Benevolent assimilation
Encyclopedia
The term Benevolent Assimilation refers to a proclamation about the Philippines issued on December 21, 1898 by U.S. President William McKinley
during the Philippine-American War
, which followed the defeat of Spain during the Spanish-American War
. The proclamation reads in part:
The proclamation was sent to General Elwell Otis, U.S. military commander in the Philippines. Otis sent Emilio Aguinaldo
a version of the proclamation which he bowdlerized
by removing the mention of U.S. sovereignty
"to stress our benevolent purpose" and not "offend Filipino sensibilities" by substituting "free people" for "supremecy of the United States," and deleting "to exercise future domination". Aguinaldo had proclaimed an insurgent dictatorial government in the Philippines on May 24, 1898, proclaimed Philippine Independence
on June 12, 1898, and changed the dictatorial government to a revolutionary one on June 23, 1898.
However, General Otis had also sent an unaltered copy of the proclamation to General Marcus Miller in Iloilo City
who, unaware that an altered version had been sent to Aguinaldo, passed a copy to a Filipino official there. The unaltered version eventually made its way to Aguinaldo.
Otis later explained,
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
during the Philippine-American War
Philippine-American War
The Philippine–American War, also known as the Philippine War of Independence or the Philippine Insurrection , was an armed conflict between a group of Filipino revolutionaries and the United States which arose from the struggle of the First Philippine Republic to gain independence following...
, which followed the defeat of Spain during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. The proclamation reads in part:
The proclamation was sent to General Elwell Otis, U.S. military commander in the Philippines. Otis sent Emilio Aguinaldo
Emilio Aguinaldo
Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy was a Filipino general, politician, and independence leader. He played an instrumental role during the Philippines' revolution against Spain, and the subsequent Philippine-American War or War of Philippine Independence that resisted American occupation...
a version of the proclamation which he bowdlerized
Expurgation
Expurgation is a form of censorship which involves purging anything deemed noxious or offensive, usually from an artistic work.This has also been called bowdlerization, especially for books, after Thomas Bowdler, who in 1818 published an expurgated edition of William Shakespeare's work that he...
by removing the mention of U.S. sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
"to stress our benevolent purpose" and not "offend Filipino sensibilities" by substituting "free people" for "supremecy of the United States," and deleting "to exercise future domination". Aguinaldo had proclaimed an insurgent dictatorial government in the Philippines on May 24, 1898, proclaimed Philippine Independence
Philippine Declaration of Independence
The Philippine Declaration of Independence occurred on June 12, 1898 in Cavite II el Viejo , Cavite, Philippines. With the public reading of the Act of the Declaration of Independence, Filipino revolutionary forces under General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the sovereignty and independence of the...
on June 12, 1898, and changed the dictatorial government to a revolutionary one on June 23, 1898.
However, General Otis had also sent an unaltered copy of the proclamation to General Marcus Miller in Iloilo City
Iloilo City
The City of Iloilo is a highly urbanized city in the Philippines and the capital city of Iloilo province. It is the regional center of the Western Visayas, as well as the center of the Iloilo-Guimaras Metropolitan Area...
who, unaware that an altered version had been sent to Aguinaldo, passed a copy to a Filipino official there. The unaltered version eventually made its way to Aguinaldo.
Otis later explained,