LEARNING ACTIVITY

American revolution

POLITICAL American preparation of the Philippines for

democratic self-government suffered from an
inherent contradiction, perhaps not recognized at the
time. Transferring governmental responsibility to
those capable of undertaking it was not consistent
with building a social and economic base for
political democracy.

Rizal’s time was deemed to be the

height of the maladministration of Spain
and its decay that obscured the
Philippine skies.

In this period the colonies first rejected

the authority of the British Parliament to
govern without representation, and
formed self-governing independent
states.

SOCIAL
The American Revolution had in a way
inspired Filipino reformists like Rizal to
aspire for freedom and independence.

Educational policy was the only

successful U.S. effort to establish a
sociocultural basis for political
democracy.

The Filipino people suffered intensely

beneath the bondage of Spanish
misrule for they were ill-fated victims of
the evil, injustices, prejudices and
sudden collapse of colonial power.

The abuses and injustices made by the

Spanish officials were as follows…

• Instability of Colonial
Administration

• Corrupt Spanish Officials

• No Philippine Representation to
the Spanish Cortes

• Human Rights Denied to the

Filipinos

• No Equality before the law

• Mal-administration of Justice

• Racial Discrimination
ECONOMICAL

Indirectly, the American Revolution had

in a way inspired Filipino reformists like
Rizal to aspire for freedom and
independence. When the Philippines
was opened by Spain to world trade in
the 19th century, liberal ideas from
America borne by ships and men from
foreign ports began to reach the
country and influenced the ilustrados.

American attempts to create equality of economic

opportunity were more modest and less successful.
In a predominantly agricultural country the pattern
of landownership is crucial.