Philippine-American War | Under the Free Flag | 2

American History Tellers

Wondery

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, History, Education For Kids

4.7 • 18.3K Ratings

🗓️ 15 December 2021

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1898, America’s victory over Spanish forces in the Philippines suddenly thrust the United States onto the global stage. It also drew the country into a more complicated conflict with the very people it claimed to be liberating.

As the U.S. expanded its occupation of the Philippines, American soldiers drove Filipino rebels deeper into the countryside. Some rebels began to question the leadership of Emilio Aguinaldo, the face of the Philippine independence movement. In response, Aguinaldo attempted to consolidate power and shift his strategy toward guerilla warfare, setting both nations on a path towards more violence and conflict.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Prime Members, you can listen to American History Tellers add free on Amazon Music,
0:05.6	download the app today.
0:09.2	Imagine its November 21st, 1899.
0:22.1	You're a prominent member of a large Methodist Church in Ohio, and today you're with a small
0:26.6	group of religious leaders visiting President William McKinley at the Executive Mansion in Washington,
0:31.6	DC. You've supported McKinley throughout his political career, and now that he's the commander-in-chief,
0:37.2	you still have his ear. But recently, you've found some of his policy decisions troubling.
0:44.1	You all stand up as the President strides into the room. Gentlemen, Mr. President, sir, it's an
0:50.1	honor. McKinley takes a seat behind a large desk. Behind him, a wide map covers most of the wall.
0:57.5	Please, call me Major. I earned that title in the war. Yes, sir, I understand. I was in Antita
1:05.2	myself, and fought valiantly, I'm sure. So, what can I do for you? Well, sir, as you know,
1:12.3	we were big supporters of the war in Cuba. Your defeat of the corrupt, Catholic Spanish was a great
1:18.2	victory for God and America. But this business and the Philippines, it has some of us, well, concerned.
1:26.0	Are you sure that sending our young men overseas is worth it? The President nods.
1:31.5	Gentlemen, I'll be direct with you. In the beginning, I had no intention of taking the
1:36.5	Philippine Islands. In fact, I paced the White House many a night, and I'm not ashamed to say that
1:42.0	I fell to my knees and prayer. Finally, it came to me like a thunder clap. It is our moral and religious
1:48.8	duty as Americans to protect the islands and the people there. Yes, sir, that's certainly admirable.
1:55.8	But how much longer are you prepared to let this war drag on? We've lost some boys in my congregation
2:02.6	back home in Columbus. Good boys! It is a terrible sacrifice, I know. And if you're serious,
2:09.6	war alone will not work. We need to provide schooling, proper religious and civic education.
2:16.5	It's hard to bestow such gifts at gunpoint. I couldn't agree more. Gentlemen, we are not there
	...

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