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1904 Expo and the Philippines

The 1904 Expo where the Philippines brought over a village peopled with actual Filipinos as the ôexhibitö was meant to influence Americans to be interested in and attracted to the Philippine culture. The exhibit showed how the Filipinos actually lived and included recreations of their normal life in the Philippines, complete with the utensils, dress, and other tools that they typically used. By demonstrating their national culture and rituals authentically for the American audience, the Filipinos were attempting to establish a bond with them. They were sharing their culture, putting it on exhibit to be studied, and essentially opening their doors to Americans and inviting them in for a visit. The differences between culture in the Philippines and that in the United States were so great, with the Philippines being a third world nation, that the exhibit attracted great interest among Americans.

It is possible that the Philippines also hoped to attract American tourists by putting on the exhibit. By showing Americans ôThis is what you will see if you come to our country,ö the exhibit became a type of travel commercial for the Philippine nation. The sight of Philippine culture, dress, rituals, and exotic foods did spark a tremendous interest among Americans who attended the 1904 Expo and saw the exhibit.

The Expo organizers may have had other reasons for forming the exhibit, however. At the time, the United States was involved in the Philippines, and the exhibit may have been an attempt to feature or justify that involvement. There may even have been an underlying motivation to eventually take over the Philippines and make it part of the United States as the Hawaiian islands eventually were annexed.

A less appealing but somewhat likely explanation for the Philippine exhibit was merely to put the Filipino natives on display for the entertainment of the American public, as a curiosity of sorts. A

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1904 Expo and the Philippines. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 21:06, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1712629.html