Philippine–American War, 1899–1902

The Philippine–American War began in 1899 after the United States took possession of the Philippines from Spain while Filipino nationalists sought recognition of the independent republic proclaimed under Emilio Aguinaldo.

Conventional battles gave way to guerrilla warfare, counterinsurgency and harsh occupation measures. Civilian displacement, disease and violence caused extensive suffering, while resistance continued in some regions after the formal end of the war in 1902.

The conflict established American colonial rule in the Philippines and became a central controversy in debates over imperialism, race, citizenship and the meaning of the United States’ own revolutionary tradition.