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Mengel 1
Michael Mengel
Professor Maurie Hartsthorn
Enc 1101 Research Essay
9 Apr. 2016
How the Philippine American War led to the rise of the United States Economy
The repercussions of war have a far greater affect on social and economic impacts then
people understand. War does not only make a loved one weep, but it also can change the entire
way global economics work. Which is actually what happened during the Philippine war. The
late 1800s and the early 1900s times were not like they are today. America was not the world’s
preeminent powerhouse that it now is. In the early 1900s the United States of America had not
spread it wings worldwide yet, we had not even made it past the Mississippi River. Our economy
was purely enough to sustain the United States of America and that is it, nothing more nothing
less. By taking advantage of a weak country, the Philippines, America was quickly able to rise to
the power and become the global economic and military enforcer it now is.
After America won the Spanish – American War of 1898 the United States of America
received control of the Philippines, due to the Treaty of Paris. All the United States of America
had to do was cough up 20,000,000 dollars and it was theirs for the taking. Two days later after
the U.S. Senate ratified the treaty a new war began, however this time it was not with the
Spanish. Emilio Aguinaldo, the leader of the Filipino nationalists, wanted to be free, not just a
new Colonial leader. Unfortunately, he would not get what he dreamed of as 200,000 Filipino
Civilians died along with 20,000 Filipino soldiers in this brief three-year conflict (The
Philippine-American War). The United States of America was better equipped and better trained
then the Philippines which is what led to the Philippines demise during the war. Their weapon
systems were outdated and they were purely outnumbered for the United States of Americas
Mengel 2
muscle power. The United States of America did not seem to mind its 4,200 deaths as it quickly
rose to power (The Philippine-American War).
The United States of America emerged as world power after gaining the Philippines as a
territory. Some people may not understand how such a small island can have such a huge impact
on an economy. With the United States having control of the Philippines, the United States of
America could now import raw materials such as sugar, hemp, rubber and coconut for far
cheaper as well as add an important stop on shipping routes to avoid other countries tariffs. This
also opened a lot of doors for the united states to trade with China (Schulzinger). To this day
many people us having great trading relationships with the Chinese to this war. By the 1900s the
United States of America had half of the worlds manufacturing capacity (White). With the
United States of America already producing so much it shows how United States of America
