A History of Conflict Between the United States and Philippines

Photo of the USS Olympia, the flagship of Commodore George Dewey. Photo from Flickr

On May 1, 1898, Commodore George Dewey crushed the Spanish fleet during the Spanish-American War in the Battle of Manila Bay, marking the first time the United States entered and gained control of the Philippines. The U.S. fought this battle to eliminate any Spanish threat in the Pacific, and to prevent Spanish forces in Cuba from being reinforced. After its victory, the U.S. turned the Philippines into a base for its operations in the Asia/Pacific region. Read more about this battle from the following websites:

U.S. Navy History Website: Gives a nice overview of the battle
The War Times Journal: an actual narrative from George Dewey himself about the battle
Spanamwar.com: another great overview of the battle with lots of details