How did the Filipino-american war begin?

Answer 1

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Philippine rebel forces lead by Emilio Aguinaldo were fighting against Spain before U.S. forces fought against Spain. The Filipino rebels were fighting for independence. The U.S. military joined forces with Filipino rebels but were fighting for different reason. While the American ship the "Maine" was docked in Cuba it exploded. No one is really sure how it happened but some people including U.S. journalists, William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer suspected it was the Spanish. Their newspapers conjured up stories of the explosion saying that Spanish forces attached a mine to the ship and detonated it when they were far away enough from the ship. However, they did not have any conclusive evidence. The explosion of the Maine was decisive in starting the Spanish American War.

The U.S. then declared war on Spain beginning the Spanish-American war. U.S. forces were then sent to the Philippines to fight Spanish forces at the battle of Manila Bay. Later Manila, the capitol of the Philippines was captured by U.S. forces and the Filipino rebel forces. With Spanish forces gone in the Philippines, Emilio Aguinaldo declared the country independent.

This independence was declared on June 12, 1898. When the treaty of Paris was signed on October 1, 1898, Spain ceded the Philippines, Guam, and Cuba to the U.S.; Cuba however was granted its independence. The president of the U.S., President McKinley sent more troops to the Philippines and issued his Benevolence proclamation; it basically says that the U.S. has "come not as invaders..but as friends, to protect the natives in their homes, in their employment, and in their personal and religious rights". Emilio Aguinaldo, now the President of the Philippines warned that the Philippine government would be prepared to fight any American attempt to forcibly take over the country. But Aguinaldo did not want to get into another war. He hoped that this situation could be saved through negotiations.

The Philippine government negotiated with General Elwell Otis between January 9 and January 29, 1899. Otis was however just waiting for the six regiments of the U.S. army to arrive so that he could fulfill President McKinley's order to occupy the rest of the Philippines. Relations continued to deteriorate and on Feb. 4, 1899 a U.S. private named William W. Grayson shot a Filipino soldier while he was out on patrol. The Filipino soldier died and Filipino soldiers retaliated which prompted U.S. forces to fire back. Emilio Aguinaldo said that the retaliation was against his order and tried to propose a peace talk. His offer was however rejected by Gen. Otis. Otis told him that "fighting having begun must go on to a grim end". The Philippines declared war on the U.S. on June 2, 1899; beginning the Philippine-American War.