Evangelists of Culture: The Thomasite Mission and Early Resistance 

10 December 2025 Feature | Surigao Historical Society | Local History
Evangelists of Culture: The Thomasite Mission and Early Resistance 

The New Apostles: Missionaries of the American Way

As the dust of the Philippine-American War began to settle in the northern reaches of Mindanao, a new kind of vanguard arrived on the shores of Surigao. Following in the wake of the soldiers came the pioneer American educators, a group that would be forever immortalized as the "Thomasites".  Though the name specifically belonged to those who arrived on the troop-ship USS Thomas in 1901, it was soon applied to all American teachers who ventured into the "backwoods" of the province to plant the seeds of a new culture.

These educators, including figures like George N. Briggs, Michael Luery, Carrie J. Briggs, and Carl M. Moore, were not merely civil servants; they were imbued with a missionary zeal. In a province that had been predominantly Catholic for centuries, these "new evangelists" sought to preach a different gospel: the American way of life, democratic principles, and the English language. To the Surigaonons, who had been kept in a state of "blessed ignorance" under the Spanish Cartilla system, this was a radical intellectual shift.

A Province in Turmoil: The Hurdles of 1902

The Thomasites’ mission was far from an easy victory. Upon their arrival, they found an educational void, with makeshift schoolhouses often run by "decrepit, old men and women" who knew only the local dialect. While the Americans sought to replace them with a young corps of local trainees, they were immediately met by a wall of "Church opposition".

In towns like Butuan and Cantilan, the Catholic clergy—who had enjoyed an educational monopoly for centuries—were not ready to cede ground. In Butuan, the Americans faced the formidable Fr. Saturnino Urios, a Jesuit of more than 30 years' residence whose "open opposition" made the establishment of public schools an uphill battle. In Cantilan, early attempts to organize schools in 1902 were abandoned after a single year due to similar resistance, before finally succeeding under the energetic supervision of Clayton R. Wise.

Compounding this cultural friction were the twin terrors of cholera and smallpox. These epidemics ravaged nearly every town, forcing schools to close and claiming the lives of thousands, including beloved pastors like Fr. Jaime Plana. In Agusan, the resident American teacher was forced to flee Butuan entirely during a 1902 outbreak.

The Shadow of the "Ladrones"

Perhaps the most complex obstacle was the ongoing nationalist resistance. The American educational narrative of the time spoke of organized bands of "ladrones" (thieves)—about 200 men who necessitated the presence of over 800 American troops. However, historical reality reveals these were not common criminals, but the libertarian forces of Surigao’s own heroes, such as Colonel Daniel Toribio Sison and Captain Adriano Concepcion.

The conflict created a bizarre paradox: while the Thomasites tried to preach the virtues of civilization, the US military occupied many of the school buildings to use as quarters while they hunted these resistance fighters. Instruction was disrupted by the very forces meant to "protect" the new system. Despite the occupation of their classrooms by soldiers and the fierce pushback from the pulpit, the Thomasites persisted. They viewed themselves as supervisors of a "tremendous potential" within the Filipino people. Slowly, the promise of "deliverance from the bondage of poverty" began to outweigh the initial resistance, and the innocent folks of Surigao began to follow these Pied Pipers of the American dream.

5 Questions to Spark Your Curiosity

1. The Clash of Credos: The Thomasites were described as "new evangelists" competing with established Jesuit and Recollect influence. How did this rivalry between secular American education and traditional Catholic values redefine what it meant to be a "civilized" Surigaonon in the early 1900s?

2. Language as a Tool of Power: The sources note that Americans replaced local teachers who only knew the dialect with young recruits who had to be taught a "strange and foreign language" (English). How did the forced adoption of English affect the preservation of Surigao’s indigenous oral histories and its original writing system, Baybayin?

3. Nationalism vs. Narratives: American educators labeled local resistance leaders like Sison and Concepcion as "ladrones" or thieves. How does this colonial labeling continue to influence the way we celebrate (or forget) our local revolutionary heroes today?

4. The Paradox of "Protection": With 800 US troops occupying school buildings to suppress local independence movements, to what extent was the American educational mission in Surigao a form of "benevolent assimilation" versus a strategic tool of military pacification?

5. Continuity of the Dream: The sources suggest the "American dream" offered deliverance from poverty. Looking at Surigao’s modern educational landscape, has the promise of the Thomasites been fulfilled, or did it merely replace one form of colonial dependence with another?

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