Matrix of Philippines Presidents

Taft recommended that there be a civil government created within the Philippines, comprised of an elected legislative assembly. Under his administration, Taft was able to negotiate with congress to pass a bill that included a governor, an independent judiciary, and the legislative assembly.

Change in American government was imperative in expanding the nation. It is ludicrous to believe that as other nations were growing, America would just sit back and watch. Governmental involvement made "the Philippines ours forever" (Document 1). The United States' plan was to take the Philippines, educate, uplift, and civilize them (Document 2). Such a "noble deed" seemed to benefit both the filipinos and americans. During this time, as mentioned in document eight, "we had duties to others and duties to ourselves". Government's changing role made these relationships available to the

As stated in document C President McKinley wanted to keep the Philippines, because we as a country made a promise to God to help the Philippines and by annexing them we helped keep that promise by protecting them whether it be with our military or help with money. Our country can not say “no” to God. The Philippines as a whole country wouldn't be capable of protecting their country and they were

Upon McKinley’s assassination, a (relatively) young Theodore Roosevelt found himself in the position of President of the United States. A man of action – perhaps unnecessary action- Roosevelt was unafraid of the political consequences of his bold and often unilateral decision making, both domestically and abroad. U.S. governance in the Philippines had already

would consent to be the civil governor of the Philippines. He took the position organizing civil

The Treaty of Paris of 1898 resulted in the American acquisition of “Porto Rico and other islands now under Spanish sovereignty in the West Indies, and the island of Guam in the Marianas or Ladrones” and “the archipelago known as the Philippine Islands.” Two days prior to the signing of the Treaty, a Filipino revolt erupted; once again drawing the United States into war. The American Anti-Imperialist League chided the Imperialists’ for “the destruction of self-government in the Philippines by American hands.” The Founders built this nation on the belief that government was based on the consent of the governed, and the right to self-government was essential. The actions taken by America clearly violated these core foundational

was generous to annex the Philippines because the U.S. lead the Philippines to a self-government. “It takes a few weeks of work like this to make one proud that he is an American”(Doc H). This document tells the story of the Philippine- American War coming to the end with America’s victory. Letter written by William Connor shows how the United States military won the war that lead the US to guiding the Philippines to a stronger government. “it cannot rule over vassal states or subjects peoples without bringing in the elements of death into its own constitution…”(Doc I). Document I explains that annexing the Philippines is unconstitutional, but this is not correct because the Philippines was bought by the U.S. and they were owned by U.S. “We could not leave them to themselves- they were unfit for self government- and they soon would have anarchy and misrule over there worse than Spain’s was”(Doc C). The United States saw the Philippine as unfitted for self- government and the Philippines needed the United States to be a parent government, and guide them to a more fit

“Germany, England, and Japan were all hungering for this newly freed land” (Beveridge 149). Albert J. Beveridge wrote an speech about why we should govern and annex the Philippines. “Beveridge also said, “Shall we turn these peoples back to the reeking hands from which we have taken them?” He included the reasons that we govern millions of people without their consent, so there is no reason to change that for the Philippines. It is good that we don’t turn the Philippines over to self-government, because the only people that should be self-governed are those that are capable of self-government. The Philippines were not capable of this freedom. We have already saved them from the cruel and bloody rule of Spain, so we should stay with them and give them hope for a better life. Beveridge also points out how he believes that it is divine guidance that we annex the Philippines (Doc B, Question 4). The main reason the Philippines should be annexed by the United States is that if they didn’t, other countries would take control and they were not capable of self-government.

The Filipino people had helped the US fight the Spanish-American War in hope to gain independence in return. However, instead of gaining independence the Philippines was annexed to the United States on December 10, 1898. When the Filipino’s had found they were going to be ruled over once again they were very unhappy, after all they had helped the US. When Aguinaldo had found out that the Philippines were going to be controlled by the US, he had declared war on the United States.

The acquisition of Philippines by the United States is the topic that is going to be focused upon throughout this paper. The historical context of this topic deserves to analyzed with reference to both the primary and secondary readings assigned. The highlighted issue takes place after the treaty of Paris was signed between the United States and Spain which liberated Spain’s remaining colonies. Towards the end of the 19th century, Americans were influenced by the ideology of imperialism. They believed that advanced industrialized nations like the United States, Great Britain and France needed to acquire colonies in order to provide raw materials to feed their industrial economies. Extensive markets were wanted in order to sell finished products to those colonial masses.

The bald red, white, and blue eagle of American Democracy is coming for you Phillipines, run while you can! Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, was so infatuated with the idea of democracy, and he wanted every country to have a little taste of American freedom! After America's victory in the Spanish American War, George Dewey and his 11,000 American troops marched into manila and were unsure whether to liberate or occupy the filipino people. Thinking the they were here to help, the Filipino rebels trusted the Americans, but were soon betrayed as Dewey decided to occupy the land. The United States had three choices to determine what they wanted to do with the Philippines: Give it back to Spain, Give the filipino people their freedom, or to annex the whole country itself. With much debate ranging from artists, influential citizens, and government officials, the US ultimately decided it would annex! The United States should not have annexed the Philippines but rather should have given them their independence. While others may think the annexation of the Philippines would have benefited them, what the Philippines really needed was

After the war ended in 1902, United States was on a mission to repair the damages that the Philippines had endured; they wanted to win back the trust of its people. President McKinley created laws that gave the Philippines some of the same provisions as America regarding government structure. According to Sonia M. Zaide, an expert Filipino historian, the Philippines was on its way to rebuilding itself:

Looking back to the previous government systems in different periods in Philippine history, we can see that our present government system is somehow shaped and patterned from the previous systems that prevailed in our country. Pre – historically we have seen how they established their government and basically, we can say that it is far more primitive than the present system that we have. However, the basic principles like the consultation of the datus to the elders can somehow be seen in the present by the presence of political advisers where our president consults aside from the members of the senate and the congress. The barangay system

In modern times, the Philippines has been a central ally in the United States’ Asian and Pacific policies. The government structure is similar to that of the United States, including a legislative, judicial, executive branch that independent in their roles. Since becoming a nation independent from the United States, the Philippines has seen its share of success and failure. In the past three years the government has dealt with natural disasters, terrorism, and Chinese aggression. While the Philippine and United States governments have generally been cordial and cooperative, the Philippine president is currently weighing the decision to cut ties with the United States and align his country with China.

“Rizal had a burning desire to know exactly the conditions of the Philippines when the Spaniards came ashore to the islands. His theory was the country was economically self-sufficient and prosperous.  Rizal entertained the idea that it had a lively and vigorous community enriched with the collective and sensitive art and culture of the native population. He