With the defeat of Spain in the Spanish-American War, it was thought that the Philippines had finally gained their freedom. However, this freedom was short lived with the ratification of the Treaty of Paris. On December 10, 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed between Spain and the US, ending the war. With this treaty, Puerto Rico and Guam were ceded to the US, Cuba became a US protectorate, and the Philippines were bought for $20 million. [1] While being under another colonial power was not what the Filipinos wanted, the intervention of the US helped the Philippines to, eventually, become an independent and autonomous country.
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Acquisition of the Philippines was not intended from the beginning. President McKinley admitted that his decision came to him after praying to God for guidance. In a discussion with a group of Methodist Church leaders, President McKinley explained how he knew he could not allow the Philippines to be given to another country nor could they be trusted to rule themselves, so “there was nothing left for [him] to do but to take [the Philippines], and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God’s grace do the very best [he] could by them, as our fellow-men”. [3]
Many people living in the US were opposed to the annexation of the Philippines. While the idea of American expansion was popular among many people, they realized that gaining control over the Philippines was different. Never before had the US gained permanent colonies. Due to the statement in the Declaration of Independence about the right to self-government, it was assumed that these new colonies would be admitted as new, equal states and that the residents would become citizens. [4] The other times that the US gained land, such as with the Louisiana Purchase and Mexican Cession, it was possible for people to move to the US and become citizens and these newly acquired areas could eventually become states and be equal among the other land. However, since the Philippines was disconnected from the US, people realized that this land would not absorb any new citizens and that this land would not become equal with the other states and would instead be purely ruled over. [5]
Anti-imperialists believed annexation violated the Declaration of Independence in the aspect of the right to self-government and that it was morally wrong to take over a country that had just been freed. On June 15, 1898, the Anti-Imperialists League was formed, united in belief that the US should focus its energy at home and not overseas and to fight the annexation of the Philippines. Many people were involved in the Anti-Imperialist League, most notably, Andrew Carnegie, Mark Twain, William James, David Starr Jordan, and Samuel Gompers.[5] In their political platform, the Anti-Imperialist League stated how “[t]he United States have always protested against the doctrine of international law which permits the subjugation of the weak by the strong … [and that t]he United States cannot act upon the ancient heresy that might make [things] right.”[6] Anti-Imperialists opposed expansion because they believed that people had the right to self-government and that expansion violated this right. They believed that the US should “let them deal with their own domestic questions in their own way”.[7]
On February 4, 1899, Emilio Aguinaldo led Filipinos in a fight against American troops in order to solidify their freedom and not just become subjected to more colonial rule. What was supposed to be a short lived battle, turned into a full on war, the Philippine-American War, and lasted for three years.[8] The war soon ended after the capture of Aguinaldo 1901 but continued until the spring of 1902. On July 4, 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt declared an end to the war, with the Philippines still under US control.[9]
With the victory of the Philippine-American War, the US felt it was its duty to educate, uplift, and civilize our “brown brothers”.[4] However, the Filipinos were not treated as equals. The insular cases of 1901 were a series of Supreme Court cases that ruled that colonial subjects did not obtain the rights granted by the Constitution and American laws and with this ruling, the US kept citizenship out of reach.[4] The Second Philippine Commission, led by William Taft was sent to the Philippines to assess the political situation of the country. The Taft Commission had executive and legislative powers, which could be used on legislative work, such as enacting new legislation and establishing new local government.[11] In 1902, the Philippine Organic Act was passed, which granted the US the power to “temporarily provide for the administration of the affairs of civil government in the Philippine Islands.”[12] The Philippines was once again under the control of a more powerful country and the results of the Philippine-American War showed that there was no way for this to change.
However, things began to look up with the ratification of the Jones Act in 1916. With this act, the US announced that they would “withdraw their sovereignty over the Philippine Islands as soon as a stable government can be established there.” With this, the US established an elective Senate in the Philippines, putting the country on the path to autonomy.[13] Under US rule, the Philippines was called the Commonwealth of the Philippines. In 1934, the Tydings-McDuffie Act, also called the Philippine Commonwealth and Independence Act, was ratified, stating that the Philippines would gain their independence after a ten year transition period with government intervention from the US. The Philippine Constitution was approved by President Roosevelt on March 23, 1935.During this time, the US was still in control over monetary matter, defense, and foreign affairs but all other matters were in control by the Filipinos.[14] The Philippines finally gained their independence on July 4, 1946.
What was initially a long sought battle, turned out to be beneficial for the Philippines. The country may have switched rulers within a short time span, but once the US gained control, the Philippines was able to benefit politically. The country gained a stronger government and was eventually given its autonomy after much help from the US, even after all it went through in the Philippine-American War.
Many people living in the US were opposed to the annexation of the Philippines. While the idea of American expansion was popular among many people, they realized that gaining control over the Philippines was different. Never before had the US gained permanent colonies. Due to the statement in the Declaration of Independence about the right to self-government, it was assumed that these new colonies would be admitted as new, equal states and that the residents would become citizens. [4] The other times that the US gained land, such as with the Louisiana Purchase and Mexican Cession, it was possible for people to move to the US and become citizens and these newly acquired areas could eventually become states and be equal among the other land. However, since the Philippines was disconnected from the US, people realized that this land would not absorb any new citizens and that this land would not become equal with the other states and would instead be purely ruled over. [5]
Anti-imperialists believed annexation violated the Declaration of Independence in the aspect of the right to self-government and that it was morally wrong to take over a country that had just been freed. On June 15, 1898, the Anti-Imperialists League was formed, united in belief that the US should focus its energy at home and not overseas and to fight the annexation of the Philippines. Many people were involved in the Anti-Imperialist League, most notably, Andrew Carnegie, Mark Twain, William James, David Starr Jordan, and Samuel Gompers.[5] In their political platform, the Anti-Imperialist League stated how “[t]he United States have always protested against the doctrine of international law which permits the subjugation of the weak by the strong … [and that t]he United States cannot act upon the ancient heresy that might make [things] right.”[6] Anti-Imperialists opposed expansion because they believed that people had the right to self-government and that expansion violated this right. They believed that the US should “let them deal with their own domestic questions in their own way”.[7]
On February 4, 1899, Emilio Aguinaldo led Filipinos in a fight against American troops in order to solidify their freedom and not just become subjected to more colonial rule. What was supposed to be a short lived battle, turned into a full on war, the Philippine-American War, and lasted for three years.[8] The war soon ended after the capture of Aguinaldo 1901 but continued until the spring of 1902. On July 4, 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt declared an end to the war, with the Philippines still under US control.[9]
With the victory of the Philippine-American War, the US felt it was its duty to educate, uplift, and civilize our “brown brothers”.[4] However, the Filipinos were not treated as equals. The insular cases of 1901 were a series of Supreme Court cases that ruled that colonial subjects did not obtain the rights granted by the Constitution and American laws and with this ruling, the US kept citizenship out of reach.[4] The Second Philippine Commission, led by William Taft was sent to the Philippines to assess the political situation of the country. The Taft Commission had executive and legislative powers, which could be used on legislative work, such as enacting new legislation and establishing new local government.[11] In 1902, the Philippine Organic Act was passed, which granted the US the power to “temporarily provide for the administration of the affairs of civil government in the Philippine Islands.”[12] The Philippines was once again under the control of a more powerful country and the results of the Philippine-American War showed that there was no way for this to change.
However, things began to look up with the ratification of the Jones Act in 1916. With this act, the US announced that they would “withdraw their sovereignty over the Philippine Islands as soon as a stable government can be established there.” With this, the US established an elective Senate in the Philippines, putting the country on the path to autonomy.[13] Under US rule, the Philippines was called the Commonwealth of the Philippines. In 1934, the Tydings-McDuffie Act, also called the Philippine Commonwealth and Independence Act, was ratified, stating that the Philippines would gain their independence after a ten year transition period with government intervention from the US. The Philippine Constitution was approved by President Roosevelt on March 23, 1935.During this time, the US was still in control over monetary matter, defense, and foreign affairs but all other matters were in control by the Filipinos.[14] The Philippines finally gained their independence on July 4, 1946.
What was initially a long sought battle, turned out to be beneficial for the Philippines. The country may have switched rulers within a short time span, but once the US gained control, the Philippines was able to benefit politically. The country gained a stronger government and was eventually given its autonomy after much help from the US, even after all it went through in the Philippine-American War.
[1]: "Treaty of Paris Ends Spanish-American War," History.com, accessed 26 September 2015, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/treaty-of-paris-ends-spanish-american-war, paragraph 5
[2]: Chicago Liberty meeting, held at Central Music hall, April 30, 1899. Chicago: Central Anti-Imperialist League.
[3]: "Interview with President McKinley." Interview by General James F. Rusling. Christian Advocate (1866– 1905). 22 Jan. 1903: n. pag. Print.
[4]: Eric Forner, "Chapter 17: Freedom's Boundaries, at Home and Abroad, 1890-1900," In Give Me Liberty!: An American History, 3rd ed., Vol. Two, (New York, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012), 664.
[5]: Eugene V. Resnick, "The United States and Its Empire," In AP United States History, (Hauppauge, New York: Barrons Educational Series, 2012), 199.
[6]: "Anti-imperialist League," The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War (Hispanic Division, Library of Congress), accessed 26 September 2015, http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/league.html.
[7]:"Platform of the American Antilmperialist League," in Speeches, Correspondence, and Political Papers of Carl Schurz, vol. 6, ed. Frederick Bancroft (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1913), p. 77, note 1.
[8]: Mark Twain, Mark Twain's Weapons of Satire: Anti-Imperialist Writings on the Philippine-American War, Jim Zwick, ed., (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1992).
[9]: "The Philippine-American War, 1899–1902 - 1899–1913 - Milestones - Office of the Historian", Office of the Historian, accessed September 26, 2015, https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/war, paragraph 1.[1] Ibid., paragraph 4.
[10]: Eric Forner, "Chapter 17: Freedom's Boundaries, at Home and Abroad, 1890-1900", In Give Me Liberty!: An American History, 3rd ed., Vol. Two, (New York, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012), 664.
[11]: “The Taft Commission”, Philippine History, accessed September 26, 2015, http://www.philippine-history.org/taft-commission.htm, paragraphs 1-3.
[12]: "The Philippine Organic Act of 1902 | GOVPH", Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines, accessed September 26, 2015, http://www.gov.ph/constitutions/the-philippine-organic-act-of-1902/.
[13]: "Jones Act", Encyclopædia Britannica Online, accessed September 26, 2015, http://www.britannica.com/event/Jones-Act-United-States-1916, paragraph 1.
[14]: "Tydings-McDuffie Act", Encyclopædia Britannica Online, accessed September 26, 2015, http://www.britannica.com/topic/Tydings-McDuffie-Act, paragraph 1-2.
[2]: Chicago Liberty meeting, held at Central Music hall, April 30, 1899. Chicago: Central Anti-Imperialist League.
[3]: "Interview with President McKinley." Interview by General James F. Rusling. Christian Advocate (1866– 1905). 22 Jan. 1903: n. pag. Print.
[4]: Eric Forner, "Chapter 17: Freedom's Boundaries, at Home and Abroad, 1890-1900," In Give Me Liberty!: An American History, 3rd ed., Vol. Two, (New York, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012), 664.
[5]: Eugene V. Resnick, "The United States and Its Empire," In AP United States History, (Hauppauge, New York: Barrons Educational Series, 2012), 199.
[6]: "Anti-imperialist League," The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War (Hispanic Division, Library of Congress), accessed 26 September 2015, http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/league.html.
[7]:"Platform of the American Antilmperialist League," in Speeches, Correspondence, and Political Papers of Carl Schurz, vol. 6, ed. Frederick Bancroft (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1913), p. 77, note 1.
[8]: Mark Twain, Mark Twain's Weapons of Satire: Anti-Imperialist Writings on the Philippine-American War, Jim Zwick, ed., (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1992).
[9]: "The Philippine-American War, 1899–1902 - 1899–1913 - Milestones - Office of the Historian", Office of the Historian, accessed September 26, 2015, https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/war, paragraph 1.[1] Ibid., paragraph 4.
[10]: Eric Forner, "Chapter 17: Freedom's Boundaries, at Home and Abroad, 1890-1900", In Give Me Liberty!: An American History, 3rd ed., Vol. Two, (New York, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012), 664.
[11]: “The Taft Commission”, Philippine History, accessed September 26, 2015, http://www.philippine-history.org/taft-commission.htm, paragraphs 1-3.
[12]: "The Philippine Organic Act of 1902 | GOVPH", Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines, accessed September 26, 2015, http://www.gov.ph/constitutions/the-philippine-organic-act-of-1902/.
[13]: "Jones Act", Encyclopædia Britannica Online, accessed September 26, 2015, http://www.britannica.com/event/Jones-Act-United-States-1916, paragraph 1.
[14]: "Tydings-McDuffie Act", Encyclopædia Britannica Online, accessed September 26, 2015, http://www.britannica.com/topic/Tydings-McDuffie-Act, paragraph 1-2.