Historian Spencer to deliver 'Last Lecture'

Dr. Tom Spencer

Dr. Tom Spencer, associate professor of history at Northwest, will present a lecture titled, "'We've Been Here Before': Imperialism, the Philippine Insurrection, and the Iraq War" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, in the J.W. Jones Student Union Boardroom.

Spencer's talk is the latest installment in Northwest's revived Last Lecture Series, which calls on Northwest scholars to deliver the lecture they would choose as their final academic presentation.

Sponsored by Sigma Pi Sigma, an honor society comprising students who have earned Presidential Scholarships, the series had lapsed in recent years. But SPS revived it in 2006 with a speech by Northwest President Dean L. Hubbard.

Spencer's lecture will focus on the Philippine Insurrection, an often forgotten conflict that followed the Spanish-American War (1899-1902).

In 1898, after the war with Spain ended, the United States stated that its purpose had been to free the Filipino people from an oppressive government. But as the insurrection progressed into 1899, U.S. officials began behaving just as the Spanish colonizers had, even going so far as to resort to torture and concentration camps.

Spencer said he sees parallels between events in the Philippines more than 100 years ago and the current war in Iraq.

"I think the Philippine Insurrection is something that Americans a century ago tried their best to forget," he said. "I suspect that is how Americans will feel about the Iraq War within my lifetime -- and for similar reasons. … Historians should try to make sure that such stories aren't forgotten and continue to be told. We can learn from them."

SPS Co-President Bryana Redding urged students, especially, to attend the lecture, which is free and open to the public.

"We think this is a chance for students to listen to a lecture that has some thought behind it and not have to worry about taking notes or studying," Redding said. "They can just listen and let it sink in."

Spencer, who holds a Ph.D. from Indiana University, is the author of "The St. Louis Veiled Prophet Celebration, Power on Parade, 1877-1995" (University of Missouri Press, 2000). He also edited and contributed to "The Other Missouri History: Populists, Prostitutes, and Regular Folk" (University of Missouri Press, 2005), a collection of essays.

His academic interests include foreign policy, history of the U.S. Constitution, Missouri history and the history of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.

For more information about the Last Lecture Series, call Dr. John Fisher at 660.562.1827 (ext. 1827 on campus) or e-mail Malea Young at S277311@nwmissouri.edu.

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Brown,
News Bureau Manager
E-Mail: abrown@nwmissouri.edu
Phone (660) 562-1704
Fax (660) 562-1900

Northwest Missouri State University
219 Administration Building,
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468

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