In this account of an 1899 meeting with a delegation of Methodist church leaders, President William McKinley defends his decision to support the annexation of the Philippines in the wake of the U.S. war in that country.

William Jennings Bryan was the Democratic party candidate for President in 1900. He opposed U.S. expansion into the Philippines and often criticized U.S. imperialism in his speeches during and after the 1900 campaign.

In this political cartoon from shortly after the conclusion of the Spanish-American War in 1898, "Uncle Sam" disciplines a class of unruly "children," representing Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii. The mustachioed figure reading the…

These images captured with a stereopticon depict the realities of war in the Philippines, showing both Filipino and American experiences.

Spain ruled the Philippine islands for nearly four centuries before the U.S. invaded the country in 1899, but Filipinos never fully accepted Spanish domination. Uprisings against the Spanish came from all parts of the Filipino society, including…

From 1898 to 1902, the United States waged a bloody war in the Philippines. Filipinos wanted independence from centuries of Spanish colonial rule. U.S. leaders, however, saw the opportunity to control the Philippines and gain access to markets in…

The outcome of the Spanish-American War had far-reaching consequences for several of Spain's former colonies. The United States annexed Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam, while Cuba became independent but subject to American influence. This…

The Philippine Village exhibition at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair included over one thousand Filipino men and women, many from indigenous tribes who were displayed in several “villages.” The Philippine Reservation promoters…

This newspaper article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, provided one of the few opportunities for a Filipino to address a U.S. audience about the Philippine Reservation exhibit at the 1904 World’s Fair. The article extensively quotes Vicente…

Sixto Lopez (1863-1947) was a prominent and influential leader of the Filipino independence movement who worked closely with the American Anti-Imperialist League. In this article published in Gunton's Magazine (a pro-capitalist, pro-labor journal),…