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The Treaty of Paris ended the Spanish-American War, and forced Spain to cede the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the United States.1 In return, the United States paid Spain $20 million for the Philippines. President William McKinley was then faced with the decision of what to do with the Philippines. Possibilities included to give the islands back to Spain, or to cede the Philippines to another colonial power, or to give the Philippines their independence.
All of these ideas were discredited, especially the last because the Americans believed that the Philippines weren’t capable of running a country on itself. If the United States didn’t retain power over the country, then some other colonial power like Japan or Germany could. Americans viewed Filipinos as “childlike and incapable of self-government.” They believed that they were tutors to help them mature and it was “American’s duty to 'civilize' the Filipinos," and this led them to their belief in the "White Man’s Burden." Anders Stephanson stated "nothing could be more negligent than leaving them in anarchy."2 Independence would only be granted if they evolved and matured enough to the point where they were capable of self government.
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For Further Reading:
For Further Reading:
1 Dumindin, Arnaldo. "Dec. 10, 1898: Treaty of Paris." Philippine American War, 1899-1902. Web. 04 June 2010. <http://philippineamericanwar.webs.com/treatyofparis.htm>.
2 Tyner, James A. "The Geopolitics of Eugenics and the Exclusion of Philippine Immigrants from the United States." Geographical Review 89.1 (1999): 54-73. Print.
In 1898, in an effort to free Cuba from the oppression of its Spanish colonizers, America captured the Philippines. This brought about questions of what America should do with the Philippines. Soon, controversy ensued both in the American political arena as well as among its citizens. Throughout its history, America had always been expansionary, but it had always limited itself to the North American continent. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, however, there emerged a drive to expand outside of the continent. When America expanded to the Philippines, the policy it followed was a stark break from past forms of expansionism. Despite much controversy, America followed the example of the imperialistic nations in Europe and sought to conquer the Philippines as an imperialist colony that they would rule either directly or indirectly.
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