The Philippine-American War started on February 4, 1899 and lasted until July 2, 1902
Some African American soldiers of the conflict thought fighting against fellow people of color was unjust.I'm a stickler for dates and anniversaries. I just wanted to note that the Philippine-American War started 121 years ago, ten years before my paternal grandfather would be born.
I had read up on my Philippines history before I migrated to the USA as a 9-year old. My first library was the bookcase at my grandmother's house (down the street from my parents') full of my uncles' & aunts' school textbooks. I even "borrowed" two of them to bring with me to Chicago.
I hope my kids, from time to time, watch documentaries on YouTube to learn about the Philippines and its history.
"No history, no self."
"Know history, know self."
The Philippine-American War of 1899-1902 is barely remembered by Americans. Even less well remembered are the more than 6,000 African American soldiers who took part.
In the immediate aftermath of the Spanish-American War of 1898, the United States annexed the Philippines. This came as a disappointment to Filipino nationalists who had welcomed American help in their revolt against Spanish colonialism. No more interested in being run by Washington, D.C., than they were in being controlled by Madrid, Filipinos under Emilio Aguinaldo waged a guerrilla war against the occupying American forces. Of the 126,500 Americans who served, 4,200 were killed. Some 20,000 Filipino soldiers were killed, along with an estimated 200,000 civilians. The Philippines would not become an independent nation until 1946.
After nearly 400 years of being ruled by the Spanish Empire, the Philippines found themselves under the rule of a new colonial power in 1899 - the United States.
The Philippine American War in 4 Minutes
From Wikipedia
The Philippine–American War was an armed conflict between the First Philippine Republic and the United States that lasted from February 4, 1899, to July 2, 1902. The Filipinos saw the conflict as a continuation of the Filipino struggle for independence that began in 1896 with the Philippine Revolution; the U.S. government regarded it as an insurrection.The conflict arose when the First Philippine Republic objected to the terms of the Treaty of Paris under which the United States took possession of the Philippines from Spain, ending the Spanish–American War. Fighting erupted between forces of the United States and those of the Philippine Republic on February 4, 1899, in what became known as the Second Battle of Manila. On June 2, 1899, the First Philippine Republic officially declared war against the United States. The war officially ended on July 2, 1902, with a victory for the United States.