Two other elements when annexation was proposed. Indeed the Philippine insurrection against the U.S. was more costly in terms of money and American lives lost than had been the Spanish-American war. Nor was everyone in the U.S. in favor of Philippine annexation. Anti-imperialists claimed that the Philippines might involve us in a war in the Far East, and that forced annexation violated the traditional American belief in "government by the consent of the governed." American labor leaders joined in opposition to acquisition lest it lead to the introduction of cheap Philippine labor. American racism also rallied against acquiring…
unnecessary to have to own people in order to trade with them. Another reason not to have annexed the Philippines was our approach to do so. “No man…
Jesus Contreras 3/7/14 Period: 4 Should the United States have Annexed the Philippines? When America first acquired new Islands from Spain they weren't sure what to do with them. Cuba was granted semi-independence, but the Philippines was annexed because giving the Philipines back to Spain, or giving the Phillipines independence was out of the question. The annexation of the Philipines caused tenison in America being some 7,000 miles away. However, the United States should not have annexed the Philipines because Filipinos did not want to be governed by America, and back home Americans were just as unhappy with this.…
Philippines - During the Age of Imperialism, America seeked out to expand how much power and land they had, and the Philippines was an asset they did not want to go without. In December 1898, the island was the sold to the United States. Upon making plans of annexation, the Filipinos retaliated with war, leading to the The Philippine-American War. Over the course of the war over one eighth of the native population had died, and the country had become unable to continue fighting, allowing for the U.S. to finally control the island. It was then turned into a fueling station, as it had been intended when it was first…
At the time the decision to annex the Philippines was made, there were other countries waiting and ready to attack and takeover the control that Spain had lost to the Americans. American rule allowed human rights, freedoms and quality of life that would not have been possible had America walked away and allowed the fledgling country try and rule itself. Germany, England, Japan and even Spain would have jumped at the opportunity to take over control of the Philippines and its many resources. Many important and profitable trade routes utilized the Philippines as a gateway to trade their goods and wares. Although it was profitable for the Americans to control this area and have access to the trade routes and resources, they were helping prepare the Filipinos to one day self rule and govern themselves as a free and independent country. Definitely not an opportunity they would…
In 1898, the U.S. wanted to take over the Philippines, a Spanish colony. U.S. businesses saw the Philippines as a good source for raw materials as well as a key to new markets for imports and exports. The islands were in a good strategic position for access to the markets of China. McKinley concluded that the best choice was for the U.S. was to “take and educate the Filipinos, uplift, civilize, and Christianize them.” Even though the Philippines revolted against the U.S. rule with a three year…
Not many Americans are familiar with the history behind Hawaii becoming part of the United States. Most people know Hawaii for beautiful beaches, nice weather, and the native cultures. The annexation of Hawaii is an interesting story and was not an easy task to accomplish for the United States. The story of the annexation is a story of conflicting goals as the American businessman struggled to obtain favorable trade conditions and native Hawaiians sought to protect their culture and heritage.…
Another reason the United States should annex the Philippines is that with the Philippines the U.S. would have great natural benefits. Not only will there be many natural resources, but also the Philippines geographic location will benefit the U.S. in future warfare and trading. The Philippines would provide new markets and cheap labor, which would help the U.S.'s overall economy. But annexing won't just help the U.S. The people of the Philippines would also benefit. The U.S. would establish a democratic society. People would work for wages and the economy would rise. U.S. inventions would be introduced to improve living conditions, such as, plumbing, electricity, and better structured homes. Some of the people of the Philippines may think that this process would be taking advantage of them, but they don't realize that both countries would benefit with the annexation of the…
Annexation of the Philippines - Argument Against I reflect on our own Declaration of Independence that states "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." We went to the Philippines to protect them from Spain and now here we are doing what we were keeping Spain from doing to these people. I ask you...do we have their consent to annex them? Do they believe it is in their best interest to be annexed to our great country? And what measures are we taking to fund a continued military presence to care for these people? If the Filipinos are not in support of this annexation, they will most assuredly fight us that will result in unnecessary violence and bloodshed of both American soldiers and Filipinos, whether you think them civilized or uncivilized. This is hypocritical to what we ourselves claim in our ideals expressed in our Declaration of Independence...the right to self govern. With this move of annexation are we not acting on the grounds of Imperialism which goes against our belief as a Republic? Are we conquerors, or are we liberators? I believe we should allow Aguinaldo, who we brought there from exile, to set up their own government and create a strong partnership that is agreeable for both the Philippines and the United States with mutual prosperity. Let us be the inspiration and model of their new venture and not force it upon them. This move will be viewed by eyes of other countries; it will impact their perception of our United States and the freedoms our nation…
Another reason why the United States should take the Philippines is to teach them religion. The United States wants to bring Christianity into their lives. They also want to civilize the Filipinos so they will be cultured and educated. The Philippines is strategically located, providing easy access for the U.S. military and navy if they are needed anywhere in Asia. If the U.S. doesn't take the Philippine Islands, a country such as Germany will. This could…
If we didn’t grant the Philippines independence, it would be going against our own laws and would cause a rebellion. We helped them gain independence, and they rightfully earned it. We should have granted them independence for the most peaceful and democratic solution. Many Americans have given their lives to fight for freedom and independence. Should we let their sacrifices be in…
Around 1900, imperialism became the most talked about issue within the United States. After the Spanish-American war ended and the U.S. gained many Pacific islands as a result, most Americans became concerned over whether to annex the Philippines or not. The Americans who wanted to annex the Philippines believed that they were in there as legally as the citizens themselves. Taking them was not wrong at all, nor was it violating the Declaration Of Independence (Doc 6). Albert…
The theme explored in this section is America in the World. The annexation of the Philippines produced a far more controversial debate than the annexation of Puerto Rico, due to the fact that the Philippines was much farther from the U.S. than Puerto Rico, and seemed much more ominous to Americans. To take control of this territory seemed too aggressive, beyond the limits of what was acceptable for the U.S., for many Americans. President McKinley believed there were no alternatives to annexation, as he viewed Filipinos incapable of self-government. To return the territory to Spain, from his perspective, would be cowardly. The Treaty of Paris formally ended the war with Spain, that confirmed the armistice regarding Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam,…
America is a great security for them and have advanced them up to the standards of the rest of the world through the annexation. The Philippine islands have finally gotten what they have wanted for centuries, independence. The Filipinos have lost some roots, but now have the choice to act as they feel and to try and reconnect if they would desire. America brought to them many wonderful factors such as free public education, a sense of freedom in religion, especially for those non Roman Catholic, and a connection with a powerful country to protect them if need be. Smith’s theory applies fairly well for the situation even with such differences in the time of the events. In the end, the Philippines finally got what they wanted over the years, their full…
Philippines’ Untold Genocide During my elementary years when Philippine History was first introduced to us, it was only the Japanese and the Spaniards who were marked as the terrorists, sadists and brutal conquerors of our country. The Americans on the other hand were introduced to us as more of the saviors who helped our country from achieving freedom and democracy. Growing up, that was my belief or perhaps the beliefs of most Filipinos. But now, as I become more aware of the social happenings in our country and other countries as well, and as I have subjects who go deeper in Philippine History, I have realized that those things told by my past History teachers about the Americans were somehow a bit exaggerated, sugar coated and one sided. I remember learning that the Americans were very nice to us and that they never tortured or took advantage of us. But then again, that was the wrong mentality. In the video that I just saw regarding this reaction paper, they were no better than the Japanese and Spaniards who sadistically tortured and killed a lot of Filipinos, young and old, men and women.…