Lost in Translation? E. Spencer Pratt and the British Influence on the 1898 Imperial Transition in the Philippines
Laura Diaz Esteve
Postdoctoral researcher at the Spanish Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Victor Gillam, “The White Man’s Burden,” cartoon published in Judge, vol. 36, no. 911, April, 1899. Courtesy of the Ohio State University, Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum
The Philippine Revolution (1896–1902) and the archipelago’s transition from Spanish to US rule were pivotal events in several significant historical developments. They signalled the zenith of Philippine nationalism, the loss of Spanish territories in the Pacific and the birth of the US empire. This talk will explore how the British in the Straits Settlements reacted to these events. Concerned with maintaining their geopolitical dominance in the region and safeguarding their interests in the islands, various Britons based in Singapore attempted to influence the outcome of the conflict in the Philippines through political lobbying and the colonial press. Key figures in this endeavour included the renowned US Consul, Edward Spencer Pratt. Pratt played a pivotal role in arranging Filipino–American collaboration against Spain, notably in his controversial meeting with Emilio Aguinaldo in April 1898, just before the outbreak of the Spanish–American War. The talk will argue that Pratt’s role, and his alleged promises to Aguinaldo that the Philippines would be granted independence under US protection once Spain had been expelled from the islands, can be better understood by examining the Britons behind him.