Imperialism in the Philippines

By: Greg Allinson, Natalie Lundgren, Katie Vaughan Period 6

Motivation for Imperialism in the Region

The United States motivation for Imperialism in the Philippines can be categorized as economic, ideological, religious, political, and strategic motivation.
Economic motivation: opening new markets and trade possibilities, wanted favorable balance of trade, needed to make exports exceed imports, sought to expand foreign markets Ideological motivation: the belief that they were racially superior to others, strong sense of nationalism during era known as the Race of empire Religious motivation: sought to spread Christianity Political motivation: the urge to fulfill their destiny as a world power by colonizing, looking for fresh land to conquer (islands in warm oceans)

Some Americans were against imperialism because they disliked the idea of colonizing other nations (like British with the U.S.)

How did the U.S. Gain control?

The United States gained control of the Philippines as a result of the Spanish-American war. The Treaty of Paris gave Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines for a set price. The Filipinos were unhappy that they were being given to another country for imperialist rule. The U.S. felt that the Philippines was too uncivilized to govern themselves, so the U.S. kept them under their control.

What was the extent of U.S. control?

The U.S. ruled directly in the Philippines. A conflict of interest existed between the U.S. and the Filipinos as the Americans wanted to have an overseas empire and the Filipinos wanted freedom.

What were the effects of imperialism on the native population?

There were positive and negative effects of imperialism in the Philippines. Positive effects:
public education established roads, railroads, and hospitals were built The U.S. helped the Filipinos when the Japanese occupied the Philippines. The U.S. eventually helped the Philippines become an independent nation.

What were the effects of imperialism on the nation?

Negative effects: a bloody war, the PhilippineAmerican War, arose as a result of Filipino revolt against American rule. Over one million Filipinos died as a result of the war. The Philippines was left without a strong leader and suffered economically.

How was imperial power removed?

The Filipinos and Americans fought the PhilippineAmerican War from 1899 to 1902, and the Americans won. Even though the Americans won, they decided to help the Philippines become an independent nation. On July 4, 1946, the Philippines became an independent nation.

What is the current status of the Philippines?

The Philippines was predicted to be the one of the richest countries in Asia. Instead of becoming the richest, they became the poorest. After World War II the Philippine economy did poorly because during the rule of Ferdinand Marcos, billions of dollars were spent on the wrong things. Since 2004, president of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, has taken action in improving their economy.