Bradford Jones
Professor Cowan
11/8/14
1302 American History Philippines One of the most controversial events in the United States history is the occupation of the philippines following the Spanish American War and the events surrounding it. This event did not just affect the United States history but also the way other countries viewed us and even the way Americans viewed the United States. Debates are still very prevalent and each side have year strong arguments with many supporting details. With both having valid arguments it seems that there is no one definite answer for such a complex topic.
President Mckinley issued the Benevolent Assimilation Proclamation in 1898. This proclamation gave the United States acquisitions of the Philippines, which means that the United
States is not involving themselves with the Philippines just to benefit themselves, but also
Philippine people and communities. This proclamation initiated a counter proclamation structured by Aguinaldo, telling the United States government that his country would not just sit and watch them take control of their country. The Philippines would do anything necessary to establish a dominance. When saying this Aguinaldo did not want to initiate a war, but a war is what he got shortly after making that proclamation.

Hearing that the United States were about to go to war with the Philippines made a good amount of Americans uneasy and worried. It was not just your regular citizens that did not like the idea of going to war with the Philippines but also some very famous and notable figures, such as Mark Twain, William Bryan, and Andrew Carnegie. With their knowledge and common interest they were able to create the Anti­Imperialist league. The result in this was instead of getting rid of the Spanish colonial power completely it was replaced as our own colonial power. There is a great amount of subjects that can be debated about this topic