The decision of annexation of Philippines by the US government was not made without considerable domestic controversy. The decision makers attested significant advantages before actually taking over the Philippines. Some of the most motivational reasons included: commercial trade with Asia (particularly China), incapability of the Filipinos to have a selfgovernment, the urge fueled by the US to expand its territories, and fear that some other major power (Germany or Britain) might take over Philippines. However, the biggest conflict was not only that Philippines was approximately 8000 miles away, but also the fact that it consisted of a completely different race, culture, language, and history. It was clearly a nation of it’s own. The annexation of Philippines might have been detrimental for the US, it also raised inevitable conflicts between the two races.
In the late 1800s, after the American Spanish war, US was at a stage where they could either “decide to shrink like cowards from the contest, or enter into it and be seemed brave and highspirited people and crown their banners” (Doc 1. Roosevelt. para.3).
United States was clearly in pursuit of becoming an empire and expanding it’s territories since annexing islands could bring major benefits to the economy of the trade businesses is the US. The Philippines had a population of about 7 million people, which was a reasonable sized new market for American manufactured goods. Therefore, expansion was one of the major reasons why the US decided to annex the Philippines.
The Research paper on The urgent need of Reformation of the Philippine Political Party System from Multi- Part to Two- Party
... in Order: We Must Level the Playing Field. Metro Manila, Philippines: Foundation for Economic Freedom Bernas, Joaquin. 2007. The Philippine ... The Partido Nacionalista and Partido Progresista were the two major competing parties from 19907 until the early 1930’s. Later, ... 1975) The two – party system is composed of two major parties seeking government power. Examples of countries using this kind ...
On the other hand, the Philippines was undergoing major settlement crises. They did not have a stable government or any strong rules to run a nation. “Their population included halfcaste and native Christians, warlike Moslems, and wild Pagans” (Doc 2. McKinley. para.2).
This clearly portrays an image of a nation with diverse cultures and a collage of weak ethnic groups. The US officials wanted to bring Filipinos to Christianity and wanted them to civilize themselves. Philippines was also “unfit for selfgovernment” (Mckinley para.2) since it was an impoverished, divided country that did not even have a common language, modern farming techniques, or a government to handle these issues. The US wanted to set up a government in Philippines with the promise that the US would grant them independence as soon as they were fit for selfgovernment. Not only that, but the US also made sure Filipinos got the education they deserved, got more employment opportunities, and also dramatically expanded their trade business.
