Discuss how precious was the Philippines in the expansionist philosophy of the United States?

By the end of the 1800s, the United States was looking to expand its influence beyond its borders. We wanted to take the concept of Manifest Destiny and expand it throughout the world. To do this, we needed to get colonies. As a result of the Spanish-American War, we were able to get colonies from the lands we received from Spain.

The United States understood the importance of having colonies throughout the world. Alfred Mahan wrote a book called The Influence of Sea Power Upon History: 1660-1783. In this book, Mahan explained how countries that are world power must be able to protect its merchant marine and its trade. In order to be a world power, we knew we needed to have colonies in both the Atlantic and Pacific regions. Gaining control of the Philippines and of Guam as a result of the Spanish-American gave us a military presence in the Pacific Ocean. We could use these places as bases where our military could dock and could be stationed. If a war occurred, we could use these islands as military bases for fighting any war in the region. Our merchant marine could also resupply and refuel at our bases in the Philippines and in Guam. By controlling these places, we could also trade with them. We would benefit economically and militarily by establishing control in this region.

If we didn’t have a military presence in the Pacific region, it would have been very difficult for us to achieve our goals of Manifest Destiny. Gaining control of the Philippines and of Guam gave us the opportunity to expand and to become a world power around 1900.