In 1898 America defeated Spain. They ceded Guam to Puerto Rico, but most importantly they ceded The Philippines. Many political groups formed to voice their opinions about the Philippines annexation. Eventually the Filipinos learned that America was determined to colonize them and control their lives. Filipinos did not wish to have their lives taken over by Spain again after being oppressed for years. However, the United States wished to become a colonial nation. The conflict between the two nations resulted in the Philippine-American War in 1899, which led to Philippine independence.
The Philippine-American War was a complex conflict with many implications. However, the most significant were its social consequences. United States citizens were divided on the issue of annexing the Philippines. After it was revealed that the United States wanted to take the Philippines over, war broke. Many people felt that the United States was oppressing the freedom of a nation, which led them to form the Anti-Imperialist League. The Philippine-American War had a global impact in that the United States acquired the Philippines as an overseas colony. The Philippines could then be used to support US business and militaries interests. Other powerful nations who compete with the United States could see this as a threat.
History is based on primary and secondary historical sources. Primary sources are original documents, which are regarded as “facts”. Secondary sources often consist of interpretations and analyses of primary documents. The Platform of the Anti-Imperialist League serves as the primary document for the discussion and the textbook as the secondary. The analysis and explanations provided by secondary sources can be very helpful to students who are at an introductory level. Secondary documents can be very helpful for students who are not familiar with history analysis.
After the Spanish-American War, 1898, it was decided by the United States that the Philippines would not be granted independence. This sparked a war in the Philippines to gain their independence from the United States, as well as a wide divide among the American people on the issue. The 3 year brutal war, which resulted to over 4000 American deaths, more than 20000 Filipino deaths and possibly as many as 200 000 Filipino deaths, only led to the United States allowing the Philippines self-governance and independence years later. United States control-hungry attitude led to a conflict that could have been avoided had the Philippines gained independence. The United States was a country that was known for fighting and declaring their independence from a greater power. Now, they were the bully who tried to prevent independence. They believed that we had abandoned our founding principles. The United States government acted hypocritically and the Anti-Imperialist League was founded to correct this.
The Philippine-American War reminds us what can happen when you betray yourself and oppress people who are seeking independence and freedom. The clashes between imperialism, nationalism and other ideologies proved that people who want freedom will not allow themselves to be oppressed. We are capable of conquering countries but we shouldn’t. It is against our founding principles to conquer and seize land from other countries. We should encourage other countries to pursue independence.
