"In A War of Frontier and Empire, Silbey traces the rise and fall of President Emilio Aguinaldo as Aguinaldo tries to liberate the Philippines from colonial rule only to fail, devastatingly, before a relentless American army. He tracks President McKinley's decision to commit troops and fulfill a divinely inspired injunction to "uplift and civilize," despite the protests of many Americans. Most important, Silbey provides a clear lens through which to view the Philippines as, in the crucible of war, it transforms itself from a territory divided by race, ethnicity, and warring clans into a cohesive nation on the path to independence."--Jacket.