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The article discusses the experiences of American women teachers employed by the U.S. government during the American occupation of the Philippines in the early 1900s. Particular focus is given to the ways in which these women benefited from empire and from their position of authority over the Filipino population. According to the author, these women were not constrained by an ideology of domesticity but instead used it in conjunction with ideologies of maternalism and the so-called strenuous life as conceptualized by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It is suggested that these teachers' experiences illustrate the ways in which many women were becoming more mobile in the early 20th century. Other topics include bravery, violence and teachers' relationships with Filipino servants.