What caused the Philippine-American War?

Answer 1

The Philippine-American War, also known as the Philippine War of Independence or the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902), was an armed conflict between the United States and Filipino revolutionaries.

The conflict arose from the struggle of the First Philippine Republic to gain independence following annexation by the United States. The war was part of a series of conflicts in the Philippine struggle for independence, preceded by the Philippine Revolution and the Spanish-American War.

Fighting erupted between U.S. and Filipino revolutionary forces on February 4, 1899, and quickly escalated into the 1899 Battle of Manila. On June 2, 1899, the First Philippine Republic officially declared war against the United States. The war officially ended on July 4, 1902.[16] However, some groups led by veterans of the Katipunan society continued to battle the American forces. Among those leaders was General Macario Sacay, a veteran Katipunan member who assumed the presidency of the proclaimed Tagalog Republic, formed in 1902 after the capture of President Aguinaldo. Other groups, including the Moro people and Pulahanes, continued hostilities until their defeat at the Battle of Bud Bagsak on June 15, 1913.

Opposition to the war inspired the founding of the Anti-Imperialist League in the US on June 15, 1898. The war and occupation by the United States changed the cultural landscape of the islands, as the people dealt with an estimated 34,000-1,000,000 casualties, disestablishment of the Catholic Church as the Philippine state religion (the United States allowed freedom of religion), and the introduction of the English language as the primary language of government and most businesses. In 1916, the United States promised some self-government, a limited form of which came in 1935. In 1946, following World War II, the United States gave the territory independence through the Treaty of Manila.

Answer 2

The Philippines was in revolt against Spanish rule before the Spanish-American War. As part of the peace treaty ending that war, Spain sold the Philippines to the U.S. When the Filipinos saw that the U.S. was trying to occupy the Philippines they fought back. That was the Philippine-American War, which is called by the Americans the Philippine Insurrection.

Summary of how the war began below: Skip to the last paragraph if you want an extremely quick answer but read the whole entire thing if you want an in depth answer.Philippine rebel forces lead by Emilio Aguinaldo were fighting against Spain before U.S. forces fought against Spain. The Filipino rebels were fighting for independence. The U.S. military joined forces with Filipino rebels but were fighting for different reason. While the American ship the "Maine" was docked in Cuba it exploded. No one is really sure how it happened but some people including U.S. journalists, William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer suspected it was the Spanish. Their newspapers conjured up stories of the explosion saying that Spanish forces attached a mine to the ship and detonated it when they were far away enough from the ship. However, they did not have any conclusive evidence. The explosion of the Maine was decisive in starting the Spanish American War.The U.S. then declared war on Spain beginning the Spanish-American war. U.S. forces were then sent to the Philippines to fight Spanish forces at the battle of Manila Bay. Later Manila, the capitol of the Philippines was captured by U.S. forces and the Filipino rebel forces. With Spanish forces gone in the Philippines, Emilio Aguinaldo declared the country independent.This independence was declared on June 12, 1898. When the treaty of Paris was signed on October 1, 1898, Spain ceded the Philippines, Guam, and Cuba to the U.S.; Cuba however was granted its independence. The president of the U.S., President McKinley sent more troops to the Philippines and issued his Benevolence proclamation; it basically says that the U.S. has "come not as invaders..but as friends, to protect the natives in their homes, in their employment, and in their personal and religious rights". Emilio Aguinaldo, now the President of the Philippines warned that the Philippine government would be prepared to fight any American attempt to forcibly take over the country. But Aguinaldo did not want to get into another war. He hoped that this situation could be saved through negotiations.

The Philippine government negotiated with General Elwell Otis between January 9 and January 29, 1899. Otis was however just waiting for the six regiments of the U.S. army to arrive so that he could fulfill President McKinley's order to occupy the rest of the Philippines. Relations continued to deteriorate and on Feb. 4, 1899 a U.S. private named William W. Grayson shot a Filipino soldier while he was out on patrol. The Filipino soldier died and Filipino soldiers retaliated which prompted U.S. forces to fire back. Emilio Aguinaldo said that the retaliation was against his order and tried to propose a peace talk. His offer was however rejected by Gen. Otis. Otis told him that "fighting having begun must go on to a grim end". The Philippines declared war on the U.S. on June 2, 1899; beginning the Philippine-American War.

Answer 3

Mutual distrust and a Filipino desire for independence that the United States was not willing to grant.

The Spanish Army wanted to surrender Manila.

The Filipinos were a revolutionary group but not recognized as a government.

Spain's Government in the Philippines would only surrender to a recognized government and that meant the US.

Rebel entrance to Manila was forbidden.

The Rebels wanted the victory and opened fire under the orders of Emilio Aguinaldo.

Americans were killed and a new chapter of warfare lasting at least 20 years began which claimed at least a million lives.

Answer 4

US support for a Philippine Constitution and representative government were opposed by the hand chosen leader Emilio Aguinaldo who declared himself the President and Independence of the Philippines. He was premature in his actions and there were many issues to settle first.