Thomasites

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The Thomasites is a group of about five hundred pioneer American teachers sent by the U.S. government to the Philippines in August 1901.

Contents 1 Foundation, purpose and etymology 2 Assignments 3 Curriculum 1902-1935 4 Legacy 5 List of some Thomasite teachers 6 From the kitchen of the USS Thomas 7 See also 8 References

[edit] Foundation, purpose and etymology

The Thomasites arrived in the Philippines on August 12, 1901 to establish a new public school system, to teach basic education and to train Filipino teachers, with English as the medium of instruction. ^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]}. The Philippines had enjoyed a public school system since 1863, when a Spanish decree first introduced public elementary education in the Philippines. However, the Thomasites expanded and improved the public school system, and switched to English as the medium of instruction.

The name Thomasite was derived from the transport vessel, the USS Thomas (formerly Minnewaska), that brought them to the shores of Manila Bay.^[6] Although two groups of new American graduates arrived in the Philippines before the USS Thomas, the name Thomasite became the designation of all pioneer American teachers simply because the USS Thomas had the largest contingent. Later batches of American teachers were also dubbed as the Thomasites.^[1]

The Thomasites, 365 males and 165 females, left Pier 12 of San Francisco on July 23, 1901 to sail via the Pacific Ocean to South East Asia. The U.S. government spent about $105,000 for the expedition. More American teachers followed the Thomasites in 1902, making a total of about 1,074 stationed in the Philippines.^[2][3][6]

At the time, the Thomasites were offered $125 a month, but once in the Philippines salaries were often delayed, and were usually paid in devalued Mexican pesos.^[1][3][4]

Although the Thomasites were the largest group of pioneers with the purpose of educating the Filipinos, they were not the first to be deployed by Washington, D.C. A few weeks before the arrival of the USS Thomas, U.S. Army soldiers had already began teaching Filipinos the English language, thus in effect laying down the foundation of the Philippine public school system. The U.S. Army opened the Philippines’ first public school in Corregidor Island, after Admiral George Dewey vanquished the Spanish Pacific fleet in Manila Bay on May 1, 1898.^[2] Also, a few weeks before the USS Thomas, another group composed of 48 American teachers also arrived in the Philippines aboard the Sheridan.^[2]

After President William McKinley’s appointment of William Howard Taft as the head of a commission that would be responsible for continuing the educational work started by the U.S. Army, the Taft Commission passed Education Act No. 34 on January 21, 1901, which established the Department of Public Instruction. The latter was then given the task of establishing a public school system throughout the Philippines. The Taft Commission also authorized the further deployment of 1,000 more educators from the U.S. to the Philippines.^[2]

[edit] Assignments

After being quarantined for two days after their arrival on August 21, 1901, the Thomasites were finally able to disembark from the USS Thomas. They travelled from the customs house near the Anda Circle then stayed at the walled city Intramuros, Manila before being given initial provincial assignments which included Albay, Catanduanes, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Masbate, Samar, Zambales, Aparri, Jolo, Negros, Cebu, Dumaguete, Bataan, Batangas, Pangasinan and Tarlac.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]}

[edit] Curriculum 1902-1935

The Thomasites taught the following subjects: English, agriculture, reading, grammar, geography, mathematics, general courses, trade courses, housekeeping and household arts (sewing, crocheting and cooking), manual trading, mechanical drawing, freehand drawing and athletics (baseball, track and field, tennis, indoor baseball and basketball). ^[5]

[edit] Legacy

The Thomasites built upon the contributions laid down by the U.S. Army. They built elementary schools and learning institutions such as the Philippine Normal School and the Philippine School of Arts and Trades (PSAT) in 1901, the Tarlac High School on September 21, 1902 and the Quezon National High School (now, Tayabas High School), also in 1902.^[2][3][4][5]

The Thomasites also reopened the Philippine Nautical School, which was originally established by the Board of Commerce of Manila in 1839 under Spain.^[2] About a hundred of the Thomasites stayed on to live in the Philippines after finishing their teaching assignments. They transformed the Philippines into the third largest English-speaking nation in the world and they became the precursors of the present-day U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

For their contribution to Philippine education, the Thomasites Centennial Project was established in cooperation with American Studies associations in the Philippines, the Philippine-American Educational Foundation, the Embassy of the United States of America in Manila, and other leading cultural and educational institutions in the Philippines.^[8][6]

[edit] List of some Thomasite teachers

• George G. Adams, married a Filipino named Esperanza Nolasco in Aparri^[3]
• Mr. Allen, died due to smallpox at Naga, Cebu^[3]
• Thaddeus Delos Anglemyer, husband of Philinda Rand^[9]
• Mr. Badger, died of cholera at Malasigui, Pangasinan, buried in Manila; his widow was also a Thomasite who decided to remain in the Philippines with her two sons^[3]
• Henry H. Balch, former principal of Quezon National High School^[5]
• James D. Barry^[10]
• Audrey Boyle, former principal of Quezon National High School^[5]
• Harry Cole, husband of another Thomasite, Mary Cole^[1]
• Mr. Collins, drowned enroute to Cebu from Negros, buried in Dumaguete^[3]
• Edwin Copeland, first dean of UP College of Agriculture and founder of the University of the Philippines at Los Baños.
• Austin Craig, an American expert on José Rizal^[4]
• The Davis family, husband and wife with five children^[4]
• Mr. Floyd Engle^[3]
• Mary Fee, author of An American Woman’s Impression of the Philippines, reprinted by GCF Books^[4]
• Paul Gilbert^[1]
• C. Goddard, a Catholic University graduate^[4]
• Hattie Grove, the English-language teacher of Carlos P. Romulo^[1]
• Mr. Guernsey, died after succumbing to diptheria at Balayan, Batangas^[3]
• A.V.H. Hartendorp, the founder and publisher of the Philippine Magazine^[2][4]
• Harvey Edgar Hostetter, stationed in Panay (1914 to 1917)^[3]
• The Hilt family, husband and wife with three children, from Hawaii^[4]
• Mr. Jamizon, died due to cholera while at Dinalupihan, Bataan^[3]
• Maud Jarman^[1]
• Adeline Knapp^[2]
• Frederic Marquardt, is himself a son of a pioneer Thomasite, who went back to the Philippines in 1987 to unveil a bust of his father.^[1]
• Roy Matthews^[1]
• Glenn Anthony May, author of the book "Social Engineering in the Philippines"^[4]
• Blaine Free Moore^[4][1]
• Benjamin Neal^[1]
• James O'Hara^[3][11]
• Luther Park^[3]
• Philinda Rand^[1]
• Delight Rice^[12], founder of the Manila School of the Deaf in 1907 (see Filipino Sign Language)
• Carrie Rice Shaw, also wrote a poem while on board the USS Thomas en route to the Philippines^[4]
• E. E. Schneider, author of the poem, "To the Philippine Teachers" which was written in 1901 while aboard the USS Thomas, enroute to the Philippines^[3]
• The Townsend family, husband, wife and three children, from Hawaii^[4]
• Frank Russell White, assigned in Tarlac^[13]
• C. J. Anderson: Founder of Indang Intermediate School (KNA Cavite State University)- Tagalog

[edit] From the kitchen of the USS Thomas

The following list provides an interesting glimpse of what the Thomasites ate during their voyage to the Philippines in 1901:^[10]

The Thomasites' Grocery List

Ingredient	Quantity
flour	58,700 pounds
salted pork and beef	8,000 pounds
hard bread	11,000 pounds
white beans	2,100 pounds
split peas	2,600 pounds
rice	2,900 pounds
potatoes	33,100 pounds
onion	8,900 pounds
molasses and syrup	163 gallons
vinegar	300 gallons
soap	3,500 pounds
assorted crackers	4,550 pounds
lima and kidney beans	1,600 pounds
cereals	2,800 pounds
corn meal	1,250 pounds
hominy	1,100 pounds
rolled oats	2,500 pounds
Italian pastas	1,700 pounds
butter	6,550 pounds
assorted cheese	2,250 pounds
eggs	60,000 pieces
condensed milk	10, 730 cans
fresh milk	240 gallons
fresh fish	3,500 pounds
frozen oysters	400 cans
frozen clams	50 gallons
pickled fish	4,260 pounds
canned fish	4,600 cans
fresh beef	52,000 pounds
fresh mutton	5,200 pounds
fresh pork	4,500 pounds
fresh lamb	1,300 pounds
calves' brains	200 pounds
calves' heads and feet	60 sets
veal	2,500 pounds
beef kidneys	200 pieces
calves' livers	350 pieces
sweetbreads	200 pounds
tripe	900 pounds
fresh sausages	1,200 pounds
smoked tongue	240 pieces
corned pork	700 pounds
pickled lambs' tongues	100 gallons
other sausages	650 pounds
pickled pig's feet	42 kilograms
canned meats	12,680 pounds
coffee	3,760 pounds
tea	870 pounds
chocolate and cocoa	200 pounds
sugar	11,200 pounds
jams, jellies and marmalades	7,200 pounds
sauces and condiments	2,890 bottles
pickles	774 bottles
spices	800 pounds
table salt	400 pounds
flavoring extracts	60 pounds
poultry	10,200 pounds
pigeons	1,200 pieces
assorted fruits	421 cases
canned fruits	4,180 pounds
pie fruit	512 gallons
dried fruits	12,658 pounds
assorted nuts	960 pounds
fresh vegetables	7,350 pounds
canned bacon	4,032 pounds
ham	2,800 pounds
smoked beef	200 pounds
smoked bacon	1,500 pounds
ice	110 tons

[edit] See also

• History of the Philippines
• Philippine English

[edit] References