Philippine War is not so widely known today compared to other wars that America took part in. Despite the fact that it lasted for three years and that it cost to the U.S. a large amount of money, it seems to be almost forgotten. There are two major reasons why this war is not so popular nowadays. The first reason is related to the U.S. ideology and the second one is about people’s beliefs and values.
The first reason is that the idea about building an empire was controversial to the idea of democracy. The war was harmful to the people living in the U.S. and did not respond their needs. It is proved by the words of Jane Addams, who supported the interests of workers and was against militarism. A standing army demanded too much resources that were taken from peasants. Philippine War took huge sums of money from the budget, while they could be spent on the development of the country instead of following some vague ideals of masculinity suggested by Roosevelt.
The second major reason is that people did not believe in that war. Brigade General Charles King also felt that the war was unjustified and unwise. He wrote that all the officers that he communicated with were unsatisfied with the situation. The Senate was discussing the peace treaty for too long, and the Filipinos were a threat for Americans. The grounds for invasion into the country did not seem solid enough, despite the Roosevelt’s speech about masculinity and heroism. This war was not heroic, and that is why it is not so notable nowadays. It does not prove any virtues of American people or government. Thus, Philippine-American war was controversial to the U.S. people’s values and beliefs, seemed unjustified, and was a failure from economic and ideological point of view. These are the reasons why it is not very popular nowadays and is seldom mentioned.