton Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 10, 1984

American acquisition of the Philippines and Filipino resistance to it became a focal point for debate on American imperialism. In a lively narrative, Miller tells the story of the war and how it challenged America's sense of innocence. He examines the roles of key actors-the generals and presidents, the soldiers and senators-in America's colonial adventure. "The most thorough, balanced, and well-written study to date of America's imperial adventure in the western Pacific and the most persuasive analysis of the varied reactions of the American people to the military subjugation of the Filipinos. . . . [Told] with clarity, wit and a talent for the apt quotation."-Richard E. Welch, Jr., The New York Times Book Review "A triumph of research, synthesis and storytelling, this is the wisest book on its subject and, implicitly, a significant cultural critique of the United States at the turn of the century."-Peter Stanley, Asia "The author's balanced summary of the historiography of imperialism and the epilogue, which considers the Philippine/Vietnam analogy, are valuable features of the work. . . . Should remain the definitive account of these events."-Library Journal "Written with clarity and argued with passion from a wealth of primary sources."-Jack C. Lane, The Journal of American History

Product Details

• Paperback: 342 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (September 10, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300030819
• ISBN-13: 978-0300030815
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #593,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Suberb history of a forgotten war, July 27, 2000

By 

Ironmike (California) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Benevolent Assimilation: The American Conquest of the Philippines, 1899-1903 (Paperback)

An excellent telling of a period that most Americans and Filipinos know little or nothing about. With America's new ownership of the Philippines, we were drawn into a second conflict once the Spanish were routed. The insurrectionist movement against America brought about a bloody and savage war that cost tens of thousands of lives. The third phase was the attempt to subdue the Moros, some of the toughest and most fearless warriors on the planet. The troops involved thought they would only be fighting Spanish regulars and then sent home. Rather, many spent years fighting in jungles and swamps against a clever and determined foe, and many were then shipped off to fight the Boxer's in China in 1900, only to be returned to battle the often fiendish inhabitants of places like Sibago Island, Jolo and Samar. A classic account and ranks with "Muddy Glory" and "Little Brown Brother" to name but a couple. There isn't much written about this conflict, but the information is out there. These lessons should have taught America about getting involved in smaller nations affairs.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good one-volume account of a forgotten "war"., December 24, 1999

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steven j forsberg (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Benevolent Assimilation: The American Conquest of the Philippines, 1899-1903 (Paperback)

Though well known to professional historians, the US fight against the Filipino "insurrectionists" at the turn of the century remains a blank spot to most Americans. There are some very good reasons for this. Most people don't like to be reminded that the US was an openly racist major power more interested in trade than in freeing the natives of the Philippines. It is disturbing to read about American heros like Teddy Roosevelt denigrating the "niggers" who inhabited the island, and soft-pedalling widespread torture by the US military (most notably the rather nasty 'water cure'). It is also interesting to read how many people did not value the islands that much themselves, but felt that they were needed to be our springboard to the China trade -- which was going to make everyone rich, of course! It took the Japanese empire at its worst to make the US look like a friend to many Filipinos, and this book tells why.

26 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The lesson that should have kept us out of Vietnam., April 11, 2000

By 

Damon Jasperson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Benevolent Assimilation: The American Conquest of the Philippines, 1899-1903 (Paperback)

Stuart Miller's book is an excellent study in the political turmoil and subterfuges involved in the transition of America into an imperialist power. The book is not really a military history; the military aspects are secondary to Miller's coverage of how Americans justified, reacted to, and lied about our subjugation of the Philippines. It is a very sobering history of the river of lies poured out by the military, especially General Otis, and the administration of William McKinley. This is also a study in racism; how allegedly "superior" Anglo-Saxons needed to "civilize" and "Christianize" the Filipinos, many of whom were Catholic. Overall, this book is a good primer about a shocking and somewhat vile episode in American history. High School history teachers in particular should read this book and include it in their lessons about the outcome of our "splendid little war" with Spain. It is a sad truth that as a result of this conflict, America did not seem to learn anything about the nature of guerilla warfare with a people fighting to be free of foreign control. Our failure to profit from this episode helped propel us into another such quagmire in Vietnam, a nation not too far from the site of our earlier fiasco in the Philippines.