The United States Navy crushed Spanish forces in the Pacific and American forces in Cuba won decisive battles bringing an end to what critics called "the splendid little war". This "little war" officially came to an end on August 12th, 1898, when the United States and Spain agreed to stop fighting. This agreement allowed Cuba to be free of Spanish rule; the United States received Puerto Rico and one of the islands in the Pacific. But nothing was really decided about what to do about the Philippines, which was under Spanish rule. The Philippines are group of islands in the Pacific Ocean off the southeast coast of China. In December of 1898, a decision was made about the fate of the Philippines. At a peace conference in Paris, France, the Philippines were sold to the United States for twenty million dollars. This decision brought up many questions facing the United States government. Should the Philippines be granted independence and be allowed to rule on their own? Should the !

United States take over the group of islands or partial occupation? Ultimately, the decision should be to let the Philippines become their own nation and rule for themselves. If the United State

Beveridge, Albert. America's Destiny. New York: Houghton, 2000.

Berkin, Carol. Making America: A History of the United Sates. Boston: Houghton, 1999.

Finally, if the United States didn't occupy the Philippines it could save the country from possible problems with other countries that would arise. With the Americans in the Philippines this would mean we would increase our sphere of influence. Our presence would be in the East and this could be seen as a threat by other nations. Its one thing to send officials to other countries but to occupy territories around those countries is totally different. This would be thought as " stepping on the toes" of those countries. Doing this would cause big problems, such as causing tension between them and us or even resulting in war. Causing tension with other countries could result in a break down of trading, existing treaties and alliances with those nations. Ultimately, the question is, if we do acquire the Philippines, where does it stop? Does the United States stop with the Philippines or do they continue on to world dominance? In 1823, President James Monroe said "the Western Hemis!

Other proponents of requiring the Philippines say its occupation would be necessary to trade with countries in the Orient. This is far from the truth. The United States has gained many other smaller islands in the Pacific Ocean over the years. Hawaii, Guam, Midway, Wake Island and American Samoa have all been under United States influence since 1898 and some even for a longer time. All could serve as trading ports and stops along the way to America's West Coast. Guam, the closest to the Orient of all the islands, could serve as a good trading post to many countries such as Japan, China, and the islands near the Philippines. This could all be done without going through the mess of the Philippines becoming an American territory. These proponents also state that the Philippines are necessary to trade with the Orient because America is producing too much and it needs to trade. But the United States is also having more and more immigrants coming into the nation, which means more f!

levels. Beveridge says taking the Philippines is o

Some common words found in the essay are:
McKinley Beveridge, Orient America, Americans Philippines, France Philippines, Western Hemis, China United, Pacific American, Civil War, Spanish United, Japan China, islands pacific, philippines territory, islands pacific ocean, ports stops, pacific ocean, occupy philippines, little war, sphere influence, rule own, rule themselves, serve trading,
Approximate Word count = 1463
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)