In 1897, the Spanish were forced to cede the Philippines to the United States
as a result of their defeat in the Spanish-American war and the signing of
the Treaty of Paris 9.
The Philippines was now a protectorate of the United States.
This transfer of power from Spanish to American rule was first perceived
as a welcome change to the tyranny imposed upon the Moros at the hands
of the Spanish. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long until new pockets of resistance
and rebellion erupted, this time in opposition to American influence.
Western forces, like the previous power, found that the Southern islands
proved the most problematic to deal with.