Reasons For The Annexation Of The Philippines

Improved Essays
Hannah Devine Pd
For nearly 333 years Spain controlled the Philippines as of her colonial Empire. The Pilipino people made multiple attempts to free themselves. They failed. In January 1889 the USS Maine was ordered to Cuba to protect US interests. On February 16th 1889, shortly after her arrival, the USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor killing over 250 men. The US was quick to blame Spain for the explosion. US citizens were whipped into an Anti-Spanish hysteria. Despite President McKinley’s desire to avoid war, the yellow press continued to feed American Citizens anti Spanish news. Though President
…show more content…
Lincoln stated that “No man is good enough to govern another man without their consent”. (Fordham, 1997) The US did not have the Philippines consent to govern them. “We had full knowledge that they were fighting for their freedom”.(Bryan, 1900) The US took over the Philippines without their consent, and even with the knowledge that they would fight for their freedom ,and desired independence and self-rule The US annexed the Philippines,
Annexing the Philippines was the best decision the US could have made. The annexation greatly influenced Politics and economics for both The United States and the Philippines, and expanded the geography of US territory. The annexation of the Philippines produced jobs and access to advanced medical care to the people of the Philippines, increased the United States trade, encouraged expansion of the navy, and provided protection for the Philippines and overseas US interests. Despite vigorous opposition to annexation that existed in the US, annexation was simply the best

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Equally important was the rationale of easier trade and business opportunities in Asia because of the annexation. Once again, it is unrighteous to own people in order to do business with them. All in all, the United States as a major power did not have the right to exploit the Philippines through the excuses of Christianity, business opportunities, and protecting takeover by other countries. The United States in fact used it for their own benefit, mostly to increase their naval…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    They decided to Annex the Philippines but it was not popular with some of the people and they were very unhappy about this decision. I believe the United States should have annexed the Philippines to have their own independence, have protection, and have an education. The Philippines should have annexed for various of reasons.…

    • 586 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the late 19th century and early 20th century, the United States went to great lengths to expand its influence overseas. Fueled by the belief in imperialism, America expanded its global powers to Central America to places such as Puerto Rico, Panama, and the Philippines. The issue of whether or not the U.S should annex the Philippines struck a controversy and led to varying opinions of U.S expansion among Americans. Different understandings of America's identity as "the land of the equal" as opposed to a superior power among other countries, defined America's contrasting views of U.S overseas expansion. Americans in desperate need to justify U.S overseas expansion turned to religion to support their claims that the U.S must annex the Philippines.…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Other countries like Germany were expanding their empire and expanding their armies. If the U.S. annexed the Philippines, we would have a great opportunity to gain some power and expand our country. To the annexation of the Philippines was a good idea due to the reasons of the new business markets, possible spots for bases and stations, and the power the U.S. could have gained from being apart of this…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Anglo-Saxonism DBQ

    • 888 Words
    • 4 Pages

    annexation of the Philippines when he says, “Undoubtedly under this second head of warlike preparation must come the maintenance of suitable naval stations, in those distant parts of the world to which the armed ship must follow the peaceful vessels of commerce”. (Doc H) this shows that Mahan believed that the U.S. should annex the Philippines in order to construct a naval base on the islands so that the trading ships can safely trade with the Asian market. He supports the argument that the U.S. annexation of the Philippines was the right thing to do, because Alfred, along with Teddy Roosevelt, and many others believed that in order to become a world power we needed to show our military might throughout the…

    • 888 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In 1898, the American Samoa was annexed also. The U.S. possessions were Puerto Rico, which they acquired in 1898 and Virgin Islands. The major United States commercial interests was fruit and sugar. United States also developed a strong naval base to assist them in battles. The Philippines were ceded by Spain after the Spanish American War in 1898.…

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Dbq Imperialism

    • 1520 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Guam went from Spanish to American rule and was utilized as a military base. The annexation of the Philippines caused major problems, however. The Filipinos had fought with the Americans against the Spanish, thinking that the Americans were there to liberate the Philippines in the same way they were liberating Cuba. When hoped for freedom failed to materialize and the Americans did not go home, the Filipinos felt betrayed. Emilio Aguinaldo led a revolt against the Americans.…

    • 1520 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Dbq Imperialism

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages

    William Mckinley said “that there was nothing left for us to do but take them all and educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and christianize them” (Document A 1899 Methodist delegation).There was no need to take control of the Philippines because they already had a government set in place. It would have been more appropriate to keep in close contact and monitor the Philippines until it was determined that they were capable of protecting themselves from foreign invaders. The U.S. forced the Philippines to fight back just as Great Britain had forced the U.S. to fight for their…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hawaii and the Philippines were considered new territory candidates, but the annexation of both failed. The Philippines, in particular, caused some controversy between the isolationists and expansionists of America. The Americans dominated the Philippines but the locals fought back and American command deteriorated. Imperialists of the time supported the decision to invade the Philippines because of the then popular viewpoint that America should civilize other countries that were viewed as primitive. It was not generally seen as an invasion in the negative sense but more as assistance to the undeveloped…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    American Imperialism Dbq

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The war with Spain increased American spirits of war and imperialism and in 1898 the U.S annexed Hawaii. Furthermore, the peace treaty that ended the war reflected American imperialistic attitudes. Through the Treaty of Paris in 1898 the U.S gained Puerto Rico, Guam, and got to keep the Philippines. The fact that the U.S sought to keep these territories under their possession but refuse to grant them constitutional rights (insular cases) went on to show that its intentions were not as noble as they seemed, but that imperialistic motives forced them to interfere for financial…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Emilio Aguinaldo assertion that the United States had “set up a double standard of government” meant to ridicule the US that upheld democracy in its land yet it was oppressing the Philippines. The revolt by the Philippines following the defeat of the Spaniards through the allied forces saw the US utilize ruthless tactics such as burning civilian villages, killing of prisoners as well as creation of concentration camps. The military occupation of the Philippines also denied them the chance to create their own democratic government that was the case in the US. Other than bringing liberation in the Philippines, Aguinaldo felt that the US goal was to create its own colony in Philippine to further her interests in the east.…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Sugar Crisis In Cuba

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages

    interest in purchasing Cuba had begun long before 1898. Following the Ten Years War, American sugar interests bought up large tracts of land in Cuba. Alterations in the U.S. sugar tariff favoring home-grown beet sugar helped foment the rekindling of revolutionary fervor in 1895. By that time the U.S. had spent more than fifty thousand dollars in Cuba and trade, mainly in sugar, was worth twice that much. War was becoming intense and had been growing in the United States, despite President Clevelands proclamation of nuterality on June 12, 1895.…

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    On December 10, 1898, representatives from both the United States and Spain signed a peace treaty. After this treaty was signed, Cuba gained its independence and Puerto Rico and Guam were handed over. Though, the United States had to pay $20 million to purchase the Philippines Islands from Spain. Spain would not have been able to be a part of the Spanish-American War if it were not for the guidance of their leader, Praxedes Mateo…

    • 1460 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Spain ceded Guam and Puerto Rico to the U.S., but it made them pay twenty-million dollars for the Philippines. America did not mind paying the money since their thoughts were that of gaining a closer step towards Asia. The location of the Philippines made it the perfect stepping stone towards more economic advances with Asia. Puerto Rico and Guam were made part of the United States as territories. The United States had come out of this war victorious and as a power player.…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As shown in Document F, it talks about how the conquest of the Philippines was only to expand the Eastern commerce and it was to develop the imperialized countries. The policy was appropriate for the U.S. because it let us achieve this, since the imperialism policy we were able to pull the Philippines out of an abusive relation with Spain and develop the Eastern commerce to improve the U.S. dominance and the Philippines connection to the world, and its economy. Document F states “interest of the highest and best kind, impose upon us the retention of the Philippines, the development of the islands, and the expansion of the Eastern commerce.” This document shows the indeed the imperialism was for the Eastern commerce and the development of both countries and it also improves that imperialism was an appropriate policy at the turn of the 20th…

    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays