Colonialism on Display: Celebration of Empire in Omaha
“For boys and girls, someday, you’ll see
The Pillars of the nation
But will never forgotten be,
The day of Jubilation.
And to our father, good and great,
We offer this petition,
God bless our flag, God bless our state,
God bless our Exposition.” –Trans-Mississippi Ode for Boys and Girls[1]
The Trans-Mississippi Exposition, in essence, was a true celebration of empire. During the fair’s preparation, Congress passed a law authorizing colonial representation within the confines of the fair. [2] In the months leading up to the exposition, fair planners grew worried, as media outlet coverage was diverted towards the war. Organizers of the Exposition feared the war would ultimately lead to the fair’s termination[3] However, by the time the fair opened on June 1st, the war was over, and America was on the cusp of joining the world’s exclusive group of super powers. Moore described the overbearing sense of national pride “the presence of the Spanish American War and its implications were unmistakable at the Omaha exposition with respect to the fair’s ideological assumptions, exhibitions, and official, as well as critical, discourse.”[4] According to Rydell, “from the moment it opened in June, the fair provided ideological scaffolding for mass support for the government’s imperial policies.”[5] The exhibition acted as a medium for the government to voice its intentions in terms of overseas expansion onto the American public. On the home front, America was experiencing a wave of nationalism, which swept in after the States defeated the Spanish Empire. Sarah J. Moore described the fairs in Omaha and Buffalo as “cultural performances,” suggesting that these grandiose exhibits were far from realistic and were used to perpetuate stereotypes and craft a national identity in a post-war state.[6] Central to the theme of the fair, exhibits in Omaha showed fairgoers the appeal of colonialism and optimistic future that would come with foreign expansionism.
The celebration of empire was clearly manifested through the popular attraction, The Scenic Railway. The railway itself, was a patriotic “thrill-ride” depicting American triumph against the unruly Spanish Empire. The ride took passengers down a large tunnel, decorated with enormous murals, illustrating the pinnacle of American bravery. The most extensive of the murals portrayed the Battle of Manila, a crucial engagement in the war, imperative to American victory. Visitors could also view a ”miniature bombardment of Cuban forts.” Renowned showman, Henry Roltair constructed a magnificent exhibit. The spectacle was truly elaborate; suited with fireworks and music. Roltair’s exhibit traced the path of the USS Maine as it made its voyage from New York to the shores of Cuba. Viewers would then witness the obliteration of the battleship, followed by a funeral for the soldiers that perished.[7] The exhibit concluded with paintings of the nation’s most prominent generals lining the walls, leading to a portrait of President William McKinley.[8] This exhibit was designed to convey the importance and necessity of American military might to visitors. War mementos and relics could also be found in the Government Building, appropriately.
Filipinos made their first appearance at the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition of 1898. A “Philippine Village” was constructed, located on the entertainment street, on the Midway. The village was filled with native artifacts for the early stages of the exhibition. Before any Filipinos had even arrived, the media had already been shaping the public image of “the Filipino.” Articles across the nation labelled them as a savage, primitive people, unworthy of American trust. As the far was well underway, an article titled “Character of the Filipinos” was featured in the Omaha Bee. The article described the people of the Philippines as “instinctively untruthful, dishonest, and insincere.”[9] The article suggests their flaws were a result of Spanish imperial rule, inferring that American intervention could, in fact, undo the harm caused by Spain. This was not simply imperialism at work; America had virtuous intentions in regards to the Philippines. Taft, who was president of the Philippine Commission, saw the island as an economic opportunity. While American profits were at his heart, Taft wished to develop Filipino society, introducing a program for the nation’s infrastructure. “His (Taft’s) two most important recommendations in regard to the Philippines are that government lend its credit for the construction of railroads there, and that tariff duties on imports into this country from the islands be abolished except those on sugar and tobacco, which he would retain at twenty-five per cent.”[10] As the fair opened to the public, the Filipino’s appearance in America’s newspapers became increasingly common, as they became a national spectacle. By the end of the summer, thanks to George D. Steele, the Filipino Village would be populated by a portion of the archipelago’s inhabitants. Steele, upon his return to Omaha, was accompanied by sixteen Filipino warriors. Several of the men participated in cannibalistic tendencies, reassuring the American populous that the Philippine natives were, in fact, savages.[11]
Minorities and foreigners were subjugated to a racial hierarchy, which was evident throughout the course of the fair. The Philippine Reservation, as it was described, was located adjacent to the Indian Congress. Neither of these were located all that far away from the Old Plantation; an exhibit that attempted to convey slavery as a positive experience for African Americans. Workers within the Old Plantation and Indian Congress were subjected to discrimination, and were directed by the fair’s staff to behave in a stereotypical manner. It is important to remember that many of these people were, in fact, performers. As Rydell put the situation, “the exposition’s promoters explained past and future national and international expansion as the natural outcome of America’s westward expansion and Anglo-Saxon racial development.”[12] Notions of racial-hierarchy were especially emphasized during Peace Week, when President McKinley was expected to visit.[13] McKinley was welcomed to Omaha by the thunderous applaud of thousands of residents and fairgoers. On the morning he arrived, the President made a speech about progress, to a gathering of no less than seventy-five thousand people. McKinley argued that the outcome of the war with Spain was a confirmation of America’s “divine ordination.”[14] This was a firm declaration of manifest destiny, ultimately revealing American intentions in the Pacific and a commitment to westward expansionism.
During Peace Week, McKinley made sure not to miss the Indian spectacle of war. The show was, in itself, a lively experience. The show was a mock battle, which portrayed Native Americans fighting one another. The battle was gruesome to say the least, depicting brutal warrior tactics and scalping. The underlying purpose behind the battle was to showcase the “ferocious” ways of the Native Americans. Show-goers left surprised and shocked by the Native American display of violence. The mock battle also demonstrated the positive effects America’s fatherly reign over the Native Americans. The battle illustrated the barbaric aspect of the “Indians”, demonstrating to the viewer that it was America who, in fact, civilized the savage. By laying out the Indian and Philippine reservations adjacent from one another, it was implied that Filipinos would be treated with a similar policy. The spatial proximity between the exhibited inferred “Just as we civilized the Native Americans, we will do the same for the Philippines.” Following along the lines of Rudyard Kipling’s “White Man’s Burden” American intervention in the Philippines was justified by imperialists as a charitable action for the Filipinos. For it was America’s duty, its obligation, to aid in the development of the Philippines, in an attempt to bring them up to speed with the rest of the civilized world. The concepts of racial hierarchy and overseas expansionism established at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition echoed on through the Pan-American and St. Louis Midways. By the time the exposition had come to an end, over 2.7 million people visited the grounds, many of whom would take away a new visualization of race in an empirical context. Just several months after the exposition closed its gates, U.S.-Philippine relations had taken a turn for the worse, and America would be battling an armed insurrection on the archipelago.
[1] James Haynes. “History of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition of 1898” (Omaha, 1910)
[2] Haynes “History of the Trans-Mississippi” 1910
[3] Sarah Moore. “Mapping Empire in Omaha and Buffalo” (University of Arizona, 2000.) P. 111
[4] Moore “Mapping Empire.” P 111
[5] Robert Rydell. All the Word’s a Fair. ( Chicago Press, 1984) p.108.
[6] Moore. “Mapping Empire” P. 111
[7] Rydell, All the World’s a Fair. P 120
[8] Rydell, All the World’s a Fair. P 120
[9] “Character of the Filipinos,” Omaha Bee. October 23, 1898 EBSCO: Reader’s Guide
[10] Frank Leslie, “The Plain Truth,” Leslie’s Weekly, Dec 22, 1904
[11] Rydell. All the World’s a Fair. P. 120
[12] Rydell. All the World’s a Fair. P 108
[13] Rydell. All the World’s a Fair. P 122
[14] Rydell. All the World’s a Fair. P 121
The Phillipine Village: Imperialism Exhibited 