Battle of Manila (1899) in the context of Philippine-American War

The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Filipino–American War, Philippine Insurrection, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged in early 1899 following the United States' annexation of the former Spanish colony of the Philippine Islands under the terms of the December 1898 Treaty of Paris following the Spanish–American War. Philippine nationalists had proclaimed independence in June 1898 and constituted the First Philippine Republic in January 1899. The United States did not recognize either event as legitimate, and tensions escalated until fighting commenced on February 4, 1899, in the Battle of Manila.

Shortly after being denied a request for an armistice, the Philippine government issued a proclamation on June 2, 1899, urging the people to continue the war. Philippine forces initially attempted to engage U.S. forces conventionally but transitioned to guerrilla tactics by November 1899. Philippine President Emilio Aguinaldo was captured on March 23, 1901, and the war was officially declared over by the US on July 4, 1902. However, some Philippine groups continued to fight for several more years. Other groups, such as the Muslim Moro peoples of the southern Philippines and quasi-Catholic Pulahan religious movements, continued hostilities in remote areas. The Moro Rebellion ended with their final defeat at the Battle of Bud Bagsak on June 15, 1913.

The Philippine Republic (Spanish: República Filipina), retroactively known as the First Philippine Republic or the Malolos Republic, was a state established in Malolos, Bulacan, during the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire (1896–1898) through the promulgation of the Malolos Constitution on January 23, 1899, succeeding the Revolutionary Government of the Philippines. Emilio Aguinaldo was its inaugural president. It was not recognized by any foreign power, but remained a de facto government.Following the American victory at the Battle of Manila Bay, Aguinaldo returned to the Philippines, issued the Philippine Declaration of Independence on June 12, 1898, and proclaimed successive revolutionary Philippine governments on June 18 and 23 of that year, under which regimes the liberation of Philippine territory from Spain was conducted.

In December 1898, Spain and the United States signed the 1898 Treaty of Paris, ending the Spanish–American war. As part of the treaty, Spain ceded its claim to the Philippines to the United States. The treaty was not considered as in effect until April 11, 1899, when mutual ratifications were exchanged. The Revolutionary Government considered the treaty invalid, and in the meantime had been drafting a republican constitution to succeed its current regime. On on January 21, 1899, the Malolos Constitution was promulgated, and the Republic was inaugurated on January 23. On February 4, fighting had erupted in Manila between American and Filipino forces in what developed into the Philippine–American War. Aguinaldo was captured by the American forces on March 23, 1901, in Palanan, Isabela, and he declared allegiance to the U.S. on April 19, 1901, effectively ending the Philippine Republic.