PACIFIC + SOUTHWEST. Home Decor / Kitchen Decor, Decorative Plate, Souvenir, c. 1960s.
The caption on this plate, manufactured by a company called D.B.K., welcomes the reader to Guam, “Where America’s Day Begins”. Yet where does one begin in explaining why Guam is even part of America? As the plate itself shows, the distance from the U.S. Mainland to this tiny island in the western Pacific Ocean is 5,053 miles. It has been an American territory since 1898, and was originally annexed during the Spanish-American War as part of a larger plan to conquer the Spanish Philippines that were 1,500 miles further away. Guam was at that time under Spanish control as well, and when the USS Charleston sailed in to capture the island, the crew were met by an unexpectedly friendly contingent of Spaniards. The authorities stationed there did not yet know war had begun, and so thought the U.S. ship was only stopping in for a visit. After explaining that their countries had been at war for two months, the Americans sent a letter to the Spanish governor of Guam telling him to surrender control. He did, and so the following day’s sunrise in “the Land of the Chamarro” started morning in the U.S.A.. It still does, though Guamanians (the indigenous population of whom had autonomy taken when Spain officially claimed the island in 1565) are unable to vote for a U.S. president and do not have voting representation in Congress. Which is how things are in all American territories, including - as of this writing - Washington, D.C.. This plate is a great representative for Guam regardless of all that, clearly stating its world position by longitude and latitude. A charmingly rendered map shows its roads, towns, and points of interest. The condition is very good, with only a slight wearing of the design on the northernmost part of the island. It comes ready to hang with a string threaded through holes on the back.
Condition: Used Very Good. Local / Regional Areas. Dimensions: 8" diameter / 1 lb
