War of Philippine Independence
Filipinos are equally heirs to a second great missionary enterprise after Spanish:
United States efforts to foster in our country institutions of government and attitudes
toward life derived from American experience and faith in democratic ways.1 Originally a
port of call for Yankee traders on their long voyage to China, our country became a
source of sugar, pepper, hides, and hemp. There was very little in a way of immediate
economic interest to make our country of special concern to Americans by the time the Spanish-American War brought Commodore George Dewey's fleet to Manila Harbor to do battle with the Spanish flotilla on the night of April 30 and the morning of May 1, 1898.2
The Spanish-American War of 1898 provided the opportunity for Filipinos to get rid themselves of Spanish rule. But now Americans asked if they should not take over our country. The virus of imperialism had infected many Americans who wanted to get into the European race for colonies. Theodore Roosevelt, the Under Secretary of the Navy and an enthusiastic proponent of imperialism, on his own initiative had ordered Admiral Dewey to Manila.3 They think that if they would not take over the Philippines, maybe the islands would be seized by another power.
There has been a controversy regarding the terms of agreement between General Aguinaldo and Admiral Dewey. Admiral Dewey declared he had given the Filipino leader no direct promise regarding American recognition of the republic.4 Americans think they had the responsibility to Christianize and educate Filipinos; they were unaware that most of us were Catholic Christians.
Anti imperialist voices were raised, too, and the vote in the U.S. Senate rat...
... middle of paper ...
...anish' occupation but they did control us. It's true, they could civilize us but we should be able to have the freedom to live the way we have always lived. I also feel that we should have the opportunity to decide if we would want to be governed by the U.S. government.
Bibliography:
1. Ravenholt, Albert, The Philippines, A Young republic On The Move (PA: Lancaster Press Inc; 1962), pp. 51
2. Gregor, James, Crisis In The Philippines, A Retreat to U.S. Interest (Ethics and Public Policy; 1984), pp. 2
3. Akira, Ireya, The World of Asia (Wheeling IL: Harlan Davidson Inc; 1995), pp. 348
4. Hawes, Harry, Philippine Uncertainty (Century Company; 1931), pp. 111
5. Ireya, Op. Cit. pp. 348
6. Ireya, Op. Cit. pp. 349
7. Hawes, Op. Cit. pp 138
8. www.pubwebs.cns.www.edu/~flip/history/
9. Ravenholt, Op. Cit. pp. 59-60
10. Ravenholt, Op. Cit. pp. 61
Economic self-interest was more effective in driving American foreign policy because the U.S wanted to protect their property. As described in War and other Essays The U.S needed to choose not to be rulers and to let Filipinos and Spanish Americans live their own lives without ...
The first reason the United States should have annexed the Philippines is because it is our duty to as a country to spread the values of democracy overseas. For example, as stated here in Albert J. Beveridge’s campaign speech he says, “ Do we owe no duty to the world?… it is ours to save for liberty and civilization (Doc B).” He is saying that it is our duty as a sovereign nation to help an uncivilized nation modernize, industrialize, . another example, is from William Mcki...
After the assassination of President McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt inherited a growing empire when he took office in 1901. The U.S. had annexed Hawaii in 1898 and Spanish-American War granted the U.S. control of the Philippines. It also led the U.S. to establish a protectorate over Cuba and grant territorial status for Puerto Rico. By taking on the Philippine Islands as an American colony after the Spanish-American War he had ended the U.S.'s isolation from international politics. Theodore Roosevelt believed that nations should pursue a strenuous life and do their part to maintain peace and order. It was also a belief that civilized nations had the duty of modernizing the barbarous ones. He also pushed for a bigger army and navy and by the end of his presidency he had built the U.S. Navy into a major force at sea.
The March of the Flag is a statement given by Albert Beveridge about the power of the US. He uses the power of the US to give the idea that US has its own ideas, and those ideas could be spread globally because US is so powerful. He is really arrogant, and he believes that due to America’s power they can spread ideas to other countries quickly and easily. He uses GOD as merely a symbol of power, a way to show how powerful the country is, and how influential it can become. We discussed the culture spread of the US in class, how it affected other culture, and created culture shocks. The article The Paralyzing Influence of Imperialism, William Jennings Bryan, discusses the US influence, and the influence that can be brought upon the Philippine Islands. He discusses the way, traders, taskmasters, officeholders, and military can control the small group of the Philippine Islands and influence them culturally and
United States of America. U.S. Department of State. Office of the Historian. The Spanish-American War, 1898. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
... Americans built roads, schools, bridges, and sewers. Filipino self- rule had gradually increased and finally declared their independence on July 4, 1946. However, compared to Cuba and Puerto Rico, American rule has a lesser impact on the Philippine economy. The United States invaded Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines not to gain wealth, but for the purpose of getting trades.
towards Spain on April 25, 1898. On the day war was declared, Spain issued that the United States add the Teller Amendment, which declared, "the right to intervene for the preservation of Cuban independence, the maintenance of a government adequate for the protection of life, property, and individual liberty..." (Teller Amendment). The actual fighting began on May 1, in the Philippines Islands at the Battle of Manila Bay where Commodore George Dewey reportedly said, "You may fire when ready, Gridley," and the Spanish fleet under Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo was
The Spanish-American War was the brief conflict that the United States waged against Spain in 1898. The war had grown out of the Cuban struggle for independence, and whose other causes included American imperialism and the sinking of the U.S warship Maine. The actual hostilities in the war lasted four months, from April 25 to August 12, 1898. Most of the fighting occurred in or near the Spanish colonial possessions of Cuba and the Philippines, nearly halfway around the world form each other. In both battlegrounds, the decisive military event was the complete destruction of a Spanish naval squadron by a vastly superior U.S. fleet. These victories, after brief resistance, brought about the surrender of the Spanish to U.S. military forces as indicated by a peace treaty signed between the two countries on December 10, 1898, in Paris, France. In the end, the Americans had minimal casualties, while the Spanish suffered immense fatalities and damage to their naval resources (Encyclopedia Britannica).
In 1897, Theodore Roosevelt and President McKinley discussed taking over the Pacific colony in the event of a war with Spain. When Congress declared war on Spain 5,000 American troops were sent to the Philippines. After the War, McKinley refused to sign the armistice unless Spain gave the United States all of the Pacific islands. Once Spain agreed, he drew up plans for colonial administration. He pleaded to educate the Filipinos and convert them to Christianity. At first, the Filipinos welcomed the American troops but eventually turned on their former alliance and attacked their base. American soldiers described them as gugus and repeatedly insulted and physically abused them. They beat civilians, raped the women and tortured them. They treated them so poorly because they were a group of darker skin than
Blood has been spilled all over the ground of the Philippines. The United States fought a small war with Spain in 1898. The United States ended up getting Cuba and the Philippine Islands as a war prize. Cuba got their independence, but the United States decided to keep the Philippine Islands by annexing them (Background Essay). Should the United States have annexed the Philippines? Annexed means to join or combine a smaller country with a bigger country. The United States should have annexed the Philippine Islands because they needed guidance to become a better country, couldn't give the Philippine Islands to other countries, and there was nothing else the United States could do with them.
For 113 days during the summer of 1898, the United States was at war with Spain. Neither the president of the United States, nor his cabinet, nor the the queen of Spain, nor her ministers wanted the war wanted the war. It happened eventhough they made their best efforts to prevent it. It happened because of ambition, miscalculation, and stupidity; and it happened because of kindness, wit, and resourcefulness. It also happened because some were indifferent to the suffering of the world’s wretched and others were not (O’Toole 17). By winning the war the United States proved the the rest of the world and to itself that it could and would fight against foreign nations. For many years, world power had been concentrated in the countries in Europe. Nations such as Great Britain, France, Germany, and Spain had the most influence in global affairs. But a shift in power was gradually taking place as the United States matured. The young nation gained wealth and strength. Its population grew immensely, and many people believed it would become a major world power (Bachrach, 11) Spain was one of the many European countries that had territory in the United States. Spain controlled mostly some islands off the coast of Central America. The most important of these were Cuba and Puerto Rico. The United States was led to believe that the Spanish mosgoverned and abused the people of these islands. In fact, Spain did overtax and mistreat the Cubans, who rebelled in 1868 and again in 1895. Thus, the American people felt sympathetic toward the Cuban independence movement. In addition, Spain had frequently interfered with trade between its colonies and the United States. Even though the United States had been a trading partner with Cuba since the seventeenth century, Spain sometimes tried to completely stop their trade with Cuba. In Spain doing so, this sometimes caused damage to U.S. commercial interests. The United States highly disagreed with Spain’s right to interfere with this trade relationship. (Bachrach, 12) The United States was also concerned that other trading and commercial interests were threatened by the number of ships and soldiers Spain kept in the area. If the United States had to fight a war with Canada or Mexico, these Spanish forces could quickly mobilize against the United States.
Welch, Richard E., Jr.? Response to Imperialism:? The United States and the Philippine-American War, 1899-1902.? Chapel Hill:? The University of North Carolina Press, 1979.
In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Imperialism was a popular trend among the large, powerful countries. Imperialism is defined as “The policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political hegemony over other nations”. Imperialism cannot be said as either good or bad, but as a general rule: If you live in an annexed country, imperialism is not good, if your country annexes smaller ones to gain profit, land, and respect, then imperialism is good. The United States was not much of an imperialistic country until we won the Spanish-American war. As a result of this war, we annexed Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico.
I don’t believe the Philippine War was justified. There are more ways than war to solve the annexation of the Philippines. I agree on some of the policies, but not all of the policies, that were in place during that time period.
A. A. The Philippines People, Poverty and Politics. New York: The New York Times. St. Martins's P, 1987. 1-225.