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"Adam Burns explores the American imperial venture in the Philippines through the lens of a single individual: William Howard Taft. Taft held a number of positions (head of the second Philippine Commission, first US civil governor of the islands, US Secretary of War, and US president) which mark him out from others in the period as an individual of unparalleled influence over US-Philippine policy during its formative years. Although initially a skeptic of imperialism, Taft came to believe that the best course for US-Philippine relations was a permanent imperial bond much like the relationship between Great Britain and Canada or Australia at the time. Based largely on personal correspondence and other primary documentation, this books researches in great depth Taft and his views on empire-building from 1900 to 1921, when Taft was appointed to the Supreme Court"--
About the author
ADAM D. BURNS is a senior lecturer in history at the University of Wolverhampton. He holds a PhD from the University of Edinburgh and an EdD from the University of Leicester. He is the author of
American Imperialism: The Territorial Expansion of the United States, 1783-2013 and recently contributed to the edited collection,
The Continuing Imperialism of Free Trade: Developments, Trends, and the Role of Supranational Agents.
Summary
While biographies of William Howard Taft and histories of US-Philippine relations are easy to find, few works focus on Taft's vision for the Philippines. William Howard Taft and the Philippines fills this void in the scholarship, taking up Taft's vantage point on America's imperialist venture in the Philippine Islands between 1900 and 1921.
