In 1896, Emilio Aguinaldo led a Filipino guerrilla rebellion against Spain. Two years later, the United States, blaming the explosion of the battleship USS Maine on Spain, incited the Spanish-American War, which the U.S. won in eight months.

With Spain defeated, Aguinaldo uncomfortably found himself an American ally. From 1899 to 1902, Filipinos fought to create a nation, while America sought to expand its empire in the South Pacific Ocean. The United States expressed its view of racial superiority, claiming the Philippine Islands as its colony. The Filipinos fought back. In the end, Aguinaldo installed himself as president (1899-1901), fighting futilely for independence.

Letters from Clark County resident Pvt. William Manly to his father provide a glimpse into an enlisted soldier’s life

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