HINALOM AMERIKÅNU TÅTTE

CHamorus were granted a civilian government through the Organic Act after nearly three centuries of foreign military rule. In 1949, Carlton Skinner was appointed by President Harry Truman as our first civilian governor. The following year, the District Court of Guam was established and the first Guam Legislature was convened.

Between 1945 and 1950, the massive military buildup created a job demand that could not be met by CHamoru workers. The Navy began importing foreign labor, mostly from the Philippines. Some construction workers also came from the neighboring islands. Many of our people were employed in service sector jobs.

Farming was difficult due to the widespread devastation and the taking of lands for new military bases. Our families were forced to seek other ways to make a living. By 1946, over 300 local business firms were licensed by the naval government.

The postwar years marked a rapid transformation from subsistence agriculture and bartering to a wage-based and cash economy. Most of our people entered the labor force.

In 1899, Governor Leary required all residents to register their property. Taxes were imposed on ancestral lands. Many families were unable to pay the taxes and had to forfeit their land to the naval government.

Following the US recapture of Guam, US military land holdings constituted 63% of our island real estate. The Department of Defense still controls 28% of lands on Guam. Some families continue to battle these land issues in courts today.

No one kept count of the number of CHamorus who died in a war not of our making. In 1939, the island population was 22,843.

We now know that during the war, at least 1,170 CHamorus were killed. Another 14,721 officially reported suffering from Japanese atrocities–beatings, forced labor, torture, rape, murder, beheadings, massacres, forced marches and concentration camps.

The red border on Guam’s flag was added in 1948 to recognize the blood shed during the war.