The Philippines Under Spanish Rule

Taft recommended that there be a civil government created within the Philippines, comprised of an elected legislative assembly. Under his administration, Taft was able to negotiate with congress to pass a bill that included a governor, an independent judiciary, and the legislative assembly.

“No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent. When the white man governs himself, that is self-government, but when he governs himself and also governs another man, that is more than self-government - that is despotism [rule by a tyrant].” In annexing the Philippines, we were being conquistadors, comparable to Spain, who we were fighting at the time. The Filipinos knew exactly what they were risking by trying to receive independence, they knew they may have been too weak to govern themselves. It is completely against the foundation of the US to seize freedom from another man. I believe the United States should have never annexed the Philippines without the Filipinos’ total consent.

Although the major government system of Mexico was maintained, some of the changes made to the government by the Spanish included the medieval concept of hierarchy and other local habits similar to that of Spain. The hierarchy arrangement was in the shape of a pyramid; the king, being at the top, had the power to command changes in extensive political matters. Following the king was the “Council of Indies”, appointed by the head and acted as supporting advisors. The audiencia or governors followed; this group included a cabinet, Supreme Court, and an appointed head that was responsible for dealing with minor issues such as complaints, state affairs, judiciary, etc. A Town Council or cabildo that was used was derived straight from the urban areas of Spain. The council was comprised of a mayor, town constable, treasurer, clerk, inspector of weights and measurers, surveyor, pageant master, etc, all of which had the title regidores meaning ‘members of the Council’. Small organized groups were established, each accountable for their own component in society, hence the Spanish can be credited for the reformed government that allowed a smooth way of life for the people.

The ending of the Spanish-American War left the United States with a controversial question. Many debates rose throughout the U.S. about whether the Philippine Islands should be annexed or not. The Philippines fought along side with the United States against Spanish to gain their independence. The annexation of the Philippine Islands would be unjustified and an act of tyranny. The decision done by the U.S. to annex the Philippines would rise uncertainty between the two countries.

During the 15th century, many considered Spain insignificant. However, within a century it became a world-dominant power in Europe. Although Spain only took a brief time to rise, it was also short-lived. The rise of Spain was due to its flourishing culture, stable political system and successful voyages to the New World. On the other hand, its decline was due to religious control, resistance from other countries and inflation.

In Victors and the Vanquished, Schwartz poses the question of “How can we evaluate conflicting sources” (ix)? Through reading historical events such as the “Conquest of New Spain” there is an undeniably large amount of destruction of cultural material and bias testimonies of events recorded several years after they occurred. After analyzing the Spanish Conquest of Mesoamerica there is a debatable amount of evidence from the Mesoamericans and Spanish explanations of this event in history. The intentions of each explanation created a conflict to historians, art historians and anthropologists on which viewpoint holds to accuracy. There is also the issue of not only inaccuracies, but the motives behind each bias account. As many of these aspects are taken into consideration, interpreting each justification between both sides of history in Mesoamerica as a clash of ethnocentrism between two different cultures that causes an uncertainty of what actually happened in history.

The U.S was right to annex them because then the Philippines got away from Spain. Spain did not treat the Philippines very well. Also the Philippines were not strong enough togovern themselves. They would soon have anarchy and misrule over there worse than Spain’s was (doc C).

The post spanish american war period was a time of many changes in the US physically and mentally. During this time period the United States showed many examples of expansionism like they had earlier in the creation of the country but it also showed that the country was attempting to depart away from imperialism somewhat. The mindset of the American government and public was similar to the mindsets of those that were before them after the revolutionary war. For example, we attempted to gain more land and resources such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and The Philippines these actions were close to how we pushed and took all the land of those who were in the area but it was also different because we did not force people out of the area we were attempting to control we just wanted more influence and control of that area.

“No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent.” Abraham Lincoln. (Document A). The United States did just this in 1898, when they annexed the Philippines. The Filipino people had been fighting for their independence against Spain for many years before the US intervened. The rebels, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, were grateful for the assistance. The Filipino people thought that the US had come to help free them from Spain. Unfortunately for the Filipino people, they were incorrect. On February 6, 1899, the United States of America annexed the Philippines, much to the disgust of the rebels in the Philippines and many people in America (including Mark Twain, Andrew Carnegie, and former President Grover Cleveland.) The reasoning behind this was partially for economic prosperity, thinking that the Philippines held the “secret route” to riches by being a trading partner and a jumping

would consent to be the civil governor of the Philippines. He took the position organizing civil

The bald red, white, and blue eagle of American Democracy is coming for you Phillipines, run while you can! Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, was so infatuated with the idea of democracy, and he wanted every country to have a little taste of American freedom! After America's victory in the Spanish American War, George Dewey and his 11,000 American troops marched into manila and were unsure whether to liberate or occupy the filipino people. Thinking the they were here to help, the Filipino rebels trusted the Americans, but were soon betrayed as Dewey decided to occupy the land. The United States had three choices to determine what they wanted to do with the Philippines: Give it back to Spain, Give the filipino people their freedom, or to annex the whole country itself. With much debate ranging from artists, influential citizens, and government officials, the US ultimately decided it would annex! The United States should not have annexed the Philippines but rather should have given them their independence. While others may think the annexation of the Philippines would have benefited them, what the Philippines really needed was

Administratos were respondsible for keeping order in communities and delivering tax receipts to the Cholas and other political authorities

1. Three arguments’ that Juan Gines de Sepulveda used to justify enslaving the Native Americans were for gold, ore deposits, and for God’s sake and man’s faith in him. 2. Three arguments that Bartolome de las Casas gave in attacking Spanish clonial policies in the New World were the Indians eating human flesh, worshiping false gods, and also, he believed that the Indians were cowardly and timid. 3. For comparisons that Sepulveda used, in lines 1-7, to express the inferiority of the Indians was their prudence, skill virtues, and humanity were inferior to the Spanish as children to adults, or even apes to men. Comparisons he used to dismiss the significance of the Indians

Lower down on the map of North America were the Spanish colonies. After Columbus discovered the New World, the Spanish Crown began governing the area. With the arrival of various explorers and colonizers like Columbus, there were rivalries for the land within the South. By the middle of the 1500s, Spain organized themselves politically and economically in the Southwest and the Spanish gained a tight hold on their land of New World. Until the 19th century, Spanish America was divided into viceroyalties and governed through a Council of the Indies in Spain. The viceroys were not just governors, they were the king of Spain’s representative and therefore, were treated as royalty. This system of “under-kings” was developed by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. He also organized judicial courts of appeal throughout the Spanish lands with appointed judges to ensure justice was dispensed throughout the New World, the King's rights were upheld, and that taxes were collected. There was a vast military presence in the Spanish colonies to protect them intrusion by other world powers (Politics in Spanish Colonization).

The Philippines was very lucky because our country was rich in natural resources. And that is the reason why many foreign countries had colonized our country.