The US and the Philippines (Part II)

The islands of the Philippines were under the colonial rule of Spain for over 300 years. During the three centuries, Spain barred most trade with foreign powers, taking advantage of the natural resources the islands had to offer. But with the Spanish government’s grip on her territories around the world beginning to fade during the 1800s, their tight control on trade began to weaken. In 1834, the Spanish government opened the Philippines to free trade.

The United States established a strong economic interest in the Philippines. By the 1870s, the United States realized over $50 Million in annual imports and exports. The primary imports were hemp, sugar, and tobacco, with later products being rope and cigars. But as tensions grew between Spain and the United States, trade from the Philippines was threatened.

The talk of revolution was heard throughout the Philippines, as some of the citizens were growing tired of Spanish rule. War broke out between the revolutionaries and the Spanish army in 1896. For two years, war broke waged on, with the revolutionary forces naming Emilio Aguinaldo as the President of the new Philippine Republic. Aguinaldo and the Filipino revolutionaries battled with the Spanish standing army, with both sides experiencing numerous losses. In December of 1897, Aguinaldo and the Spanish government agreed to end hostilities, with the Spanish government paying Aguinaldo $800 Million and requiring him to go into exile with his government.

While the Spanish Governor was busy fending off the Filipino revolutionaries, the Spain was having problems in another territory – Cuba. Cuba rebels were battling for independence in 1895, with the United States watching the situation from 90 miles away. The American public was calling for intervention by the U.S. government, especially following the sinking of the cruiser USS Maine. On April 20, 1898, President McKinley signed a joint resolution from Congress supporting Cuban independence. Spain responded by breaking all diplomatic relations with the United States and declared war.

Spanish-American War

During the lead-up to the resolution, Commodore George Dewey was notified of the potential for war with Spain, and that he had to prepare to battle the Spanish fleet stationed in the Philippines. When war was declared, Dewey’s Asiatic Squadron sailed from Hong Kong’s Mirs Bay and entered Manila Bay on April 30th. The battle lasted just over six hours, with the US Fleet sinking seven of the Spanish vessels while Dewey’s vessels received minor damage. With no possibly victory in site and being outside of the protective firing range of the shore batteries, Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasaron surrendered the bay to Dewey.

The United States welcomed the return of Aguinaldo on May 19th, hoping that his presence and leadership would help cement an alliance between the Filipino rebels and the US Army against the remaining Spanish forces. A series of battles across the islands by the combined forces pushed Spanish control back to just a few key cities. With the successes against the Spain, Aguinaldo declared June 12th as Filipino Independence Day, though neither the United States nor Spain recognized the declaration.

Two months later, the Spanish and American governments entered into the Peace Protocols on August 12th, bringing to an end the four months of fighting around the globe. Due to the delay in communicating with the armed forces in the Philippines, however, the war continued for one more day. Governor-general Fermin Jaudenes y Alvarex secretly negotiated with Dewey and others on a ploy to stage a mock battle for the city of Manila, allowing the Spanish troops to turn over the control of the last remaining stronghold while preserving some dignity of the Governor and his troops. On August 13th, US forces fired towards the city with the Spanish troops putting up little resistance. However, the Filipino troops under Aguinaldo were not informed of the agreement and were denied a role in the battle and the capturing of the city.

In September of 1898, the two warring nations selected their representatives to negotiate a formal peace treaty. During the process, three Articles were considered during negotiations: the independence of Cuba, the cession of Puerto Rico, Guam, and other island territories to the United States, and the future disposition of the Philippines. At first, negotiations on the topic of the Philippines focused the US occupation of Manila, but that changed on October 25th. President McKinley notified the US peace delegation of a change of intent, calling for the cession of the Philippines to the US as well.

This new demand led to a deadlock in the negotiation process. Spain had no intention to hand over that much territory, especially one rich with natural resources as the island nation. But in November, the impasse was resolved when Spain accepted a counteroffer from the United States that contained a $20 Million payment in exchange for all the territories in question. On December 10th, the United States and Spain sign the Treaty of Paris 1898, concluding the Spanish-American War.