A brief Overview:
The colonization of the Philippines began with Spanish colonial rule in 1565. Spanish rule lasted in the Philippines until the Philippine revolution in 1896. During the revolution groups like the Katipunan drove the beginnings of Filipino nationalism and the fight for independence. Filipino forces declared independence from Spanish colonial rule in 1898. Unfortunately Spain and the United States did not recognize this declaration and the Philippines were invaded by the United States in 1899-- leading to the American-Philippine war. The fighting between Filipino revolutionary Forces and the United States ended in 1902 and the US remained in control until the Japanese invasion during World War II.