The Philippines were claimed in the name of Spain in 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer sailing for Spain, who named the islands after King Philip II of Spain. They were then called Las Felipinas. By the 1830's Spanish culture and thought had penetrated into Filipino culture to the extent that the Filipino people began thinking about liberation from Spain. The government of Spain developed Filipino agriculture to the point that it was self-sufficient.
After some attempts at independence, and an equal number of atrocities on the part of Spain, Filipino Nationalists began to speak out. One of the most famous of the time was Jose Rizal. He studied medicine at the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines and the University of Madrid. Rizal wrote two important novels that portrayed the abuses of Spanish rule. Although the books were banned, they were smuggled into the Philippines and widely read. On the night of his execution, on December 30, 1896, Rizal proclaimed the Philippines "the Pearl of the Oriental Seas". His death is annually commemorated on December 30.
Flag of the Philippines Rizal's execution gave impetus to the revolution. Although the Filipino rebels, lead by Emilio Aguinaldo, did not win complete independence, the Spanish were not able to end the rebellion. In December of 1897, negotiations with Spain resulted in the the Pact of Biak-na-Bato. All of the rebels were granted anmisty and the leaders of the revolution returned in voluntary exile to Honk Kong. While in Hong Kong, Aguinaldo and his compatriots designed what is today the Philippine national flag.
The American Era and Independence (2)
Admiral George Dewey
At the same time that the Philippines were fighting for independence, Cuba, also a colony of Spain, was trying to liberate itself from Spanish rule. Cuba, however, had the backing of the United States. When the American battleship, USS Maine, sank in the Havana harbor, war between the United States and Spain became imminent.
On April 25, 1898, the United States declared war on Spain and the commander of the U.S. Asiatic Squadron, Commodore George Dewey was sent to engage the Spanish navy in the Philippines. Dewey attacked the Spanish fleet on the morning of May 1, 1898 from his ship USS Olympia. The battle lasted only a few hours resulting in the complete destruction of the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay. The American fleet suffered only minor damage.
The Spanish-American war officially ended with the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898. However, the American government was only interested in Cuba's independence, not that of the Philippines. By the Treaty, Cuba gained its independence and Spain ceded the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States for the sum of US$20 million. Given its own history of colonial revolution, American opinion was uncomfortable and divided on the moral principle of own
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