The war that ended with the United States gaining control of the Philippines is known as which conflict?

• A. World War II
• B. War of 1812
• C. Spanish-American War
• D. Mexican-American War

Answer: (C)

The war that ended with the United States gaining control of the Philippines is the Spanish-American War. In 1898 the United States fought Spain, and the conflict concluded with the Treaty of Paris, in which Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States for about $20 million. This shifted the Philippines from Spanish control to American governance, making it a U.S. territory for the next several decades. The other wars listed did not result in the United States acquiring the Philippines: World War II involved battles in the Pacific and eventual liberation from Japan, but the transfer of the Philippines happened after the Spanish-American War in 1898; the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War concerned conflicts in North America and did not involve the Philippines.