Activity 8

Name: Irish Jane L. Avila Date: June 4, 2022

Name of Instructor: Prof. Ludivena Lagrio
Class Schedule: MTH 2:30 - 4:00 PM

SET A. IDENTIFICATION. Identify the appropriate words. (10 pts)

Spanish-American War

Meanwhile, Spanish-American relations were turning for the worse. The Cuban Revolution had drawn the
US side of the Cuban rebel, for American __(1)__ interests in the island was paramount. Conflicts deepened when
the Spanish Ambassador caught writing letter to his friend that USA President __(2)__ was a weakling politician.
Moreover, the US warship __(3)__ blown up at Havana Harbor on __(4)__.

Thus, when the war was declared, __(5)__, Commander of the American Asiatic Squadron, rushed to
Manila as he was already positioned in Hongkong. In the early morning of __(6)__, the naval battle in Manila Bay
began.

Later, Emilio Aguinaldo and other Filipinos organized the proclamation of Philippine’s Independence on
__(7)__. Finally, after __(8)__ years of Spanish domination, Philippines obtained her independence. However, USA
and Spain were negotiating for the cessation of hostilities. Finally, on  December 10, 1898, the __(9)__ was signed
concluded that Philippines ceded by the US in behalf of the amount __(10)__.

1. 2.
3. 4.
5. 6.
7. 8.
9. 10.

B. POEM ANALYSIS.

105
 What does Rudyard Kipling mean by “the White Man’s burden”? What are some of the
advantages, according to Kipling, that colonial person received under the European role? 22222222222?
(20 pts).

THE WHITE MAN’S BURDEN

The United States and the Philippine Islands

Take up the White Man’s burden –

Send forth the best ye breed –
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives’ need;
To wait in heavy harness
On fluttered folk and wild –
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child.

Take up the White Man’s burden –

In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the chow of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain.
To seek another’s profit,
And work’s another gain.

Take up the White Man’s burden-

The savage wars of peace –
Fill full mouth of Famine
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
The end for others sought;
Watch Sloth and heathen Folly
Bring all your hope to nought . . . .

Take up the White Man’s burden –

Ye dare not stoop to less –
Nor call to loud on Freedom
To cloak your weariness;
By all ye cry or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent, sullen peoples
Shall weigh your Gods and you. . . .

The phrase "The White Man's Burden" is a trope related to modern imperialism. The phrase
refers to the purported historical task of white societies to control and civilize non-white societies through
colonial subjugation. The trope is grounded in the ideology of progress—the belief that the passage of
time should result in social, cultural, and technological advancement and that such advancements are
inherently good. In his poem "The White Man's Burden," Rudyard Kipling argued that white imperialism
was required to civilize the colonies' "backward savages." This poem ignored imperialism's economic
incentives in favor of moral commitments, a guilt-free rationale. The expression "the white man's burden"
was commonly utilized by imperialists all over the world, particularly by the once-colonized United States
in their 1899 conquest of Cuba during its war with the Philippines.

Europeans frequently had racist beliefs about their dominance over people from other countries.
Because people in Asia, Africa, and parts of the Americas reside in separate ways, Europeans thought it
was their responsibility to "civilize" them and integrate them into Western culture and society. This view
was reinforced by literary works such as British novelist and poet Rudyard Kipling's 1899 novel "The
106
White Man's Burden." Believers in European and American imperialism claimed that imperialism
benefited their colonies by bringing new technologies and development. Mother countries would
frequently build institutions, railways, and improved communication infrastructure, in addition to new
medications and therapeutic approaches. Nonetheless, this came at a high cost to the residents of these
areas. To completely integrate into society, indigenous peoples had to adopt the colonists' culture and, in
some cases, discard their identity.

The poem's third verse implies that certain colonial peoples were resistant to European control.
Kipling admitted in the poem that the experiment might fail due to "sloth and heathen folly." The word
"burden" in the poem has various implications, including the obligations of empire-building in the broad
sense; the responsibility of growing and admi nistering a particular nation; and the conquered people
themselves. In Kipling's viewpoint, all of these would be actual burdens to be placed on the shoulders of
superior white civilizations.

Follow-up questions:

How did President McKinley’s views resemble those of Kipling? From what have you read in the
texts, were Kipling’s and McKinley’s views representative of most Americans at that time?

SET C. DOCUMENTARY FILM REVIEW (10 pts).

Give your brief review about the Balangiga Massacre in 1901 based on I-witness's documentary
film entitled “Balanginga: A Tale of Two Nations” (2018). Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt3-
ZPkBx1E

SET D. DOCUMENTARY ANALYSIS REVIEW. (10 pts)

The Cooper and Jones Laws provided the first steps towards autonomy and independence by
allowing Filipinos to participate in self-government. Compare the provisions of these two laws and look for
significant changes between them. How did the Jones Law expand Filipino participation in the
government?

The Jones Act, technically the Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916, is a law declaring the US
government 's resolve to relinquish control over the Philippines as long as a viable administration can be
constituted. The Philippines had been seized by the United States in 1898 following the  Spanish War, and
political authority in the archipelago had been held by a Philippine Commission, which was essentially
ruled by Americans, since 1901. Among the most important parts of the Jones Act substituted the
Commission with an elective Senate and expanded the suffrage to all literate Filipino males with minimal
property qualifications. A bill of rights was also included in the legislation.

The act's stipulations retaining the governor general's right to revoke any proposal enacted by the
new Philippine assembly preserved American sovereignty. Francis B. Harrison, a liberal governor
general, hardly exercised this power and acted swiftly to assign Filipinos to the public sector in lieu of
Americans. Filipinos had gained control of the islands' domestic matters by the end of Harrison's term in
1921. The Jones Act served as the Philippines' de facto constitution until 1934, when it was replaced by
the Tydings-McDuffie Act. Its pledge of complete independence in the future lead the way for American
policies in the islands.

107
 The Philippine Bill of 1902, on the other hand, is one of the most notable decrees passed by the
American government in the Philippines. This law, titled "An Act Temporarily to Provide for the
Administration of Civil Government Affairs in the Philippine Islands, and for Other Purposes," incorporates
two relevant aspects that strengthened the Filipino people's civil and human rights, as well as bestowing
the prerogative of laws on them. It established a Bill of Rights for Filipinos, which guaranteed their rights
to exist, acquire property, practice religion, be subjected to due process, execute their obligations, receive
compensation, and freedom of expression. The bill's most notable provision was the construction of a
lower legislative body with elected Filipino lawmakers.

108