The American Era and Independence (2)

At the same time that the Philippines were

fighting for independence, Cuba, also a
colony of Spain, was trying to liberate itself
from Spanish rule. Cuba, however, had the
backing of the United States. When the
American battleship, USS Maine, sank in the
Havana harbor, war between the United
States and Spain became imminent.

On April 25, 1898, the United States

declared war on Spain and the commander
of the U.S. Asiatic Squadron, Commodore
George Dewey was sent to engage the
Spanish navy in the Philippines. Dewey attacked the Spanish fleet on the
morning of May 1, 1898 from his ship USS Olympia. The battle lasted only a
few hours resulting in the complete destruction of the Spanish fleet at Manila
Bay. The American fleet suffered only minor damage.

The Spanish-American war officially ended with the Treaty of Paris on

December 10, 1898. However, the American government was only interested
in Cuba's independence, not that of the Philippines. By the Treaty, Cuba
gained its independence and Spain ceded the Philippines, Guam and Puerto
Rico to the United States for the sum of US$20 million. Given its own history
of colonial revolution, American opinion was uncomfortable and divided on the
moral principle of owning colonial dependencies. Having acquired the
Philippines almost by accident, the United States was not sure what to do with
them. On January 20, 1899, President McKinley appointed the First Philippine
Commission (Schurman Commission) to make recommendations.

The Treaty of Paris and subsequent actions by the United States were not
well received by the Filipinos - who were not even consulted. The Philippine
War of Independence began on February 4, 1899 and continued for two
years. The United States needed 126,000 soldiers to subdue the Philippines.
The war took the lives of 4,234 Americans and 16,000 Filipinos. The
Commonwealth of the Philippines was established by the United States
government in 1935 with a view to granting Filipino independence within 10
years.

However, on December 8, 1941 ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor,
the Japanese military invaded the Philippines. United States forces under the
command of General Douglas MacArthur withdrew to Java on December 12,
1941. MacArthur promised: "I shall return". General MacArthur kept his
promise and returned with a massive amphibious force on the island of Leyte
in October of 1944. Over the next four months, U.S. forces, with the help of
Filipino guerrillas routed the Japanese army.

After the war, the United Stated restored the pre-war Commonwealth
government. By 1946 the Philippines had transformed from a Commonwealth
to an independent republic.