Experiment 13
American colonialism in Cuba and the Philippines in the 1890s and early 20th century should be understood in a wider history of colonialism in this period. 1850-1910 witnessed the brutal takeover of sovereign states on the African and Asian continents and in the Pacific by European countries and the U.S., denying the principles of self-determination to peoples of color. Images, including moving images, offer us a window to this period. Like all sources, we seek to understand the intent of the creators of these images, while also challenging the narratives of the creators. As historians we are under no obligation to agree with those who created these images.
Please consider that some of these videos show people being killed.
Learning Goals and Grading Criteria
- Describe as a disinterested historian the action of a motion picture related to the Spanish-American or Filipino-American wars.
- Articulate what the creators of the moving picture intended to be the message, explaining your evidence and reasoning.
- Articulate other possible conclusions that could be drawn by viewers of the moving picture.
Sources
Required
82 videos of The Spanish-American or Filipino-American War
Potentially Useful
Background Essays on The Spanish-American War in Motion Pictures
To Do
- Chose one of the videos from the collection. Review the video, taking notes.
- Write a 5-sentence paragraph describing the video, mindful of the W’s, as a disinterested party. Disinterested means someone without a claim in the action.
- Write a second paragraph for what the major claim of the video is, as best your can conclude from the evidence your have.
- In your second paragraph, what other conclusions could be drawn from viewing the video that differ from the claim of the creator?
- Post your paragraphs and a link to your chosen video in the Experiment 13 discussion board by Thursday at 10 p.m.
