"Benevolent assimilation" : the American conquest of the Philippines, 1899-1903

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__

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

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 "American acquisition of the Philippines in 1898 became a focal point for debate on American imperialism and the course the country was to take now that the Western frontier had been conquered. U.S. military leaders in Manila, unequipped to understand the aspirations of the native revolutionary movement, failed to respond to Filipino overtures of accommodation and provoked a war with the revolutionary army. Back home, an impressive opposition to the war developed on largely ideological grounds, but in the end it was the interminable and increasingly bloody guerrilla warfare that disillusioned America in its imperialistic venture. This book presents a searching exploration of the history of America's reactions to Asian people, politics, and wars of independence."--Jacket Contents 7 Illustrations and Maps 9 Acknowledgments 11 1. American Imperialism: Aberration or Historical Continuity? 13 2. Enter the Philippines 25 3. The Soldier as Diplomat 43 4. The Dividends of Brinkmanship 69 5. The General as Warrior 79 6. The General's Last Campaign 103 7. The American Opposition Organizes 116 8. Armageddon, 1900 141 9. The War Under MacArthur, 1900-1901: Déjà Vu 162 10. The Soldier and the War 188 11. "Injun Warfare" under Chaffee and Roosevelt 208 12. The Last Campaign: Samar Challenges American Innocence 231 13. The Triumph of American Innocence 265 Epilogue: The "Gook" and "Gugu" Analogy 280 Notes 289 Bibliography 320 Index 343