According to President McKinley on American Empire document, the Philippines declared war on the American Empire in 1899 (Foner and Eric 67). Many Americans advocated for this war as a necessary effort to defeat a degenerate empire and protect American economic interests. The rapid retreat of Spanish authority in the Philippines forced President McKinley to confront the question of the future governance for the archipelago pacific.
According to Emilio Aguinaldo on American imperialism in the Philippines document, the 1899 war was a conflict between the Filipino revolutions and the American empire (Foner and Eric 69). The war broke because the Philippines were fighting for their independence and liberty. The Filipinos wanted the barbaric war to stop because they believed there are other ways of securing sovereignty. The United States were demanded to stop being a laughing stock to other civilized nations and set the Cuba free.
On the view of the American Imperialism, Emilio Aguinaldo wanted the United States to acquire the islands by advocating independence. He declared the islands free from the Spanish rule when the American Empire captured the archipelago pacific. On the other hand, President McKinley refused to honor the Aguinaldo declaration because he thought Filipinos required extensive training as the way of the democratic processes before becoming independent. McKinley and his advisors advocated for four options regarding the Philippines. They opted to return them to Spain, grant the country's independence, allow independence, but take them as the United States protectorate and finally acquire the Philippines as a colony. However, McKinley decided on fourth option, acquiring the Philippines. He managed to push for annexation and made deals with some senators to get the treaty passed. Although Emilio Aguinaldo failed to liberate the Philippines from the colonial rule, I agree with him because he advocated for the Filipino independence.
Work Cited
Foner, Eric, and Eric Foner. Voices of freedom: a documentary history. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2011. Print.
