Existing comment:
Joining the Imperial Club:
The Filipino people had been fighting to rid themselves of the tyrannical Spanish government prior to 1898. When the Spanish-American War ended, the Filipinos expected the Americans to withdraw, leaving the islands independent. President William McKinley, however, decided to replace Spanish rule with that of the United States. The President's decision was strongly influenced by spokesmen of elite groups who favored navalism, colonies, expanded trade, an outlet for missionary activity, and, especially, for the United States to assume its "Manifest Destiny" by becoming a world power complete with overseas territories. After the war, the U.S. took control of Spain's colonial possessions, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines; as well as other Pacific Islands such as Hawaii.
Filipino and American forces first clashed in February 1899, sparking an ugly colonial war that lasted until 1902 in its main stage. Guerilla tactics subsequently introduced by the Filipinos foreshadowed later U.S. military activities in Asia. American troops did not finally subdue the fierce Moro tribesmen of the southern Philippines until 1915. Sometimes referred to as an insurrection, the Philippine War became America's first Asian conflict, with costs and casualties greatly exceeding those of the Spanish-American War. |