Philippine and United States Foreign Policy

Aguinaldo was a revolutionary who, erst war was declared in the midst of the U.S. and Spain, would be a partner, if not an ally, of the United States. He was urged to return to the islands at once, which he did, presume control of the revolutionary militarys. Under his control, these forces quickly demoralized the Spanish garrisons around the capital and established links with other movements throughout the islands. Bunge (1983) notes: "In the eyes of Filipinos, their relationship with the United States was that of two nations conjugated in a common struggle against Spain" (22). Aguinaldo commanded 12,000 troops which were suitable to keep a slightly larger Spanish force bottled up inside Manila until American reinforcements should arrive. At the clock, though Aguinaldo was displeased that the United States would not commit on radical an assertion of support for Philippine independence. In fact, the Navy section had ordered Admiral Dewey to distance himself from Aguinaldo and not to bring forth whatever untoward commitments. The war with Spain continued, and the future of the Philippines remained uncertain. The immediate objective was the enamour of Manila, and it was thought best to accomplish this without the help of the insurgents. Soon thither were some 12,000 American troops in the region, and relations between these forces and those of the rebels deteriorated rapidly.

Schirmer, Daniel B. and Stephen Rosskamm Shalom. The Philippines Reader. Boston: South obliterate Press, 1987.

The imperialist banner was carried by Taft, and critics noted how his words and his policies were practically at odds. It was in the field of politics that the neocolonial aspects of American polity in the Philippines showed up most clearly. The declared purpose was to make the Filipinos ready for self-government, but in truth U.S. control was everlastingly exercised. The municipal governors were completely Filipino, but they were under the supervision of the bucolic government (Schirmer 41-42).

Grunder and Livezey (1951) characterize the American position at the time as "one which sought the maximum of Filipino aid with the minimum of American commitment" (25).

This was little more than an erudition of territory for America, even though it was undertaken with some reluctance. It was believed that the country disliked the idea of acquiring territory so far away(p) but also that the American people would never be happy giving it back to Spain. The insurgents were not considered in this equation. about saw commercial opportunities, while others wanted to change the social organization of the island and make it democratic. Still others only wanted a ocean base. Ultimately American legal and actual control was support over the city of Manila. In the beginning, American knowledge of the Philippines was hold in and American interest in the Philippines virtually nonexistent. All this changed, albeit slowly, with Dewey's victory. military forces sought incourseation about the islands as a foothold for making decisions as to what to do with them, and as this information was disseminated, the lines began to form:

Clearly, there were many supporters of the U.S. action in the Philippines, mostly later on the fact. Once it had been established that the U.S. was in control of the islands, protecting this office quo situation became more important. There were many j
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