AMERICAN COLONIAL RULE: POLICY AND

GOVERNANCE
(1899 – 1907)

THE MILITARY RULE

After the Manila fell into the hands of the Americans, the country was administered
by the President of the United States through the military.
President McKinley - ordered the military commander General Wesley Merritt,
to establish a military government in the Philippines with Merritt as the first military
governor.
August 1898, he was ordered to go to Paris to testify before the peace
commissioners regarding the condition in the Philippines. Merritt was succeeded by
General Elwell Otis as military governor. Otis remained in his post up to May 1900, and
was succeeded by General Arthur MacArthur who governed until May 1901.
The Military governor as representative from the United States in the Philippines
exercised the wide powers which included the executive, legislative and judicial.
In 1899, the military governor was divested of his judicial powers, which were transferred
to the judiciary.
In 1900, his legislative powers were transferred to the Philippine Commission,
and by 1901, his executive power was established.
Baliwag, Bulacan – was the first town under the American colonial rule to hold local
elections on May 7, 1898.
It was also the military government that introduced the public school system
in the Philippines with some soldiers acting as teachers.

AMERICAN POLICY IN THE PHILIPPINES

There was no mistaking the fact that McKinley wanted the entire Philippines for the United
States.
Mckinley
- created what is now known as the first Philippine Commission. This was called
Schurman Commission, named after its chairman, Dr. Jacob Gould Schurman,
President of Cornell University in New York.
- issued hi “Instructions”. These instructions clearly indicated that the authority of
the United States should be extended all over the Philippines in a peaceful manner.
- it was also instructed to “secure” with the least possible delay, the benefits
of a wise and generous protection of life and property.” as well as to respect
the customs and traditions of the Filipinos. The Commission was enjoined to
tell the Filipinos about America’s just benevolent” intentions.
THE PHILIPPINE BILL OF 1902
In 1902 the U.S Congress passed a law known as the Cooper Law or the Philippine Act
of 1902.
- The law boosted Governor Taft’s Administration. This law approved all the acts of the
President of the U.S relative to the Philippines. It also provided for a bill of rights
which guaranteed Filipinos the right of free speech, free press and freedom.
- Executive departments were provided for, such as the Department of Commerce
and Police, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Finance and Justice
and the Department of Public Instruction.
- The Filipino people were also given the right to send two representatives, known as
resident commissioners, to the U.S Congress so they could work for the interest
of the Philippines in that body.
- they could vote
- one of the important provisions of the Cooper Act was establishment of a Philippine
Assembly to be run by Filipino two years after peace and order had been
proclaimedthroughout the Philippines by the President of the U.S.\

POLITICAL PARTIES
As part of the preparations for the election of members to the First Philippine Assembly,
some measure of freedom was given to the Filipinos, for example, they were allowed to
form political parties as long as their platform was not based on independence.
Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera
- was allowed to form the first officially recognized political party in the Philippines.
- he founded the Federal Party whose platform was based on the annexation of the
Philippines as one of the states of the U.S of America. Filipinos who opposed this platform
founded the first Nacionalista Party (1901), The Liberal Party (1902), The first
Democrata Party (1902), and others. These political parties ran on the platform of
independence.
In 1907 – the Federal Party which favored Amercian rule, changed its name to
Progresista Party, two political parties favoring independence decided to merge.
The merger becomes the Nacionalista Party.
o This party was led by young lawyers like Sergio Osmeña of Cebu and Mauel
L. Quezon of Tayabas.
o Became popular because of its platform on the immediate granting of
independence. This showed that some Filipino politicians remained
proindependence despite the collaborationist stand of others such as Fedealistas
or Progresistas.

THE FIRST PHILIPPINE ASSEMBLY

The Philippine Assembly, which was to become the Lower House of the Legislative
body of the country and the Philippine Commission being the Upper House, was
inaugurated in the Opera House at Rizal Avenue on October 16, 1907. William H. Taft,
then Secretary of War, was the guest speaker. In his speech he said inpart;
The avowed policy of the national administration under these two Presidents
(Mckinley and
Roosevelt) has been and is to govern the islands, having regard to the interest and
welfare of the Filipino people..the policy looks to the improvements of the people both
industrially and in self-governing.

The Assembly elected its officers where, Sergio Osmeña, who was only twenty-
nine years old then, was elected Speaker, while Manuel L. Quezon was elected Majority
Floor Leader. With the inauguration of the Assembly, the lawmaking body of the
Philippines was divided into two: The Upper House composed mos

THE WORK OF THE ASSEMBLY

Under the table leadership of Speaker Osmeña, the Assembly outlined its
activities based on the following goals:
1. Cooperating with the U.S on the basis of mutual respect.
2. Making the Assembly an instrument in achieving the autonomy an instrument in
achieving the autonomy of the Philippines
3. Passing of laws intended to hasten the economic, social, and political development of
the people
4. Substituting the oppressive policy of the past with progressive policies.

Among the achievements of an agricultural bank; the construction of new railway

lines, the installation of telegraph and telephone lines, the construction of school houses,
roads, bridges, and the irrigation canals; the creation of Bureau of Labor for the protection
of the laboring class; the establishment of the School of Fine Arts of the University of the
Philippines; and the establishment of the National Library.

THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM

One of the achievements of the American in the Philippines was the introduction of the
public school system. American system is democratic.
- The first school establish in Corregidor. After the Mock battle of Manila, schools were
established.
- In 1901, the Department of Public Instructions was established
- Thomasites - American teachers called, they were brought to the Philippines and sent
to different provinces of the country to teach Filipino children the English language. With
the Compulsory use of English as the medium of instruction, literacy rose.

PENSIONADO PROGRAM
The Pensionado program, which was inaugurated in 1903, sent Filipino students to the
U.S for higher education as government scholars. After four years of college and living
in America families, they returned to the Philippines as teachers, lawyers, engineers
and mostly as civil servants in the bureaucracy.
- They were also the most qualified persons to hold government positions from among
the Filipino upper class families. Some talented students from the lower class
THE POSITION OF WOMEN
Under the Americans, women were allowed to enroll in colleges and universities
established bt them. Thus, women studied to become teachers, pharmacists, dentist,
lawyers, physicians and scientists.
Their liberation from the drudgery of household work gave them the opportunity
not only to help their husbands, but also to contribute their expertise and knowledge to
benefit their families and countrymen. Women would also granted the right to vote and
run for public office by 1935.

THE IMPACT OF AMERICAN RULE

(1898 – 1935)

THE AMERICAN RULE – caused great marks ‘‘colonial mentally’’ and the materialistic
and individualistic ways among many Filipinos.

EDUCATION AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM

America’s greatest achievement in the Philippines was the introduction of the
PUBLIC SCHOOL SCHOOL

THE PUBLIC SCHOOL- were also secular in orientation.

AMERICAN SOLDIERS – the first American teachers.They treated the pupils kindly
and gave the pupils free books, pencils, and writing paper.

AMERICAN TEACHERS – called THOMASITES were more successful in the

campaign to educate the Filipinos.

DAY and NIGHT CLASSES – enrolled boys and girls of school age and even adults
who wanted to learn English.

1904 – theAmerican colonial government in the Philippines was able to send the first
group of Filipino Pensionados or scholars to the united states

These Filipino studied LAW, MEDICINE, ENGINEERING, EDUCATION, and other

professions.

1903 – when the first cencus was taken, the literacy was 44.2%.
1918– a second censuswas taken and rose to 49.2%.

UNIVERSITY OF STO. TOMAS – which continued to operate during the American

regime.

THE OLDEST UNIVERSITY FOUNDED UNDER THE AMERICANS:

1. SILIMAN UNIVERSITY in DUMAGUETE CITY
 2.CENTRAL PHILIPPINE UNVERSITY in ILOILO CITY
1908 – UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILLIPINES was founded in MANILA

PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE

American greatest achievements in the Philippines
Improvement of public health hand welfare
Before 1900 – the Filipino suffered from ravages of small pox,dysentery, tuberculosis,
cholera,malaria and other deadly diseases which killed thousands of people every year.
1901 – the Americans created the board of Public health, which later on became bureau.
AMERICANS–with the help of FILIPINO PHYSICIANS were fighting the ravages of
diseases, they also improved the Filipino diet.
They taught the Filipinos nutrition consisting of large amounts of all known vitamins
and minerals was introduced. As a result, the Filipino became healthier and taller.
1900 – the estimated height average of the Filipino was five feet and three or four
inches.
1902 – the average height may be estimated at five feet and six inches.
THE IMPROVEMENT IN TRADE AND INDUSTRY
The free trade relations between the Philippines and the United States led to artificial
prosperity.
1909 – Philippine exports amounted to 60.9 million pesos.
1910 – 1914 – it rose to 94.7 million pesos
1914- 1918- the amount exports further increased to 177.3 million pesos.
1925 – 1930 –the exports amounted to 297.9 million pesos.
1914-1918 – Philippine foreign trade enjoyed a favorable balance of trade.
IN INDUSTRY
- the Philippines also prospered under the Americans. COCONUT OIL MILLS,CIGAR and
CIGARETTE FACTORIES,ROPE FACTORIES,FISHING and FISH
SCANNING,ALCOHOL, DISTILLERIES and SUGAR CENTRALS were established
throughout the Philippines.
1929 – gold mining produced almost seven million pesos worth of gold.
1935 - the year of the commonwealth, it produced almost thirty-two million pesos
worth of gold.

TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION

1898 – when Spain was ousted from the Philippines by the Filipinos, the Philippine had
less than 2,000 kilometers of the road, increased to more than 20,000 kilometers when
the commonwealth was inaugurated.

DURING SPANISH PERIOD

-bridges and culverts numbered less than 3,000.In 1935,these more than 8,000.
RAILWAY LINE –was likewise extended.
In 1903- there were less than 200 kilometers of railway.
1935-it rose to more than 1,000 kilometers.
THE MANILA- DAGUPAN RAILWAY-founded during the Spanish period, was acquired
by the government and became the MANILA RAILROAD COMPANY.

DEMOCRACY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES

PRESIDENT MCKINLEY’S principles of American policy toward the Philippines
were rooted in the recognition of human rights as the foundation of any democratic
system.
The American regime recognized the equality of men before the law and the right of
every man to all the freedoms:

1. FREEDOM OF RELIGION
2. FREEDOM OF SPEECH
3. FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
4. FREEDOM OF COMPLAIN
5. FREEDOM TO CHANGE ONE’S DOMICILE

THE MALOLOS CONSTITUTION – provided for a bill of rights which recognized human
dignity and freedom.

POLITICAL PARTIES
When the Americans colonized the Philippines, they introduced many American
institutions.one of these was the system of political parties and elections.
1. The municipal election
2. The provincial elections
3. The national elections
1907 – first held to elect the delegates to the Philippine assembly, resulted in the
formation of political parties among the Filipino.

TWO PARTIES WHICH FILIPINO LEARNED FROM THE AMERICANS:

1. FEDERAL PARTY–which had a definite platform, which was to work for the
integration of the Philippines into the American Union.
2. NACIONALISTA PARTY – had a platform opposite that of the federal party
,namely ,immediate and absolute independence of the Philippines.

LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

One of the most lasting influences of the Americans in the Philippines was the
teaching of the ENGLISH LANGUAGE and the LITERATURE to the Filipinos.

MCKINLEY- ordered that the English language be made as the medium of instruction in
all public schools.

SOME OF THE FILIPINOS WHO WROTE IN ENGLISH DURING THE FIRST TEN
YEARS OF AERICAN RULE WERE:

JUAN F. SALAZARThey wrote poems,

2. MAXIMO M.KALAWessays
3. FRANCISCO M. AFRICAstories.
4. JUSTO JULIANO
5. BERNARDO P.GARCIA

FILIPINO STUDENTS LEARNED TO WORKS OF AMERICAN WRITERS AS:

1. LONGFELLOW
2. BRYANT
3. POE
4. WHITMAN
5. LANIER and many others

1935 – many Filipino writers in English had distinguished themselves in poetry, short
stories and essays.

TAGLISH – a combination of Tagalog and English, ENGALOG a combination of English

and Tagalog.

NEGATIVE RESULTS OF AMERICAN RULE

-Another effect of the American occupation was the BRAINWASHINGof the Filipinos
through the education system.

FILIPINO LEARNED THE AMERICAN FOOD LIKE:

1. HOTDOG
2. HAMBURGER
3. SANDWICH
4. CANDY and others

FILIPINOS OWN DELICACIES SUCH AS:

1. Suman
2. Puto
3. Matamissabao or ginaok
4. Pakaskas