GROUP 2

THE AMERICAN PERIOD

I. THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES (DALUMPINES)
The Commonwealth of the Philippines was the administrative body that governed the
Philippines from 1935 to 1946, aside from a period of exile in the Second World War from
1942 to 1945 when Japan occupied the country.

It replaced the Insular Government, a United States territorial government, and was
established by the Tydings–McDuffie Act. The Commonwealth was designed as a
transitional administration in preparation for the country's full achievement of
independence.

II. AMERICAN HERITAGE (ALCANSARE)

PHILIPPINE LIFE changed tremendously as an American colony. Before, the
Filipinos had priests, pasions, chorizos, and pabitins. During the American era, we had
teachers, Bibles, hot dogs, cars & basketball. Until now, we are still influenced a lot by
our American heritage.

The Bible and Religious Freedom

 This was the greatest legacy of America.
 The Filipinos became free to choose their own religion.
 They were allowed to have and to read the Bible.
 Other Christian churches were allowed—Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalians,
Pentecostals, etc.
 Another Christian denomination, the Philippine Independent Church
(Aglipayanism) were started by Isabelo de los Reyes & Gregorio Aglipay.
 Another Christian denomination, the Philippine Independent Church
(Aglipayanism) were started by Isabelo de los Reyes & Gregorio Aglipay.
 The Muslims & mountain tribes were no longer treated as enemies of the
government, but as friends and true Filipinos also.
 New religions and cults that did not believe in Jesus as both man & God were
started.
 Iglesia ni Cristo (uses the name of Christ but doesn’t believe in Jesus as
God) was founded by Felix Manalo in 1914.
 The most important religious change was the open distribution and reading of the
Bible, Gospel tracts, & Christian literature.

TRAINING IN DEMOCRACY
Democracy - “Government of the people, by the people, for the people”.
• The Americans allowed us to practice democracy as a colony under their
protection.
• If it weren’t for the Americans, the Philippines might have split up into different
nations, with different governments for Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, the Muslims,
and mountain tribes—or, we could have fallen into the hand of Germany or other
colonial powers at that time.
• The Filipinos campaigned for independence in a peaceful and democratic way.
 • For the first time, we had free national elections, women voters, many political
parties, and religious freedom.
• The Philippines got its dream for independence in 1946.

FREE EDUCATION

• All children could study in schools. Even the brightest children from poor families
could go as far as university and many of them became professional doctors,
nurses, lawyers, engineers, & teachers.
• Boys and girls could study together in the same schools and colleges because Co-
Ed/ Co-education was allowed.
• The first teachers were the soldiers. Soon after the fall of Manila in Aug. 1898, 7
schools were opened in the city which were run entirely by American soldiers.
• The first batch of professional teachers came from the United States onboard the
U.S. army ship “Thomas.” The first teachers were called the “Thomasites.”
• Hundred of Filipino scholars (pensionados) were sent to the United States on free
government pensions. They studied in American colleges & universities.

BETTER HEALTH

• The Philippines led other Asian nations in health and sanitation. The Filipinos
enjoyed better health & hygiene then.
• Epidemics of cholera, smallpox, and plague were wiped out. Tuberculosis, malaria,
typhoid, leprosy, and other diseases were also reduced. Hence, the death rate fell
and the population grew.
• The Philippine General Hospital in Manila and other hospitals in the provinces were
built by the government.
• Flush toilet was introduced.
• The Philippines became the healthiest country in Asia back then.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

 The most important language today.

 The only medium used in all schools.
 Became the official language of the government and in business.
 English names such as John, Bobby, Mary and Lily were adopted.
 It became fashionable to know English and Filipinos also began to use English in
their daily lives and in literature.

FREE PRESS

 Starting in 1902, we began to enjoy more and more freedom. By the 1930’s, the
Philippines had the most free press in Asia.
 Filipino journalists championed independence and reported freely about the
government which other Western colonies and Asian countries could not do.
 Many Filipinos started their own newspapers.
 Manuel Quezon and other leaders founded The Philippine Herald in 1920.
  The Graphic, owned by Ramon Roces, became the most-read weekly
magazine.
 There were also famous newspapers in the dialects and in Spanish.
 Sergio Osmeña founded Nuevo Dia in Cebu in 1900.
 Rafael Palma & Teodoro Kalaw both edited El Renacimiento, the most
controversial newspaper then.
 La Vanguardia, owned by Alejandro Roces Sr., was the most popular
Spanish daily.

DIET AND DRESS

• The Americans brought new types of food—cornflakes, oat meal, ham & egg
sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, mayonnaise, catsup, tomato, beef
steak, ice cream & bubble gum.
• Men began to wear trousers with belt & suspenders, polo shirts, & tennis
shoes.
• Women wear their hemlines shorter, dressed in fancy hats, shirt & blouse,
high-heeled shoes, silk stockings, & put on make-up.

DEMOCRATIC LIFE & SOCIAL CLASSES

• People greeted each other with the short “hi!.”

• People prayed the rosary & the angelus less as it was no longer fashionable to go
home when the church bells pealed at 6 p.m.
• Young people could then go out without a chaperon.
• We began to celebrate American holidays like the Fourth of July, Labor Day (May
1), Thanksgiving Day (Last Thursday of November), Halloween (Oct. 31), &
Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14).
• On Valentine’s, young men & women send Valetine cards to their loved
ones.
• Filipinos learned to treat each other equally.
• Anyone (rich or poor) could vote, enter politics, go to school, & practice profession.
• The Filipinos learned the dignity of labor & respect for the common tao.

WOMEN RIGHTS

• Filipino women enjoyed greater rights unlike the women in Asia, Latin
America & Europe.
• They were free to work in an office, study with men in co-ed schools,
and date without chaperones.
• They became doctors, lawyers, and scientists.
• The Filipinas were the first Asian women to vote and hold public office. They
won the right in 1937.
• Carmen Planas became the first woman councilor of Manila in 1937.
• Mrs. Elisa R. Ochoa of Butuan became the first congresswoman in 1941.
RECREATION

 Filipinos became conscious of their physical fitness and active recreation.

 Outdoor sport like baseball, football, volleyball, and calisthenics became popular.
 Physical education became part of the school curriculum.
 Boxing was also introduced and Pancho Villa became first filipino to win Fly-weight
boxing championship of the world.
 Basketball became the national sports
 New indoor games were introduced such as bowling, billiards & poker.
 We listened to the radio & went to Carnivals.
 Manila Carnival (1908) became a national event.

MOVIES & VAUDEVILLE

 The first moviehouse, Cine Rizal, was built in 1903 at Tondo.
 The Roces brothers pioneered other moviehouses, especially the Cine Ideal, at
Rizal Avenue.
 Edward Meyer Gross, an American army surgeon, made the first local film in 1912
entitled La Vida de Dr. Rizal which became an instant hit.
 Edward Meyer Gross, an American army surgeon, made the first local film in 1912
entitled La Vida de Dr. Rizal which became an instant hit.
 The vodavil (vaudeville) replaced the zarzuela and moro-moro in popularity.

MUSIC & DANCE

 Radios and movies helped to spread American songs and dances in the Philippines.
 Filipinos learned to croon popular hit songs from America, to play American jazz,
and to dance the charleston, boogie-woogie, and fox trot.

HOUSE
 The Americans brought new types of houses and constructions.
 Many accesorias (small apartments) catered for workers who flocked to the cities.
 New bungalows, chalets, two-storey concrete houses and earthquake-proof
buildings were built.
 Examples of American building that still exist today are the Manila Post Office
Building, the Philippine General Hospital, and the Philippine Normal College.

ART
 During the American era, rural landscapes and scenes from the ordinary life
became the new styles of painting.
 The famous painters for this era were Fabian de la Rosa, Fernando Amorsolo,
Emilio Alvero, and Victorio C. Edades.
 The most famous sculptor then was Guillermo Tolentino.
 The Bonifacio Monument at Grace Park, Caloocan and the UP Oblation
was made by him.
SCIENCE
 Modern science was introduced by the Americans in the Philippines and Filipinos
were trained to become good scientists.
 Various scientific organizations were established by the government and Filipino
scholars were sent to America to train.
  Among the Filipinos who contributed to the advancement of science were
Dr. Angel Arguelles, the first Filipino Director of the Bureau of Science;
Dr. Eliodoro Merado, leprologist; Dr. Miguel Calizares, noted surgeon;
Dra. Honoria Acosta, first woman doctor; Dr. Eduardo Quisimbing,
orchidologist; Dr. Joaquin Maralon, botanist; and Dr. Hilario A. Roxas,
zoologist.

AMERICAN BLOOD
 Many Americans married Filipino women, and Filipinos married American
women. The offspring of these marriages looked taller, fairer in complexion, and
were more energetic, practical, and progressive.
 Good American habits that were adapted by the Filipinos are: frankness,
practicality, hardwork, open-mindedness, and fairness.
 Some bad American habits that were adapted by the Filipinos are: being
materialistic, ruthlessness, rudeness, drunkenness, selfishness, lack of
patriotism or having “colonial mentality.”

III. THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR (BERDEGUEL)

The Spanish American War 1898 History On April 21, 1898, the United States declared
war against Spain following the sinking of the Battleship Maine in the Havana harbor on
February 15, 1898. The U.S. also supported the ongoing struggle of Cuba, Puerto Rico
and the Philippines for independence against Spanish rule.

This would be the first war fought overseas by the United States and it involved
campaigns in both Cuba and the Philippine Islands. The majority of Spanish-American
War soldiers were volunteers who originated from all over the United States for their part
in, as Secretary of State John Hay called it, a "splendid little war."

War began in Cuba in June when the Marines captured Guantanamo Bay and U.S. troops
landed at Siboney and Daiquiri, east of Santiago, Cuba. U.S. troops attacked the San Juan
heights on July 1, 1898. Dismounted cavalry troopers, including the African-American
Ninth and Tenth cavalries and the Rough Riders commanded by Lt. Col.
Theodore Roosevelt went up against Kettle Hill while the forces led by Brigadier General
Jacob Kent charged up San Juan Hill and pushed Spanish troops further inland while
inflicting 1,700 casualties.
The Spanish fleet guarding the Philippines was defeated by the U.S. Navy under the
command of Commodore George Dewey on May 1, 1898.
President McKinley authorized the assembling of troops in order to mount a campaign
against the capital of Manila not realizing Dewey's win. The war ended with the signing
of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898.

The war established the independence of Cuba, ceded Puerto Rico and Guam to the
United States, and allowed the US to purchase the Philippines Islands from Spain for $20
million.
The war cost the United States $250 million and 3,000 lives, 90% of whom perished from
yellow fever, typhoid fever and other infectious diseases.

Pennsylvania was one of the largest contributors of men during the Spanish American
War with almost 17,000 Pennsylvanians serving in the Pennsylvania Volunteers, and many
more in the Federal army and navy.

IV. THE BATTLE OF MANILA BAY (DALUMPINES)

On May 1, 1898, at Manila Bay in the Philippines, the U.S. Asiatic Squadron destroyed the
Spanish Pacific fleet in the first major battle of the Spanish-American war (April-August
1898). The United States went on to win the war, which ended Spanish colonial rule in
the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin
America.

On November 15, 1935, the Filipino people took the penultimate step to independence
with the inauguration of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.

Only two months prior, on September 16, a million Filipinos had trooped to the polls to
elect their two highest officials—the President and Vice President.

This was the first time in the history of the nation that a Filipino would finally sit as Chief
Executive and hold office in Malacañang Palace.

Senate President Manuel L. Quezon and his running mate Senate President pro tempore
Sergio Osmeña were elected as President and Vice President, while voters elected
representatives for the new unicameral National Assembly and for local positions.

V. THE COMING OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (GOLEZ)

The country that would become The United States of America started as a single colony
in Virginia - Jamestown. As the first successful colony of what would become 13 colonies
under Great Britain it is the humble beginning.

Over the next century more and more people came, not just English... but Scottish,
German, Dutch, French and Spanish settlers joined existing colonies or formed their own.
In time the colonies began to grow prosperous, and with that brought conflict.

The British Empire warred constantly with the rest of Europe, primarily with France, and
needed money to pay for these wars. The colonies had (to this point) escaped the
taxman's register but now they were asked to pay. Many colonists were unhappy... some
took it a step further.

When Parliament (the true power in Great Britain) refused to grant their requests for
representation, the colonies rebelled. Not all at once, and certainly not unified... but they
fought.
The British Empire responded as could be expected, bringing tremendous force to bear...
but it could only bring a fraction of its total power. The colonies were a side show to the
much bigger conflict in Europe.

The now formed America suffered many defeats... but eventually gained enough of a
victory at Saratoga to convince the French to join... and the French leveled the playing
field.

Soon the British realized that the colonies cost far more than they were worth, so in 1783
they made a deal. They gave the United States of America its freedom and recognized
it as an independent state. Thus the USA was born.

Representatives for the new unicameral National Assembly and for local positions.

REFERENCES:

PREPARED BY:

Marina Micah V. Berdeguel

Erwin Dalumpines
Joseph Golez
Loth S. Alcansare Jr.
BSINFO 1A