Without the Spanish-American War, the United States would not have been interested in the Philippines. By 1898 Spain was in conflict with the U.S. because by this time Spain was advancing their territory. Once the Spanish rule reached the Philippine islands, the United States and the Philippines army defeated the Spanish Fleet at Manila Bay. The Filipinos were promised independence, instead the Philippines was annexed to the U.S. in the Treaty of Paris.
Debate Over Imperialism
The U.S. took advantage of the various opportunities of the Philippines. For example: the Philippines provided new markets for the U.S., new places for investment, and new sites for Naval bases (Camarack 1) The Anti-Imperialist League opposed the idea of taking over the Philippines. The Anti-Imperialist League believed that ruling people against their will was immoral, acquiring new territory cost a lot of money, and each colony in the Philippines would need its own defense force to protect from invaders. (DiBacco 261)