A Look at Asian American Studies - Emery McKee - Ryan Caragher - Emma Rohrer - Gabe Velazquez

The Language of the Empire

“Uncle Sam to Filipinos – You’re Next” – Judge , Judge Company New York, 1899 (“Zim” Eugene Zimmerman)

• The following picture shows Uncle Sam giving Puerto Rico, Cuba, Hawaii, and the Philippines a haircut of imperialism • The image significantly represents Balce’s text through its representation of the social, political, and economic elements • Filipino’s are depicted as barbaric savages, while Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Cuba have already been “groomed” by the US • These countries are depicted as “monkeylike,” similarly to the stereotypes of Blacks as “savage” and “Beastly” • Uncle Sam’s scissors of “Education” and “Civilization” symbolize U.S. imperialism, with the Philippines up next

By Ryan Caragher