It makes sense that it is of high value because its location makes it strategically important and the resources found there are abundant, thus, many powerful nations would want to take control of it. Tope and Nonah-Mercado both write that the Manila galleon trade brought far-eastern goods like silk, porcelain, spices and pearls to the west (7). The abundance of resources that the Philippines was able to provide for the far west was awe-inspiring. Also, those abundance of resources was a solid reason that a nation on the other side of the ocean, like the United States, would want to colonize it and utilize the resources that are found there.
Another not so positive colonization was when “Japanese forces attacked the Philippines in December 1941. By May 1942, they had occupied the entire archipelago” (“Philippines, Republic of the” 1). The strategic location of the islands put them at high risk during World War Two. Consequently, the Japanese attacked and were successful in their brutal conquest of the whole archipelago.This also shows the incapability of the U.S forces to protect the Philippines from foreign invasion despite their deep wanting of the …show more content…
Likewise, the acquisition of the Philippines by the United States was “$20 million for possession of the Philippines” (“Asia, Foreign Relations With” 1). The purchase of the Philippines from Spain was highly controversial. Obviously, the Filipino people were highly against it because they wanted independence from Spain. On the other hand, the United States was all for it because of their goal of a Pacific empire had been achieved. Tope and Nonan-Mercado even say that the Philippines sided with the U.S in hopes of gaining independence. But after losing the war, Spain ceded the Philippines to the U.S for $20 million (23). What angered the Filipino people here is that they were not part of the negotiation. They were cut out of the deal even though the whole deal was about them. They were being sold like property. That seems to be one of the main causes of the Philippine-American War. The final event that led up to the Philippine-American War, which was a large encounter of ideas on how to fight wars, was “when U.S troops fired upon Philippine troops in February 1899, the Philippine-American War erupted” (“Colonial Rule in the Philippines” 2). That was the last straw that assumed to war. The Philippine-American War had