The Southern Mindanao and the Moro people during the American occupation (1898-1935)

This study aims to examine the Moro people in Mindanao during the American period between 1898-1935. In the study, a historical qualitative approach was exhibited. From the beginning of the Spanish colonization until the arrival of the Americans, the Moro people struggled with colonialism for centuries. The colonial mentality that affected the Philippines as a whole, including the Moros, is still visible today. The colonization of America and the instillation of democracy and liberalism in the minds of Filipinos are still creating problems for Philippine society and government today. The armed struggle of the Moro people in Mindanao is a very important chapter in Philippine history. The armed struggle of the Moro people strained the Spanish army for 300 years and posed a military danger to the United States for nearly 40 years. Also, the Moro wars forced all Muslims to unite and rule the Filipinos. Although decades have passed since the armed struggle began, the Moro conflict remains a complex issue rooted in centuries of social disintegration and division. Mindanao was governed by military and civilian governments after it was captured by the Americans in 1899 and controlled by the Moro people. However, comparisons with Filipinos in the northern Philippines have led Americans to view the Moro people as uncivilized. This study focuses on the American occupation from 1898 to 1935, when the Philippine people took control of the government administration, but the people in Mindanao remained under American rule until 1946. It also refers to the American colonization of the Philippines in the early 20th century.