Little Brown Brother
Encyclopedia
Little Brown Brother was a term used by Americans
to refer to native Filipinos
during the period of U.S. colonial rule over the Philippines, following the Treaty of Paris
between Spain and the United States, and the Philippine-American War
. The term was coined by William Howard Taft
, the first American Governor-General of the Philippines
(1901-1904) and later the 27th President of the United States
. U.S. military men in the Philippines greeted the term with scorn. The book Benevolent Assimilation
recounts that Taft "assured President McKinley that 'our little brown brothers' would need 'fifty or one hundred years' of close supervision 'to develop anything resembling Anglo-Saxon political principles and skills.'", and reports that the military greeted Taft's assertion "that 'Filipinos are moved by similar considerations to those which move other men' with utter scorn".
A 1961 book titled Little Brown Brother and subtitled "how the United States purchased and pacified the Philippine Islands at the century's turn", was awarded the 1962 Francis Parkman Prize
by the American Historical Association as the best book in American history that year. A reissued 2001 edition of that book contains accounts of numerous atrocities committed by U.S. soldiers during the Philippine-American War
.
The term was not originally intended to be derogatory, nor an ethnic slur; instead, it is a reflection of "paternalist racism", shared also by Theodore Roosevelt.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to refer to native Filipinos
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
during the period of U.S. colonial rule over the Philippines, following the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1898)
The Treaty of Paris of 1898 was signed on December 10, 1898, at the end of the Spanish-American War, and came into effect on April 11, 1899, when the ratifications were exchanged....
between Spain and the United States, and 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...
. The term was coined by William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
, the first American Governor-General of the Philippines
Governor-General of the Philippines
The Governor-General of the Philippines was the title of the government executive during the colonial period of the Philippines, governed mainly by Spain and the United States, and briefly by Great Britain, from 1565 to 1935....
(1901-1904) and later the 27th President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. U.S. military men in the Philippines greeted the term with scorn. The book Benevolent Assimilation
Benevolent Assimilation (book)
."Benevolent Assimilation": The American Conquest of the Philippines, 1899-1903 is a non-fiction book documenting the history of the Philippine–American War by Stuart Creighton Miller , a professor at San Francisco State University, published in 1982 by Yale University Press. The title refers to U.S...
recounts that Taft "assured President McKinley that 'our little brown brothers' would need 'fifty or one hundred years' of close supervision 'to develop anything resembling Anglo-Saxon political principles and skills.'", and reports that the military greeted Taft's assertion "that 'Filipinos are moved by similar considerations to those which move other men' with utter scorn".
A 1961 book titled Little Brown Brother and subtitled "how the United States purchased and pacified the Philippine Islands at the century's turn", was awarded the 1962 Francis Parkman Prize
Francis Parkman Prize
The Francis Parkman Prize, named after Francis Parkman, is awarded by the Society of American Historians for the best book in American history each year. Its purpose is to promote literary distinction in historical writing...
by the American Historical Association as the best book in American history that year. A reissued 2001 edition of that book contains accounts of numerous atrocities committed by U.S. soldiers 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...
.
The term was not originally intended to be derogatory, nor an ethnic slur; instead, it is a reflection of "paternalist racism", shared also by Theodore Roosevelt.