The Philippines / Pilipinas

A History of Resistance and Assimilation

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“If by rebellion you need to hope and desire, to labor and struggle by every peaceful means for the liberties of my country, and if for that you demand the penalty of death, then gladly, willingly shall I die.”

-José Rizal (1896)-

Debates on U.S. Imperialism

The issue of Philippine annexation was a subject which sparked huge debate
in the United States. Expansionists like Theodore Roosevelt and William
McKinley wanted to make the Philippines an American colony. They stated
that the Filipinos were too “uncivilized” for governance and that they
needed American guidance. Anti-imperialists,  such as Mark Twain, Andrew
Carnegie, and former president Grover Cleveland, strongly opposed such a
position. They stated that the Filipinos clearly did not want American rule
imposed on the islands, and as such, the U.S. should not force their
control upon them.

 

 

 

 

 

Anti-Imperialists

 

Versus Expansionists