| This dissertation examines the interplay of colonial policy, image construction, and the American mass media from 1899 to1925. Specifically, it analyzes political cartoons, a world's fair, National Geographic magazine, and travel and religious writers and connects these sources to the influence of and justifications for colonial policy. This examination found all of these sources shared, if not a definition of the Filipinos, at least some form of a subjective view on "Filipino-ness" that justified colonial objectives. The Filipino became what the writers imagined or wanted them to be more than an actual representation. At times, these perceptions drove colonial policy. At other times, policy directed perceptions. In either case, these portrayals shifted over time as new administrations with their own agendas took over in Washington.;In addition, the construction of a racially defined Filipino created a justification for colonial policy not only within the confines of the American government, but also within the mindset of the American public. Since the mass media was often the lone avenue for information about the Philippines, a biased and subjective media created weighted perceptions that often gave incomplete and sometimes completely incorrect information. In the end, American readers would be left with a very narrow vision of the Philippines. |
