Philippine-American War (1899-1902) was a struggle for control over the islands of the Philippines. The conflict grew out of the Spanish-American War of 1898. After that war, the United States annexed (claimed) the Philippines, a former Spanish colony. Fighting then broke out in the islands. Many people opposed the Philippine-American War because they saw it as an example of American imperialism. Imperialism is the act of forcefully controlling another country or territory.
Background.
The Spanish-American War began on April 25, 1898. The key battles of that war took place in the Philippines and around Cuba. At that time, the Philippines was a Spanish colony. On May 1, the American Navy defeated the Spanish Navy at Manila Bay, in the Philippines. American troops then occupied Manila, the Philippine capital.
On Dec. 10, 1898, the United States and Spain signed the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the Spanish-American War. Under the treaty, Spain agreed to sell the Philippines to the United States for $20 million. The deal was controversial, and an anti-imperialist movement grew to oppose it. Prominent Americans, such as the author Mark Twain and the industrialist Andrew Carnegie, challenged the agreement.
The Philippine-American War begins.
For a short time, American troops in Manila reached an uneasy peace with nearby Philippine forces under the command of the military leader Emilio Aguinaldo. The peace collapsed in February 1899, and fighting began. Over the next few months, the U.S. Army pushed the Philippine Army away from Manila.
By the end of 1899, the U.S. Army appeared to have destroyed the Philippine Army as an effective fighting force. Aguinaldo then ordered his troops to engage in guerrilla warfare—that is, sudden attacks by roving bands of fighters. American troops confined Philippine citizens in concentration camps to keep them from supporting the guerrillas. American forces also destroyed crops. This period of the war was marked by brutal violence on both sides.
In November 1900, U.S. President William McKinley defeated the anti-imperialist Democratic Party candidate, William Jennings Bryan, to win a second term. In March 1901, U.S. forces captured Aguinaldo. The election of McKinley and the loss of Aguinaldo and other guerrilla leaders weakened Philippine resolve to keep fighting.
In July 1901, President McKinley appointed William Howard Taft as civil governor of the Philippines. Taft took over executive authority in the islands from a military commander. McKinley was assassinated in September 1901, and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt became president. On July 4, 1902, Roosevelt declared the Philippine-American War to be over. Still, occasional fighting continued for several years.
Results of the war.
About 126,000 Americans fought in the Philippine-American War, and more than 4,000 died. Most of the deaths resulted from disease. An estimated 20,000 Philippine soldiers died. Hundreds of thousands of Philippine civilians died of disease, malnutrition, and other conditions brought about by the war.
American influence remained in the Philippines for many years. In 1935, the Philippines became an American commonwealth with its own elected government and constitution. The United States retained authority in such areas as foreign affairs and defense. The United States granted the Philippines complete independence in 1946.
See also Aguinaldo, Emilio; Philippines, History of the; Spanish-American War.
