Underwood’s Guampedia entry on “Education in Guam during the Naval Era” he writes:
13, with a provision that recommended residents make every effort to “learn how to read, write, and speak the English language, thereby improving their own mental condition,” so they would be better able to help their children who had to go to school. To further enhance the naval administration’s belief that command of the English language would somehow improve the Chamorro people, the very next day, 23 January 1900, Governor Leary put forth General Order No. 12 on 22 January 1900, to provide instruction in the English language.Īs written in the order, it was “expected that the present force of native teachers will cheerfully and harmoniously cooperate with the teachers of English that the greatest benefits may be derived by both scholars and preceptors.” But there were not yet enough qualified English-speaking teachers on the island to set up a large scale educational system. Governor Leary made a commitment, as shown by his issuance of General Order No. Nevertheless, from the beginning, naval governors made it a priority to increase knowledge of English on the island especially for children. Additionally, when people went to court, there were Chamorro interpreters so that people could use their language. Outside of public schools (with the exception of primary grade schools where Chamorro was used as an adjunct language) Chamorro was the only practical language to use since most people spoke it better than English. This policy continued after World War II. Public school students were reprimanded or penalized for speaking their native language. In the early 1920s, “No Chamorro” policies were implemented and enforced within the schools and playgrounds. Speaking Chamorro was also forbidden on baseball fields, a sport growing in popularity, to encourage English use. “…designated English as only official language of Guam and ordered that “Chamorro must not be spoken except for official interpreting.” 243 under Governor Roy Campbell Smith banned speaking Chamorro, and In 1917, Naval Government Executive General Order No. About 50 percent also spoke and wrote Spanish, while English was familiar to a small minority who had worked on whaling ships or at the port town of Sumay in southern Guam. At the time, three quarters of the adult population spoke and wrote in the native tongue of Chamorro. On 7 August 1899, Captain Richard Leary, the first American naval governor, arrived on the island and established the first naval administration. Before long, it was determined that the US Navy would administer Guam. Anne Hattori collection.Īs a result of America’s victory in the Spanish-American War, Spain sold Guam to the United States in 1898. Price observes the students of Sumay school. Micronesian Area Research Center (MARC) collection School children at Plaza de Espana, Agana, Guam 1924.Reprinted in “Sumay: A Legacy for Our Children,” by J.