Filipino Insurgencies (1899-1913): Failures to Incite Popular Support - Study of the Philippine-American War and Moro War, Roles of Insurrectos and Populace Against Invading American Military

This report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. The Philippine-American War and Moro War demonstrate the failure of an insurgency to achieve objectives if there is a lack of support from the populace. The American occupation of the Philippine islands in 1898 provoked sentiments of anti-imperialism among the populace. The result was a hastily organized guerilla campaign that led to the Philippine-American War (1899-1902). The insurgency of the Moro War attempted to unite the populace to force the withdrawal of the United States. During both wars, American commanders and forces adapted policies and objectives to counter the insurgency and gain the support of the local population. This monograph examines the strategy of the insurgency campaigns for the insurrectos and Moro insurgents. The decentralized organization, lack of resources, and objectives created conditions that weakened the insurgency. The inability of the insurgencies to gain support from the populace resulted in the absence of effort to fight the invading American military.

1. Introduction * 2. Methodology * 3. Definition of Terms * 4. Literature Review * 5. Philippine-American War (1899-1902) * 6. Moro War (1903-1913) * 7. Conclusion

The Spanish conquest and rule of the Philippines lasted for over 300 years. Spanish influence during this time significantly influenced cultural and religious changes in Filipino society. This influence of the colony did not extend to the promotion of Filipino self-governing and economic development. The last half of the nineteenth century saw the rise of a group called the illustrados. This group embraced liberalism, reforms, and advocated for increased incorporation of Filipinos in the governing of the Philippines. The late 1800s saw the increase of independence movements led by educated elites that supported a mix of change through both peace and violence. In March 1897, Emilio Aguinaldo became the head of the Philippine revolutionary army against the Spanish. The objectives of the Philippine revolution centered on greater participation of Filipino citizens in the governance of the islands. These revolutionary forces achieved moderate success when the Spanish promised the Filipinos representation and equal treatment in political appointments. The terms were dependent on the surrender of arms and all revolutionary leaders going into exile in Hong Kong. The U.S. invasion of the Philippines in 1898 ended the small victories achieved by the Filipino revolutionaries and would test their resiliency in achieving independence.

The Philippine-American War occurred after Spanish authorities ceded the Philippine Islands to American forces in August 1898. In February 1899, Filipino nationalists, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, became involved in a conventional fight against American forces to gain independence. U.S. strength in numbers, equipment, and weapons quickly overpowered the Filipino forces. The next phase of the war saw a shift in tactics to guerilla warfare, consisting of sporadic attacks and ambushes on U.S. forces. The aim for Aguinaldo's resistance force was to undermine the actions of the U.S. military, forcing an end to American occupation. The Filipino revolutionaries organized into autonomous regional commands. These commands organized attacks and attempted to control the populace through shadow governments.

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