NORFOLK, Va. – On Feb. 3 at 10 a.m., the MacArthur Memorial will partner with the Filipino American National Historical Society (Hampton Roads Chapter) and the Council of United Filipino Organizations of Tidewater to mark the 125th anniversary of the Philippine-American War (1899-1902). The event will include the unveiling of a newly restored copy of Philippine General Emilio Aguinaldo’s 1899 declaration of independence.
In 2023, this historic document was highlighted as one of the Top 10 Endangered Artifacts in Virginia by the Virginia Association of Museums and its restoration was crowd-funded by people around the world. In addition to the unveiling, the event will also feature several presentations by an international panel of scholars who will examine the war from the perspectives of the U.S. Army and the Filipino people.
Today, many conflicts are called "forgotten wars." The Philippine-American War is truly a forgotten war. If the Spanish-American War was regarded by some contemporaries as a "splendid little war," the Philippine-American War was a devastating and costly war. It was also the start of a century of shared experience between the American and Filipino people.
The event will take place in the MacArthur Memorial Visitors Center. Doors will open 9 a.m. and the program will begin at 10 a.m. The event is free, but registration is encouraged. To register, visit www.macarthurmemorial.org.