Guam - History

The ancient Chamorros, the earliest known inhabitants of the Mariana Islands, were of Mayo-Polynesian descent originating from southeast Asia as early as 2,000 B.C. Through linguistic, archaeological, and historical evidences, the cultural similarities of the ancient and present day Chamorros resemble the languages and cultures of Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The first historical document relating the general physical features of the ancient Chamorros, written by Pifigetta in 1521, described them as being tall, big-boned, robust with tawny brown skin and long black hair. The present day Chamorros are a mixture of various ethnic compositions consisting of the many cultural groups originating from Asia, Europe, and the Americas. In 1962, President Kennedy lifted the Naval Clearing Act which allowed other ethnic groups to make Guam their home. Since that time, many Filipinos, Caucasians, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indians, and Pacific Islanders have moved to Guam. The present population is a rich blend of many races which makes Guam a cosmopolitan community of various customs and traditions.

Chamorus, have traditionally populated the Marianas Island Chain of which Guam is the Southmost and largest Island. Jane Underwood, Univ of Arizona, Tucson, has estimated that the 140 generations of Chamorus who have ever lived in the Marianas since the time of their initial discovery approximately 3,500 years ago numbered to be over 2 million Chamorus. The estimated size of the population during the time of Spanish contact at 1521 was 65,000 to 85,000. By 1741, after conquest by Spain through war, the population was reduced to 5000.

Ferdinand Magellan probably landed on Guam in 1521. The island was officially claimed by Spain in 1565, and there was no attempt to conquer it until the latter part of the 17th century. After an uprising in 1670 and 25 years of intermittent warfare, the Spanish subdued the population with considerable bloodshed. Disease, particularly smallpox and influenza, also played an important role in the decimation of the population. Typhoons in 1671 and 1693 caused further destruction and loss of life. Guam remained a Spanish possession until 1898, when, in the course of the Spanish-American War, the U.S. warship Charleston steamed into the harbour of Apra and shelled the old fort. Guam was ceded to the United States, and the other islands of the Marianas were sold by Spain to Germany in 1899. From that time until 1950 (except for the period of its occupation by the Japanese during World War II) the governor of the island was a naval officer appointed by the president of the United States.

In World War II the Japanese landed on Guam just after the attack on Pearl Harbour and occupied the island by Dec. 12, 1941. U.S. forces retook Guam by Aug. 10, 1944. It was a major air and naval base for the squadrons of bombers that attacked Japan near the end of the war. Guam remains the site of major U.S. naval and air bases; about one-third of the land in Guam is owned by the U.S. armed forces.

In the 1970s Guam gradually began to move toward representative self-government. The first popularly elected governor ran for office in 1970, and in 1972 Guam was given the right to send one nonvoting delegate (entitled to vote in committees, however) to the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1978 the U.S. Senate accorded Guam the right to adopt a territorial constitution. In 1982, in a referendum offering six options, the option of commonwealth status won a plurality (48 percent) of votes.