Captivating History - The Philippine–American War: A Captivating Guide to the Philippine Insurrection That Started When the United States of America Claimed Possession of the Philippines after the Spanish–American War

The Philippine-American War of 1899 1902 was a dramatic, world-changing conflict that shaped the century to come and revealed the early stirrings of Americas drive for global power. The conflict and its aftershocks continue to influence the Philippines and the wider region to this day, leaving a legacy of governance, society, and economic organization. The Philippines today is an important American ally and a counterbalance to the growing Chinese power in South Asia, but the history between the United States and the Philippines has not always been as friendly as some may imaginein fact, American-Filipino history is soaked in blood and defined by brutal, devastating combat. The Philippine-American War is, perhaps, something that many Americans and Filipinos would like to forget about, particularly in light of Filipino-American cooperation against the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in the Second World War, but its vital to study and understand the Philippine-American War in order to see a clear picture of what led to the world we know today and comprehend the scale of imperialism and military conquest that has defined the past centuries.

The Philippines is a group of around 7,600 islands speaking 89 different dialects that sits more than 8,000 miles away from the continental United States. The islands span more than 1,200 miles from north to south. The population of the Philippines was estimated to be around 8 million in the late 1890s, while the United States population at that time was around 76 million. Running the Philippines from Washington, D.C., was a tall order indeed, and the decision to try to do so would erupt into a prolonged and bloody war.

In terms of the historical background, the Philippine-American War emerged out of the lessening strength of the Spanish Empire and the desire of the United States government and related economic interests to establish a strong foothold in Asia. Power players in the American government and business community were very interested in snatching up slices of Spains global empire before other countries could do so. Spain had successfully colonized many nations in South America and around the world but was widely viewed as incompetent and exploitative when it came to their administration of colonial Cuba and other nations.

In terms of the Asian sphere, Spain had ruled over the Philippines since the 1560s, profiting from its fertile soils and exploiting its native inhabitants ruthlessly. Native Filipinos Indios had staged ongoing attempts to be free of colonial rule and determine their own future for over 300 years. Insurrections in the Philippines started with Filipino Catholic priests who were tired of the Spanish church leadership telling them everything they had to do and say, and tensions were sparked particularly in 1872 with the execution of three Filipino rebel priests. Finallyand temporarilythey succeeded in 1898, one year after General Emilio Aguinaldo had become the leader of the rebelling Filipinos and six years after Aguinaldos fellow revolutionary, Andrs Bonifacio, had founded the revolutionary Katipunan society. Often referred to as the Father of the Philippine Revolution, Bonifacio was instrumental in the Filipino effort for independence from Spain prior to the Philippine-American War.

Map of the Philippines. Image Credit: Public Domain

After founding Katipunan and advocating armed revolution, Bonifacio and his compatriots expanded their reach from Manila to other regions, including Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, Pampanga, Batangas, and Nueva Ecija. Bonifacio became the Supreme President of the Katipunan society in 1895 and worked with local councils to coordinate resistance to the Spanish. They wrote newspapers and patriotic materials to rally the people, and the influence began spreading into Luzon and Panay. By 1896, the membership of Katipunan is estimated to have been around 40,000.

Aguinaldo was a member of the Katipunan society who was hesitant about the need to start armed resistance and wanted to get more firepower and outside backing first. General Antonio Luna, widely known as a brilliant military tactician who supported the cause, was brought on board to help out. By 1896, the Spanish were fully aware of how far things had gone, and they arrested hundreds of Katipunan members.

Bonifacio rallied the members in Caloocan, and the uprising began. By August 28, Bonifacio issued a proclamation that all fit men must join their army, saying, it is necessary for all towns to rise simultaneously and attack Manila. Sneakily, Bonifacio attacked the nearby town of San Juan del Monte instead, seizing gunpowder and supplies from the Spanish. By the fall of 1896, the revolution was focused in Cavite under General Emilio Aguinaldo, Bulacan under Mariano Llanera, and Morong under Bonifacio. Aguinaldo and his men took control of Cavite by October.