51st state

how can you make the Philippines the 51st state of the USA
POD should not be earlier than 1900
and what could be implications of being a state for
the Philippines and the world
 
It'd be the most populous state, but maybe being a state, and being closer to America, its birth rate might be reasonable and sustainable.
 
I believe we have discussed this a couple of times recently, but I can't get search to work for me today..

You have the problem that back about 1900 (+/-10 years?) a Supreme Court decision said that the US Constitution didn't apply to the Philippines. If it did, millions of Filippinos could move to the US, and they weren't wanted, being a) brown b) Roman Catholic (or 'worse'), c) poor, etc.

To get the Philippines as states (surely multiple), you'd have to change the US mental image of the Philippines, no?
 
I believe we have discussed this a couple of times recently, but I can't get search to work for me today..

You have the problem that back about 1900 (+/-10 years?) a Supreme Court decision said that the US Constitution didn't apply to the Philippines. If it did, millions of Filippinos could move to the US, and they weren't wanted, being a) brown b) Roman Catholic (or 'worse'), c) poor, etc.

To get the Philippines as states (surely multiple), you'd have to change the US mental image of the Philippines, no?

It was multiple cases, called the insular cases:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insular_Cases

If they get decided the other way, then the Phillippines are considered American soil, Filipinos get US citizenship, and there are large butterflies in US-Philippine relations.
 
I don't think it's possible. The languages, cultures, religions, and "utter pitiable poor savagery" of the inhabitants will make "Good White Protestant Americans" never want to let it happen, particularly prior to 1970.

Recall even keeping it as a Territory after the SAW was a close-run thing and only "White Man's Burden" arguments that the "savages" needed proper "guidance" before they were capable of self-governance led to the US allowing it to happen. Many wanted to just fast-track the islands to independence (with a benevolent US navy/merchant presence, of course) as per Cuba.
 
so what your sayin is that it would be almost impossible for the phil to be a state of the USA?

It would be very difficult. The US has never yet accepted a state where the majority of voters weren't white English-speaking Americans, IIRC. Hawaii was probably the closest case, but the American planters had firm control of the islands at the time...

If the US somehow kept the Philippines past WWII in a friendly relationship (maybe Japan never goes to war, or doesn't attack Pearl and is slowed/stopped by Free French and Brits, leaving the Philippines wanting/needing US protection), you might get Statehood after the Civil RIghts era.

OK. What if the US built up more in the Philippines in the late 30's, and treated the Philippine army as more than stupid grunts. (The later might be hard enough to do.) Then when Japan invades the Philippines (but doesn't attack Pearl), they don't win, or at least not nearly as fast. Oh, and succeeds in declaring war ahead of time. Thus the US might be prepared to simply defeat instead of destroying Japan. This could leave a strong Japan as threat, that requires a Philippines, ...

Still tough, but possibly doable. You'd probably have an independant, closely allied country that joined the US in the '60s? Maybe?


Changing the Supreme court decisions (which LOOKs like a possible PoD), would allow thousands of Philippinos to move to the States might actually hurt the possibility of the Philippines becoming a State, as there'd be a backlash.
 
Top