Importance Of Independence In The Philippines

American History is a double edged sword. While there are many things we have done that have been amazing spectacles of independence and opportunity for even the poorest of people, there are also many parts that we cast a shameful light on our United States. While we may not be proud of those moments in history where we oppressed a certain group of people -our acceptance of slavery, our treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and our shunning and extradition of falsely accused people during one of the red scares- we must acknowledge these events in order to humble ourselves. One of these shameful points is our dealing with our former colony: the Philippines. While we may be on good terms with this country today, we must recognize that this has not always been the case. In truth, the Filipino people, throughout the early twentieth century, have faced many obstacles on their path to freedom from the United States, and have worked and suffered to achieve independence from the nation that often claims to represent liberty. As in most nations existing today, the Philippines faced hardships on their path to independence from a parent nation. For the Filipino …show more content…
Just by analyzing the conflict in the Philippines, one can conclude that our nation is not perfect. We claim to be the hub of independence, but our history with our territories proves that we have been as oppressive as the nation that we revolted against in the eighteenth century. While we may have been hypocritical to our message, it is also important to recognize that our history has been a process of failing and learning from our mistakes. If we ever desire to earn more respect from the rest of the people we share this planet with, it is vital that we refrain from taking these lessons lightly. If we choose not to do this and remain ignorant, we will never be able to truly appreciate this land of freedom we call