Book Description

The United States acquired the Philippines in February, 1899 as a result of the Spanish-American War. Filipino revolutionaries, embroiled in a fight for independence against Spain since 1895, continued their battle against the United States for the next three and a half years in what became known as the Philippine-American War. Often viewed as an off-shoot of the war with Spain, the Philippine War is significant and relevant today and should be remembered as more than an afterthought in American history. Sensationalized newspaper coverage was rampant in the 1890s, which resulted in increased subscriptions across the nation. Coverage of Spain's handling of Cuba dominated American newspaper headlines three years before the Spanish-American War even began, and continued throughout the Philippine War. In an era well before radio, television, and the internet, newspapers and magazines served as the chief means of accessing, absorbing, and interpreting information. For a large number of Americans, these daily newspapers served as their primary connection to the outside world. The major aim of this study is to convey the differing perspectives of two major Connecticut newspapers, The Hartford Courant and The Hartford Times through their coverage of the Philippine-American War. The Hartford Courant supported the Republican Party and backed both President William McKinley and President Theodore Roosevelt and their efforts to establish control in the Philippines. The Hartford Times strongly condemned the war and supported presidential hopeful William Jennings Bryan and the Democratic Party's position of granting Philippine independence. Both Connecticut newspapers provided in-depth coverage of the war on a daily basis, and their opposing viewpoints gave readers a full scope of the war and all of its intricacies. These newspapers provided a cross-section of the American populace, and a window into the beliefs, desires, hopes, and goals of the people living in Connecticut at the dawn of the twentieth century. More than 4,000 articles were published in both newspapers between 1898 and 1902. This extensive coverage of the war revealed the clear viewpoints of the rival newspapers and their stance on such topics as expansion, race, the 1900 Election, and the conduct of the military. My goal throughout the extensive research process was to determine if the majority of Connecticut residents supported or opposed the war. I also sought to uncover and shed light on the true perspectives of the people of this state and make a contribution to the rich historiography of the Philippine War, through the study of the war itself and as an inquiry of American media coverage.