American colonialization During
American colonial rule in the Philippines, there was an increase in American
immigration to the Philippines. Retiring soldiers and other
military men were among the first Americans to become long-term Philippine residents and settlers; these included
Buffalo Soldiers and former
Volunteers, primarily from the
Western states. The Education Act of 1901 authorized the colonial government to recruit American teachers to help establish an English-language educational system to replace the Spanish one. Some 80 former soldiers became teachers. They were soon joined by 48 teachers recruited in the United States who arrived in June 1901 on the US Army Transport ship
Sheridan (named after General
Philip Sheridan, a prominent military officer during and after the Civil War.) Some 523 others arrived on August 1, 1901, on the USAT
Thomas. Collectively, these teachers became known as the
Thomasites. By 1913, there were more than 1,400
mestizos with American parentage, the children of the nearly 8,000 Americans living in the Philippines. Prior to
World War I, Americans were not prevalent in the Philippines; most lived in restricted enclaves, particularly around
Fort Santiago; one term for those who settled in the Philippines was
Manila Americans. By 1939, 8,709 Americans were in the Philippines, primarily in Manila. Of these 4,022 were
working age and employed.
Commonwealth period The Commonwealth period (1935–1946) saw significant increases of American presence in the Philippines. By 1941, more than 20,000 U.S. military personnel were assigned to the
Philippine Department of the
United States Army Forces in the Far East when the
Japanese invaded the Philippines. Many Americans were captured and imprisoned by Japanese forces. This U.S. military presence increased substantially during the U.S. Army
actions to liberate the Philippines. Post independence When the Philippines gained independence from the United States in 1946, many Americans chose to settle there permanently. Until the mid-1990s, Americans were concentrated in the cities of
Angeles and
Olongapo, northwest of
Metro Manila, because of the large
US military bases there. During the American colonial period (1898–1946), a recorded number of more than 800,000 Americans were born in the Philippines. In 2008, it was estimated that 50,000 first-generation amerasians remained, and more than 200,000 if their descendants were included.
Lasting impacts The American colonization of the Philippines imposed a universal formal education system, which helped increase the number of Filipinos working in business, educational, and governmental sectors. This system was mostly taught in English, and often had Americans as teachers. Another lasting impact was on sanitation. Government officials enlisted the American military and health officers to monitor the overall sanitary conditions of the people, to the extent that soldiers took on the role of "Sanitary inspector", according to Warwick Anderson. The colonization period of the Philippines formally ended in 1946, yet scholars continue to debate about the lasting effects of American settlement there. Critical internationalists of the early Cold War saw similarities between US-Philippines relations and
European imperialism. Notions of
neocolonialism have been attached in describing the United States' relations with the Philippines. Some historians of American foreign relations have argued that Philippine formal independence in 1946 was incomplete and unequal, and that there exists a 'dependent' alliance between the two countries. It has also been argued that historians who have drawn conclusions mainly from hindsight should pay closer attention to contemporary views. ==Amerasians==