In the early days of the American colonial period, the Philippine Commission sent teachers from the United States to the Philippines with the purpose of establishing an educational system. Named after the ship that transported them, the United States Army Transport Thomas, the Thomasites expanded to become a powerful force in the colonial project. Their work as educators served the imperial vision of assimilating Filipinos into American culture and raising a young generation of followers.

The Thomasites were technically not the first Western educators in the Philippines. During their colonial reign, the Spanish established schools for Filipino children. The US Army used these as a starting point to continue elementary education, however, they quickly found that the Spanish system was limited. The American government knew the region needed a strong educational system to serve as the base of this new society, so they instituted a new system of education in the Philippines.

Under the supervision of the Philippine Commission, David Barrows, the director of the colonial education system, arranged to hire a variety of educators to accomplish this task. About six-hundred Thomasites embarked on the journey to the Philippines, both men and women, from all across the country and all with different educational backgrounds. Some applied for the job while others were asked to attend. Some were world-renowned professors at high-ranking universities looking for a challenge and an adventure. Others were just looking for employment. Yet all were excited to be a part of the developing project in the Philippines. Some Thomasites even kept daily diaries detailing their enthusiasm.

The USAT Thomas departed from San Francisco, California on July 23, 1901. Frederick G. Behner, a Michigan resident and pastor, was a passenger aboard the ship. He kept a daily diary of his experience. Referring to the ship, he recounted: “[She] is manned with a crew of 286 men, is carrying 357 male teachers and about 200 female teachers, a few wives and about 30 children.” The ship anchored in Honolulu, Hawaii to restock and refuel. Many Thomasites took advantage of their mini vacation to explore the islands.

Then, the ship continued across the Pacific Ocean and entered the Manila Harbor on August 21, 1901. After receiving vaccinations, the Thomasites docked in Manila and were assigned their final teaching destinations. As the goal was to expand education, the Thomasites were sent all across the islands, from Albay to Tarlac. Mr. Behner was assigned to Banton, Romblon Province.

The bulk of the Thomasites worked in the Philippines in the first two decades of the 20th century, although the specific dates of the curriculum are unclear. Many returned home after their post. However, some Thomasites, such as the Netzorg family, did choose to stay and further their personal relationships with the islands.

The Thomasites arrived in the Philippines on August 21, 1901, to establish a new public school system, to teach basic education, and to train Filipino teachers, with English as the medium of instruction.

Adeline Knapp, Thomasite and author of The Story of the Philippines, said: "Our nation has found herself confronted by a great problem dealing with a people who neither know nor understand the underlying principles of our civilization, yet who, for our mutual happiness and liberty, must be brought into accord with us ... the American genius, reasoning from its own experience in the past, seeks a solution of the problem, a bridging of the chasm, through the common schools."

Philippines had enjoyed a public school system since 1863, when a Spanish decree first introduced public elementary education in the Philippines. The Thomasites, however, expanded and improved the public school system and switched to English as the medium of instruction.

The name Thomasite was derived from the United States Army Transport Thomas which brought the educators to the shores of Manila Bay. Although two groups of new American graduates arrived in the Philippines before Thomas, the name Thomasite became the designation of all pioneer American teachers simply because Thomas had the largest contingent.

Later batches of American teachers were also dubbed Thomasites. The Thomasites—365 males and 165 females—left Pier 12 of San Francisco on July 23, 1901, to sail via the Pacific Ocean to South East Asia. The U.S. government spent about $105,000 for the expedition (equivalent to $3,693,480 in 2022). More American teachers followed the Thomasites in 1902, making a total of about 1,074 stationed in the Philippines. On January 20, 1901, Act No. 74 formalized the creation of the department.

At the time, the Thomasites were offered $125 a month (equivalent to $4,397 in 2022), but once in the Philippines salaries were often delayed and were usually paid in devalued Mexican pesos.

Although the Thomasites were the largest group of pioneers with the purpose of educating the Filipinos, they were not the first to be deployed by Washington, D.C. A few weeks before the arrival of Thomas, U.S. Army soldiers had already begun teaching Filipinos the English language, thus in effect laying the foundation of the Philippine public school system. The U.S. Army opened the Philippines' first public school in Corregidor Island, after Admiral George Dewey vanquished the Spanish Pacific fleet in Manila Bay on May 1, 1898. Also, a few weeks before the arrival of Thomas, another group composed of 48 American teachers also arrived in the Philippines, aboard the USAT Sheridan.

After President William McKinley's appointment of William Howard Taft as the head of a commission that would be responsible for continuing the educational work started by the U.S. Army, the Taft Commission passed Education Act No. 74 on January 21, 1901, which established the Department of Public Instruction. The latter was then given the task of establishing a public school system throughout the Philippines. The Taft Commission also authorized the further deployment of 1,000 more educators from the U.S. to the Philippines.