Chamorro Americans

The Chamorro’s were indigenous people of Guam who were culturally abused by the Americans. American soldiers disrespected the Chamorro people by stealing their lands, their birthrights, their way of life. Guam, an island in the Pacific, was a territory of Spain but was later sold to America in the Treaty of Paris which was put effective December, 1898. Originally, the indigenous people of Guam, Chamorros, were filled to the brim with joy, their conflict with Spain was over. The United States were ecstatic about their purchase because the location of Guam meant that the United States would now have access by sky and sea to countries such as China, Hawaii, North America, Southeast Asia, and Japan. Guam’s secure harbor and sufficient land made …show more content…
His exact instructions were as follows: “While control of all the public property and the revenues of the states passes with the cession, and while the use and management of all public means of transportation are reserved to the Authority of the United States, private property, whether belonging to individuals or corporations, is to be respected. If private property be taken for military use, it shall be paid at a fair valuation.” McKinley also gave the Military Commander of Guam the following instructions, which only accentuated his previous statement;”... it should be the earnest and paramount aim of the naval administration to win the confidence, respect, and affection by assuring their full measure of individual rights and liberties.” Soon afterward in 1899, three months after his disembarkation, Captain Richard P. Leary implemented a new land tax, The Schedule of Tariffs, which the Chamorro people learned to loathe. This new tax system determined payment based on the size and the type of