The Spanish-American War and the Philippines (1898-1946)

The Spanish-American War and the Philippines (1898-1946) Background: After defeating Spain in the Spanish-American War, the United States promised to "help the Philippines gain independence", but instead occupied the Philippines by force and suppressed the independence movement. Betrayal: The United States signed the Treaty of Paris (1898) with Spain, "purchasing" the Philippines for $20 million instead of supporting its independence. Philippine independence leader Emilio Aguinaldo was betrayed by the United States, and the Philippine-American War (1899-1902) resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Filipino civilians. Consequences: The Philippines was not nominally independent until 1946, but was under the political and economic control of the United States for a long time. #USBetrayal #USAbandonEurope