Reflection No.

: 11

Name: Ivy B. Gungob Subject, Section and Time: HIST10, 1D, (10:30-12pm)
Topic Discussed/Read: Commonwealth Act No. 44 – Philippine History Source
Mode of Reflection Adopted (Shade any or all)
◉ Mirroring O Micro scoping O Telescoping

INTRODUCTION (This part answers the preliminary questions in the reflection mode you have chosen)

The United States formally declared war on Spain on April 25, 1898, following the sinking of the
Battleship Maine in the port of Havana on February 15, 1898. On December 10, 1898, the Treaty
of Paris, which put an end to the war, was approved. The final few foreign territories that made
up Spain's empire, such as Cuba, the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico, were subsequently lost
to other nations. Beginning in 1492, Spain was the first nation in Europe to traverse the Atlantic
Ocean to the west, discover, and colonize the Amerindian peoples of the Western Hemisphere.
The empire established as a result of the accomplishment of this expedition at its height extended
from Virginia along the whole eastern coast of the United States south to Tierra del Fuego,
excluding Brazil, at the southernmost tip of South America, and west to California and Alaska.
Included are the Philippines and other Pacific island nations. By 1825, a sizable portion of this
empire had been transferred, and Spain had recognized the independence of its colonies on the
southernmost part of South America as well as in the modern-day United States, which was then
ruled by Mexico. Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines Islands across the Pacific, the Carolina,
Marshall, and Mariana Islands (including Guam) in Micronesia, and none of the other territories
of the empire in the Western Hemisphere.
BODY OF THE REFLECTION (This part is an in-depth discussion of your personal reflection which
may consist of several paragraphs)

The Spanish-American War was sparked by a rebellion against Spanish rule that began in Cuba
in 1895. The savage reporting in American periodicals that Spain employed to shut down
guerrilla activity, such as imprisoning the citizens of impoverished garrison towns in rural Cuba,
inflamed popular resentment. In response to the violence in Havana, US officials issued an order
for the battleship USS Maine to be stationed in the port city to protect American residents. 260 of
the 400 American crew members on board the Maine perished when it drowned in the harbor of
Havana on February 15. Despite the lack of compelling evidence and without specifically
blaming Spain, the Naval Court of Inquiry, a U.S. commission, concluded in March that the ship
was blown up by a mine. The idea that Spain was to blame was met with significant suspicion,
but the majority of Congress and the American people supported initiating a war. By passing
Joint congressional resolutions that demanded Spain evacuate Cuba and authorized William
McKinley to use force, the US Congress started preparing for war in April. P. McKinley made a
call for 125,000 extra men to join the fight against Spain on April 23. The following day, April
24, Spain declared war on both England and the United States. The Spanish Pacific Fleet,
commanded by George Dewey's Asiatic Squadron, was sunk by the Americans during the
opening exchange of fire of the Spanish-American War, which took place on May 1 in and
around Manila Bay. After sailing across the Atlantic, the Spanish fleet reached Santiago, Cuba,
on the other side of the globe. Dewey's resounding victory paved the door for American capture
of Manila in August, which led to the transfer of Philippine sovereignty from Spanish to
American authority. However, a far more formidable U.S. naval force soon arrived, and in June
the harbor's entrance was sealed off. In order to march to Santiago and execute a planned land
and sea assault on the Fortress of Spain, the Army Fifth Corps arrived in Cuba. The First U.S.
Volunteer Cavalry, sometimes referred to as the "Rough Riders," was a regiment that
participated in the American land forces and was composed of western cowboys and eastern
blue-blood leaders. Theodore Roosevelt. The Americans began the siege of Santiago the
following day after winning the Battle of San Juan Hill on July 1. On July 3, the American ships
under the command of Admiral William Sampson decimated the Spanish navy outside of
Santiago. On July 17, the Spanish gave over control of Santiago and, as a result, of Cuba to the
Americans. With the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which declared the fighting to be finished, on
December 10, the Spanish-American War came to a conclusion. Spanish troops also submitted in
Puerto Rico in reaction to the stronger US forces, and on August 12 an armistice was arranged
between Spain and the US, concluding the brief and unequal combat. When the United States
bought the majority of Spain's overseas interests, its once-proud empire was on the verge of
disintegrating. In exchange for the Philippines, which cost the US $20 million, Washington gave
up Puerto Rico and Guam and annexed Cuba as a protectorate.
The Filipino rebels who had fought against Spanish control during the war immediately started
fire with their guns as soon as US forces arrived to take the Philippines. Defending the
Philippines claimed the lives of ten times more US soldiers than battling Spain. Because of this,
on December 10, 1898, representatives of Spain and the United States signed a peace treaty in
Paris that acknowledged Cuba's independence, gave the latter control over Puerto Rico and
Guam, and specified the conditions under which the winner would pay Spain $20 million in
order to acquire the Philippines Islands. 3,000 people had died, 90% of them from deadly
diseases, in addition to the $250 million that had been wasted in the battle. It was determined that
up to five commissioners would be chosen by each of the United States and Spain to negotiate a
peace treaty. By no later than October 1, 1898, the commissioners chosen at the time were to
convene in Paris and begin the process of negotiating and signing a treaty of peace. The treaty
would next need to be ratified in conformity with the unique constitutional systems of the two
nations.

CONCLUSION (This part is concluding your reflections, stating your insights, enduring understanding of
the topic being discussed/read)

To carry out this clause, I have appointed you as commissioners on behalf of the United States
to meet and confer with commissioners on behalf of Spain. The US will only agree to the
cession of all rights and sovereignty over the island of Luzon, to put it another way. It would be
preferable if the United States were to obtain the right of entry for ships and goods owned by
American citizens into Philippine ports that have not yet been ceded to it on terms that are
advantageous to Spanish ships and goods, both in terms of port and customs fees and rates of
trade and commerce, as well as other rights of protection and trade accorded to nationals of
one nation who are on the soil of another. You must guarantee Spain will have equal access to
its people and ships at the ports of any territory in the Philippines that is transferred to the
United States in order to get such a concession.