Download The Philippines

The Philippines
In 1571, the Spanish occupied the kingdoms of Maynila and Tondo and established Manila as the
capital of the Spanish East Indies. In the following years, the colony was governed as a territory
of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, centered in Mexico, from 1565 to 1821 and administered
directly from Spain from 1821 to 1898.
American Involvement
The Spanish-American War began in Cuba in 1898 and soon reached the Philippines. On May 1,
1898, Commodore George Dewey led his squadron into Manila Bay. His fleet opened fire and
rapidly destroyed the severely outgunned and outdated Spanish warships. Spain ceded the islands
together with Cuba, Puerto Rico and Guam, to the United States for $20 million during the
Treaty of Paris.
The United States faced a dilemma regarding the Philippines, should it remain true to its
republican ideals (of freedom and independence) or become an imperial power. Many supporters
of annexing the Philippines emphasized the economic and military benefits of taking the islands.
They would provide the United States with a naval base in Asia, a stopover on the way to China,
and a large market for American goods. Many argued that the costs of an empire would far
outweigh the benefits. They believed imperialism directly violated American principles.
President McKinley decided to go ahead and annex the Philippines despite the protests, and they
were officially annexed in 1899.
Violence in the Philippines continued as Filipino guerillas, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, fought
against the new U.S. rule. To fight the guerillas United States adopted many of the policies that
Americans had condemned Spain for using in Cuba. The U.S. set up reconcentration camps to
separate guerillas from civilians. Thousands of Filipinos died from disease and starvation.
Meanwhile, President Taft tried to win over the Filipino people by reforming education,
transportation, and health care. The Filipino people eventually reduced hostilities and the U.S.
declared the war over in 1902. Eventually the United States allowed the Filipinos the right to
organize their own government. Finally, in 1946, the United States granted independence to the
Philippines.
Current Status
The Philippines is now an independent nation. With an estimated population of about 92 million
people, the Philippines are the world’s 12th most populous country. It is estimated that there are
about 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide, equivalent to about 11% of the total population of
the Philippines. Multiple ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands. Ecologically,
the Philippines with its tropical climate is on of the most diverse countries in the world. In 2007,
the World Bank has declared the Philippines a “Newly industrialized country” while the
prestigious Goldman Sachs Group has predicted that the Philippines will be one of the Next
Eleven economies which will shape world trade. Their prophesies proved true during the onset of
the Late-2000s recession when the whole world fell victim to the economic devastation wrought
by the Subprime Banking mess resulting in every industrialized country having a negative growth
rate. The Philippines defied this by predicting a positive GDP growth rate during the 2009 fiscal
year.
Retrieved From: http://www.geographicguide.net/asia/maps/philippines.jpg
Mark Twain said, "I thought that it would be a great thing to give a whole lot of freedom to
the Filipinos, but I guess now that it's better to let them give it to themselves"(1). When
America imperialized the Philippines, they were already fighting for their freedom from
Spain. They thought that America would help them to gain their freedom, but instead
America took it away from them, causing them to fight yet again to gain the freedom that
they had long been without. This fight for freedom became the Philippine-American War.
Retrieved from: http://asms.k12.ar.us/classes/humanities/worldstud/9798/imper/Philippines/usa.htm
(L)"The wall of fire. Part of the firing line near Pasig, March 15, 1899. It represents volley-firing in
clock-like order at the insurgent entrenchments. The picture was taken just before the general
advance"(Picturesque Old Philippines 1).
Retrieved from: http://asms.k12.ar.us/classes/humanities/worldstud/9798/imper/Philippines/usa.htm
The Philippine-American War, known as the "Philippine Insurrection" was a nationalist
revolt led by Emilio Aguinaldo in 1899 against American War. This revolt was a direct
result of the invasion of the U.S. into the Philippines.The American invasion caused bitter
feelings amoung the Filipinos. Emilio Aquinaldo, the leader of the Filipino independence
movement, felt especially betrayed. His betrayal ran deep within him, not only because he
liked to be called "the George Washington of the Philippines" but also because he had
helped the Americans to fight the Spanish and now the Americans were fighting against
him.
Retrieved from: http://asms.k12.ar.us/classes/humanities/worldstud/9798/imper/Philippines/usa.htm
Photograph of Emilio Aguinaldo
Retrieved from: http://alumni.imsa.edu/~bruce/projects/images/occupation/aguinal.jpg
The cartoon reads: “Benevolent Assimilation”
Source: http://tdean.pantherslive.net/ch-10-american-claims-an-empire/10-3-acquiring-new-lands/