America's Forgotten War in the Philippines: A Digital Museum of Memories

America's Forgotten War in the Philippines: A Digital Museum of Memories is my capstone research project for the Gustavus Adolphus College undergraduate history program. I was advised by Dr. Kate Keller and Dr. David Tobaru Obermiller, and presented by research in the Spring of 2025.

Thesis: The United States conducted a brutal war against the Philippines from 1899 through the early 1910's, yet this war remains forgotten. An analysis of visual artifacts from the 19th through 21st century reveals that Americans justified colonizing the Philippines through an ideology of altruistic obligation towards an "uncivilized" people, the ideology of racial supremacy defined America's relationship to Filipinos, and when Filipinos would not cooperate with America's "civilizing" goals, the Americans violently punished those they perceived as "savage." While Americans remember a short war followed by benevolently civilizing a lesser people, Filipinos remember a war of erasure and genocide that lasted more than a decade.

Audience: This museum exhibit is suitable for a general audience, though my research and analysis is first and foremost academic. 

Sources: A complete bibliography with footnotes can be found in the download files.

Controls: 
Left/Right Click: Move forward/back
WASD/Arrow Keys: Move
Mouse: Look
Scroll Wheel: Zoom
Esc: Quit

Other Credits: While I am solely responsible for the research, analysis, and creation of this thesis under the mentorship of Dr. Keller and Dr. Obermiller, I would like to credit a few tools that made the museum possible.
- Unity: game engine and sample assets
- AmbientCG: some textures
- Bobby Fraser: AmbientCG Importer plugin
- Hash Buoy via StackExchange: TextureResize script
- JeCase via Unity Asset Store: Modular First Person Controller

Content Warning: This exhibit includes disturbing photographs and videos including graphic death, racist language, and nudity.