The Philippines is a group of islands, just off the coast of Southeast Asia. Everything about the country changed when the Spanish first landed at their ports and took control of them. Centuries after, the Americans followed in their footsteps. Each of these new people brought war, death, oppression, and destruction to the moderately calm and isolated islands. A large issue for the Filipinos was that the newcomers arrived at different times, but were also in the Philippines together for a period of time as well. Based on the intentions and outcomes of their actions, the Spanish and the Americans effected the course of history while they were in the Philippines. This is proved because they each came into the country with the intention to overrule …show more content…
The two nations shared various similarities in regards to their intentions and actions in the islands. One aspect that was forcefully instituted was the conversion to Christianity. For the Spanish it was important for these new people to become like them and “the almost complete conversion of the natives to Christianity facilitated the Spanish conquest; by 1571, it was concluded, except for the Moro lands” (“Philippines”). In regards to the Americans, the president at the time, William McKinley, “believed that the Filipinos were ignorant and childlike, and therefore unfit for self-government. McKinley chose to ‘educate, uplift, civilize, and Christianize’ them by annexing the islands” (“The Philippines Ends Its Uprising”). Another commonality that the two powerhouses shared was that they both saw the Philippines as a place of commerce and profit. “These new lands were not intended to become states. Imperialists simply wanted to acquire new markets” (“Imperialism”). These new markets reached all around the globe, providing products that were only found in the Philippines. Wanting peace to end the war is another similarity that was shared. The fighting of the Spanish-American war had taken a great toll on both of the nations, so “a peace treaty was signed between the United States and Spain which officially turned over to the United States the islands of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines” (“The Philippines Ends Its Uprising”). One last similarity that was shared is that both nations provoked an uprising from the native Filipinos because all that they wanted was their independence. Americans and Spaniards alike fought through war and suffering trying to keep control over the Philippines. Although the two countries shared many similarities, they also shared vast differences that differ the two of them