● Philippines-American War (1899-1902ish)

○ Background

■ 3 centuries of occupation, Spanish feudalism, forced labor, merciless

■ 1895 guerrilla uprising, led by Aguinaldo (same time as Cuba)

■ Dewey convinced him to help US against Spain, Aguinaldo assumed

Filipinos would gain independence

■ US captured Manila, Aguinaldo declared independence

○ A Ferocious War

■ US used policies they denounced in Cuba (reconcentration camps)

■ Atrocities common on both sides, US force 4x the size of against Spain

■ Tillman- war validated Southern Democrat racism

○ Civil Administration

■ Taft, administration to run Philippines, didn’t want it to be run

exploitatively

■ US goal ‘teach these people individual liberty’, ironic

● An Overseas Empire

○ 1899-1900, Wake Island, part of Samoa

○ Jennings Bryan- anti-imperialist, empire ‘paramount issue’ against McKinley,

McKinley resounding victory

○ US now viewed itself as a global power, remained on stage ever since

John Hay’s Open Door in China

● America, China, Great Powers

○ Philippines entry to great market in China, but only 2% of American exports

○ -> Exports would grow if economic equality

○ Missionary journalism, Americans feel ‘responsible’ for interests of Chinese

○ Japan bested China easily, Europeans followed -> each developed exclusive

spheres of influences, tariffs, railroads etc

○ -> US felt path to East Asia blocked by other powers’ interests

● Origins of the Open Door

○ Pressure from outside- merchants fear no access to Chinese markets,

missionaries feared getting kicked out (can’t convert Chinese)

○ John Hay- Secretary of State

○ Hippisley, UK supercedes Chinese custom service, US has to keep the door

open somehow

● The First Open Door Notes (Sept 1899)

○ Hippisley talking to Rockhill (State Dept’s man in East Asia), commercial

importance of Open Door vital to British and Americans, partition bad for Chinese

○ Pushed for free trade, open access to all of China

○ Hay- ‘Open Door Note’, sent to various powers, called for equal commercial

access within each sphere of influence

○ But did not condemn ‘spheres of influence’ as a whole, assert US interest

○ All replies to US note non-committals, except Russia, who just says no

○ -> Hay announces they’ve all accepted it, ‘policy and definitive’