Abstract This seven-page undergraduate paper examines the revolutionary leaders Emilio Aguinaldo in the Philippines and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam. The author discusses similarities and differences in geopolitical conditions, key events, methods, goals, and strategies.
Abstract This paper describes the war that existed in the Philippines after the Spain's defeat at the hands of the United States during the Spanish-American War. As a direct result of the war, the Philippines were given to the United States and the Filipino people who originally believed that they were fighting a war for freedom and independence against the Spanish begin to turn against American troops who they view as simply another occupying force. The first part of the paper gives a background to the Filipino insurgency and its main leader, General Emilio Aguinaldo. Aguinaldo's tactics of fighting a guerrilla war against American troops is examined, as well as the effectiveness of these attacks on shocking the American public back home. Feeling betrayed by America who promised the Filipino people freedom after the Spanish were defeated, Aguinaldo embarked on a series of deadly attacks on American soldiers in the Philippines. As a result, American troops responded with equal brutality in their reprisals with very little organized military command holding them back. Diaries are heavily cited in this section of the paper, giving primary sources that tell of how desperate the American soldiers were at the time and how they needed to racially dehumanize the enemy in order to commit such vicious acts of reprisal. The second part of the paper deals with how the American press responded to the war. Numerous newspaper articles and other criticisms of the war are given as examples, some written by the early 20th century's most prominent figures such as Mark Twain. The general point of this section is to show how deeply divided the American public was over the war in the Philippines and how many felt that it would lead to American involvement in other world affairs. A direct parallel is also drawn to the Iraq War in modernity. Finally, the paper ends with a detailed account of how individual soldiers from both sides viewed the conflict. The Filipinos clearly viewed the insurgency as a necessary action in order to preserve their promised independence, while many American soldiers were disgusted and frustrated with why they were in the country to begin with, and often responded violently towards the natives since they began to view them as subhuman. The psychology of warfare is briefly discussed, as soldiers often dehumanize the enemy as a means of justification of their own violent behavior. The end of the insurgency is also discussed, with American troops brutally putting down the rebellion and establishing a tight control over the entire area for decades.
From the Paper "On April 11th, 1898, the President of the United States William McKinley went to Congress and asked the elected body to declare war on Spain for their role in oppression overseas and to accommodate public opinion that was strongly anti-Spanish due to the sinking of the United States battleship Maine only a few months earlier that was blamed on Spanish agents. Congress eventually sanctioned the war, and the Spanish-American war commenced with several battles over Spanish colonies such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. The war itself was over fairly quickly, as hostilities were ended only a few months after war was officially declared. The involvement in the former Spanish colonies clearly demonstrated that America had shifted to a strong imperialistic attitude when it came to the Western Hemisphere and indeed the world in general, and would be forced to endure all of the benefits and tribulations that came from being an imperialistic power."
Tags:aguinaldo, american, emilio, filipino, history, philippines, spanish, war, wars
Abstract This research paper compares and contrasts three pre-independence nationalist leaders, Jose Rizal (Rizal) and Emilio Aguinaldo (Aguinaldo) of the Philippines and Aung San of Burma. Each of these leaders made significant contributions in promoting among his people a common sense of nationhood and in leading them in their struggle for national independence and toward more modern, democratic and integrated societies. The paper presents each leader and their achievements separately and then concludes that they all had similar qualities which led to their success.
From the Paper "All three leaders faced formidable obstacles and experienced significant failures. Rizal was executed by the Spanish. The Americans exploited Aguinaldo's successes for their own colonial purposes causing him to lose control of the revolutionary coalition he led. Aung San was assassinated on the eve of independence following which Burma has endured a nightmarish and prolonged period of military despotism, economic decline and ethnic fissures, which he might have helped avoid."
Abstract This paper is a historical overview of American imperialism in the Philippines. Americans launched their campaign against Spanish rule in the Philippines and once the Spanish-American War ended, they accepted the sole ownership of the Philippines from Spain as part of its spoils, and began planning the country's annexation to the United States. This move caused a rebellion led by Philippine native warrior Aguinaldo. This paper describes the impact of this event both on American history as well as Philippino history.
From the Paper "Emilio Aguinaldo admired America and the ideals of freedom and justice for which she stood. Watching the efforts of the United States as it intervened between the country of Cuba and the oppression of its Spanish rule gave him hope for the future of his own country, the Philippines, which had also been ruled by Spain for the past three centuries. Aguinaldo, noted Filipino independence movement rebel and leader, called himself "the George Washington of the Philippines" and aided the Americans in any way possible as they launched their campaign against Spanish rule in the Philippines (Buschini http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism/gift.
html). This allegiance turned to rebellion, however, once the Spanish-American War ended, for at its end the victorious Americans banished Aguinaldo from negotiations, accepted the sole ownership of the Philippines from Spain as part of its spoils, and began planning the country's annexation to the United States. Aguinaldo, as well as all other Filipino natives, was justified in his outrage and rebellion, for America had no valid political, moral or ethical right to take what was not hers. In attempting to claim ownership of this country that was desperately striving to follow the United States' footsteps in the pursuit of basic rights and freedoms, especially for reasons of economical as well as political gain, America muddied those hallowed footsteps with a season of imperialism that went against every truth she ever held to be self-evident."
Abstract After the United States' victory in the Spanish-American war, it purchased the Philippines from Spain for twenty million dollars. However, the U.S. neglected to acknowledge that the Philippines had grown very nationalistic during their bloody revolution with Spain. The paper shows that during that revolution and the Spanish-American wars, the United States and Philippines had joined as allies in the fight against Spain. After their victory and not looking to become the colony of yet another imperialistic nation, the Philippines directed their aggression at their new colonizer, the United States. The paper shows that the United States, intent on growing as both a new world power and imperialistic force, decided that they would retain the Philippines as a colony. The Philippines, intent on finally discovering their freedom, had different ideas, and set their focus on getting the United States, their forces and influence out of the Philippines. The paper explains that this competing set of goals and ideals led to the bloody conflict that would become known rhetorically as the "Philippine Insurrection".
Paper Outline:
Introduction
The Conflict
Interpretation of War
American Freedom and Democracy
Bibliography
From the Paper "The battle of Tirad Pass, just months later, was further confirmation that in a traditional war, the United States superior technology and might was too much for Filipino forces. With American forces advancing on President Aguinaldo, twenty-four year old general Gregorio del Pilar led a specially trained sixty-man force to repel over five hundred American troops and propel his President to safety. The young general, fighting in territory that his men had constructed (with tunnels, trenches and barricades), volleyed fire at American forces inflicting numerous casualties. With such a tight and shallow entrance through Filipino forces, the American forces quickly abandoned a frontal assault. Instead, the American forces split, half flanking the opposition. The Americans, now surrounding del Pilar's forces, easily attacked and killed 52 of the 60 soldiers under Pilar's command."
