Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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In this rare voice recording, Republican candidate in the 1908 U.S. Presidential Election, William Howard Taft, describes the need for further involvement in the recent acquisitions the United States acquired in the Spanish-American War of 1898. The Democratic Party under perennial candidate William Jennings Bryan campaigned on the promise to stay out of the affairs of these territories and allow self-governance once a self-sufficient government had been reached. Taft counters by saying that the natives need American support to build infrastructure, else they fall into chaos. Ultimately, Taft won the election and served as the 27th President of the United States of America from 1909-1913.

#puertorico #cuba #philippines #presidentoftheunitedstates

The three territories seized by the Kingdom of Spain in question were as follows:

-Puerto Rico (spelled as 'Porto Rico' on record label), was a Spanish Captaincy General (colony) since 1580. The island had been the site of the Battle of San Juan Hill, the Spanish-American War's most famous battle, where Theodore Roosevelt, who would later become President in 1901, led his legion of 'Rough Riders' against the Spanish forces. The island was ceded to the United States, where it remains a U.S. territory to this day.

-Cuba was first established by the Kingdom of Castile as a Governorate in 1511, and upgraded to a Captaincy General in 1607. After the Spanish-American War, it too was put under American occupation. After 4 years of U.S. administration, the independent Republic of Cuba was founded, though it remained a U.S. protectorate under the Cuban-American Treaty of Relations of 1903 until 1934. The Republic of Cuba still exists today, though it has been communist since 1959.

-The Philippine Islands were a Captaincy General since 1565, and like the other two, fell under American occupation after the Spanish-American War. The Philippine natives tried to establish an independent republic, but the U.S. occupiers denied this. A violent war broke out between the U.S. colonizers and the natives, but by 1902, the last rebellions had been put down. A small medieval-era monarchy called the Sultanate of Sulu was allowed keep their autonomy as a protected state until 1915. The United States kept a firm grip on the archipelago until 1942, when the Empire of Japan invaded and established a puppet republic there. A year after liberation, in 1946, the Philippines became independent nation as the Republic of the Philippines, which remains to this day.

Collection of World War I Voice Recordings:
youtu.be/vaL3rodjCQo?si=JSkKdzCWreGdrVsw

Information about the Philippine-American War:
youtu.be/SbH8D381J-I?si=kQi-kya2kGESBosM