Arguments Of The Annexation Of The Philippines

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Arguments of the Annexation of the Philippines

Neil Irvin Painter and Kristin Hoganson are historians who both produced the general arguments

for the annexation of the Philippines. According to Painter’s argument, there was need for the

American economy to expand beyond the American borders and into Asia. Painter argued that

America was falling into a depression because it was achieving significantly high levels of

production in both the agricultural and industrial sectors. There was a need for a market to reach

China and the Philippines provided a strategic advantageous point for ships to refuel.

On the other hand, Hoganson mainly focused on the ability of the Philippines to govern

themselves. In her argument, Hoganson explained that the Americans viewed the Filipino people

as nothing but savages, children or feminine figures. These qualities made the people incapable

of self-governance. Furthermore, the imperialists believed that the Americans were only using

the Philippines to develop their ability to govern a much inferior people.

Painter and Hoganson’s views typically surmarise the general perspectives of different

contributors. In an annual message to the congress, President William McKinley highlighted the

main reason for annexing the Philippines should be to develop the island. The President

elaborated that they were, in fact, helping the Filipinos by governing and developing the

institutions by introducing similar reforms. To him, a lack of American rule would only leave the

island in discord and barbarism.

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Henry Cabot Lodge, attributed the annexation of the Philippines purely on the benefits that such

a measure would bring to the USA. Lodge saw the opportunity to exploit Philippines’ rich and

fertile land for their own economic interests. Lodge only wished for America to maximize its

shares in trade within Asia.

According to Albert, America would rather abandon its claim on the Philippines than enable the

Filipinos to govern themselves. Beveridge used the more crude argument that those of oriental

blood were not capable of forming their own functioning institutions which would be effective

for the Filipinos. He further argued that the previous Spanish rule also did not provide the best

example for leadership which the Filipinos could adapt. Hoganson

Finally, Theodore Roosevelt proposed that that the best alternative was that America could

benefit from annexing the Philippines while still helping the country develop. President

Roosevelt included that they could introduce American products and industries in the

Philippines, which would benefit both the Americans and the Philippines.

Hoganson mainly drew her argument from commentators like Beveridge and McKinley. These

contributors mainly believed that the Filipino people were an inferior race who were incapable of

ruling themselves, which was mainly attributed to their race, previous leadership under the

Spanish, and a general lack functional governing institutions within the country. On the other

hand, Irvin based his argument on the ideals of those such as Lodge and Roosevelt who believed

that the Philippines was a potential market source for raw materials and products, which the

Americans could exploit.

In a way, Beveridge’s argument challenges that of President Roosevelt. President Roosevelt

argued that a mutually beneficial relationship between the Filipino and America would be the

best approach. On the contrary, Beveridge saw any attempt to help the Filipino people gain their

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own independence as futile efforts which would not succeed due to the oriental background of

the Filipino people.

Perhaps Irvin’s argument provides the most compelling reason as to why the Americans annexed

the Philippines. Although the Americans, used their sense of superiority to assert their reasons,

their end goal was one: to maximize the economic benefits that the rich Philippines has before

other colonizers.

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