The Cold War and U.S. Policy in the Philippines

3367 Words7 Pages

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed,” said by Martin Luther King while in Birmingham Jail on April 16, 1963. A quote easily related back to the Filipinos who struggled for independence from the United States during the Cold War. Influenced by the patronizing relationship with the United States throughout history, the economic and political evolution of the Philippines has been controlled by the dependence between the two allied countries. In 1898, the United States took special interest in the economic opportunities in the Philippines; it was en route to China, contained a hearty supply of sugar and rice, and most importantly, because of the fear of losing the Philippines to rival countries, Germany and Japan. With the United States’ interest in mind the Spanish agreed to cede the Philippines to America after a payment of 20 million dollars. Therefore, the U.S took back its promise of liberating the Philippines from being a colonized country. Angered by this betrayal, the Philippine Republic declared war on the US, commencing the American-Philippine war, which lasted from 1899 to 1902. In 1942, as the United States began establishing military bases in the Philippines, a communist guerrilla group named Hukbalahap (also known as the Huks)- began to branch out from only anti-Japanese activities to fighting against the American military. While fighting the Japanese, the United States found a way to also dismember the Huks by imprisoning high ranking members, mentally and physically torturing Filipino members, and passing laws in 1957 outlawing both the Communist party and the Huks in the Philippines. This sequence of events shortly followed the surrender of Huk Leader, Luis T...

... middle of paper ...

...ug., 1999), pp. 355-375. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3097105 (accessed February 11, 2014)

Shalom, Stephen R. Securing the U.S.- Philippine Military Bases Agreement of 1947. Wayne: William Paterson University, http://www.wpunj.edu/dotAsset/209673.pdf (accessed January 30, 2014).

The Filipino Servent. “Ang Pilipinas Sa ilalim ng Martial Law.” Filipinos For Change. http://thefilipinoservant.wordpress.com/2011/09/21/ang-pilipinas-sa-ilalim-ng-martial- law/ (Accessed February 12, 2014)

US Department of State. “The Philippine- American War, 1899-1903.” Milestones:1899-1913. Http://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/war . (Accessed January 30, 2014).

William Howard Taft and the Question of Philippine Independence, 1900-1913 (South Bridge, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2008), Pg 6.

More about The Cold War and U.S. Policy in the Philippines

Open Document