POSITION PAPER

GROUP 2
Rizal: An American Made Hero
The concept of “Hero” brings different ideas to our mind. In this generation, heroes often refer
those who protect the people and the state against enemies of peace, thus the soldiers. There are also the
modern heroes who sacrifice their lives and leave their loved ones behind for the sake of a better future
for their families and for the country, thus the OFW. But more recently, heroes include those who actively
help us in the fight against the unseen enemy – COVID19. These are the medical frontliners, the military
safekeepers, even the food transport and government workers who attend to the needs of the quarantined
public during the pandemic.
The concept of “National Hero”, however, brings to mind immediately the name of José Protacio
Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, also known as Dr. Jose Rizal. He is known to be a great man who
fought for our freedom, who used his knowledge to create written masterpieces to communicate his
sentiments to the readers and helped to unite his countrymen during Spanish time. Many years have
passed and a lot of historians and experts have researched about Dr. Jose Rizal just to prove that he was
worthy enough to be called our Greatest National Hero. But from these researches a lot of controversies
have surfaced to criticize Dr. Jose Rizal. One significant issue is the claim that Dr. Jose Rizal was an
American made hero.
In this paper we will discuss whether or not Dr. Jose Rizal is deserving to be named our national
hero, whether or not Rizal was a creation of the American colonizers in order to provide for the Filipinos
a symbol of heroism. The aim of this paper is to give clarity to this claim and help us understand the
arguments to support or disprove it, and hopefully serve to break the issue once and for all.
One hundred and twenty-four years after Jose Rizal was sentenced to death by the Spanish
colonial regime, controversy still rages as to whether he was an American made hero or not. Rizal has an
enormous impact on the Filipino generations. How it is viewed may help define the course of our history.
According to Chua (2019), the historian Renato Constantino noted in his Rizal Day Lecture on the 30 th of
December 1969, headed "Veneration Without Understanding," that it was American Governor General
William Howard Taft who proposed the naming of a national hero for Filipinos to the Philippine
Commission in 1901.
On a later date, Act No. 346 was passed by the US-sponsored committee, which set the
anniversary of the death of Jose Rizal as a 'day of observance.' One of the arguments raised by
Constantino was that Rizal was a hero supported by America. The implication in the minds of many was
that Rizal was "created" by the Americans as "the" National Hero, or Rizal was made a hero by the
Americans. In his book, "Between Two Empires," Constantino cites Theodore Friend as saying that Taft
preferred Rizal as a model hero over other rivals, Aguinaldo, Bonifacio and Mabini, with other American
colonial officials and some conservative Filipinos.
Rizal’s bravery and courage are best demonstrated through his deeds, not through his words. He
never swerved from any course of action which he considered necessary and proper regardless of
consequences to himself. Rizal’s love and pride for our country are what pushed him to fight for social
reconstruction. His name is beyond every Filipino’s mind. But the question is “Is Rizal an American
Made Hero?” In 1901, Rizal “had become Philippine National Hero” under the United States colonial
government of Civil Governor William Howard Taft. Also, Renato Constantino argued that Rizal was an

This study source was downloaded by 100000821396206 from CourseHero.com on 04-02-2023 21:12:19 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/76267182/GROUP2-American-Made-Herodocx/
 American-sponsored hero, citing without any documentary proof, an alleged Philippine Commission
meeting when the American colonial government chose Rizal as the foremost national hero because he
was non-violent and reformist, unlike Bonifacio or Aguinaldo. In 2015, according to the NCCA or
National Commission for Certifying Agencies, the Philippines has no official national hero since there is
“no law, executive order or proclamation” enacted officially and explicitly proclaiming any Filipino
historical figure as a national hero. Before the colonization of Americans in the Philippines and before the
declaration of Rizal as a hero, Rizal was already a hero to many Filipinos.
The basis for naming Rizal as the Filipinos’ national legend by the American organization was
verbalized by US Governor-General W. Cameron Forbes in his book, “The Philippine Islands,” moreover
cited by Constantino. Forbes wrote: “It is famously legitimate that Rizal ought to have gotten to be the
recognized national legend of the Philippine individuals. Rizal never pushed for independence, nor did he
advocate equipped resistance to the government. He encouraged to change from inside by reputation, by
open education, and offer to the public conscience.” In point of fact, it was merely the Filipinos and not
the Americans who chose Rizal as their national hero. The Revolutionary President Emilio Aguinaldo of
the First Philippine Republic first assigned Rizal as a national hero, not Taft, and the Second Philippine
Commission.
Rizal is not particularly American made hero; he was the choice of many Filipinos even during
that time. American is indeed in favor of Jose Rizal among other contestants. As Constantino cites a 1946
Philippines Free Press article saying that Civil Governor William Howard Taft suggested at a meeting of
the Philippine Commission in 1901 to Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, Benito Legarda, and José de Luzuriaga,
“And now, gentlemen, you must have a national hero.” Along with American Colonial officials were
conservative Filipinos who chose him as the hero.
Ambeth Ocampo, a historian, declared that when he checked the voluminous Philippine
Commission reports, that consists of all the detailed meetings of the commission, the meeting did not
happen, it was not there. It was also noted that there was no law that the Americans declared Jose Rizal as
the official National Hero of the Philippines. Furthermore, according to Felice Prudene Sta. Maria’s in
Excelsis: The Mission of José P. Rizal and Ambeth Ocampo’s Rizal Without the Overcoat books. It can be
summarized that before the occurrence of the Philippine-American War, where Americans had not
occupied the Philippines, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, the president of the Philippine Revolutionary
Government had proclaimed December 30, 1898, as the first Rizal Day, in honor of him. He mandated
that day as mourning in which offices and business shall be closed. Lastly, the Katipunan recognized
Rizal and just solely the word, as the password of their highest order of membership. This just proves how
many Filipinos recognized Rizal as a hero that even Andres Bonifacio translated Rizal’s “Last Farewell”
to Tagalog and passed it to inspire the revolutionaries. During that time the revolution of the Filipino
people won us our own freedom after 333 years. This just proves that Filipinos even before had
recognized Rizal as the hero, as he had inspired the Filipinos to fight for our country’s freedom. He was in
the heart of the Filipinos as they fight for our country.
To sum up everything, our group believed that Rizal's controversy about being an American-made
hero is not verifiable based on the facts and shreds of evidence given. For the reason that even ages ago,
we, Filipinos, had already set to our minds and hearts, even if it is not yet officially declared, that Dr. Jose
Rizal is indeed our national hero. The claims and arguments of various Filipino historians proved that
this belief was accurate as they protest that even before American colonization occurred and Gen. Howard
Taft endorsed him, the former President of the Philippines, Emilio Aguinaldo, had already asserted Rizal
as a national hero.

This study source was downloaded by 100000821396206 from CourseHero.com on 04-02-2023 21:12:19 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/76267182/GROUP2-American-Made-Herodocx/
 References
Chua, M. (2019, July 19). Did the Americans make Rizal a hero? Retrieved November 07, 2020, from
https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/07/20/opinion/columnists/did-the-americans-make-rizal-a-
hero/586664/
Almario, M. (December,2011). Rizal: ‘Amboy’ or home-made hero? Retrieved November 08, 2020 from
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/120015/rizal-%E2%80%98amboy%E2%80%99-or-home-made-hero
Garcia H. (2019, June). Was Rizal an American Sponsored Hero? Retrieved November 08, 2020, from
https://philippinereporter.com/index.php/2019/06/14/was-rizal-an-american-sponsored-hero/
Selection and Proclamation Of National Heroes And Laws Honoring Filipino Historical Figures. (n.d.),
Retrieved November 08, 2020, from https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-
profile/selection-and-proclamation-of-national-heroes-and-laws-honoring-filipino-historical-
figures/#:~:text=1.1%20Decree%20of%20December%2020,victims%20of%20the%20Philippine
%20Revolution.

This study source was downloaded by 100000821396206 from CourseHero.com on 04-02-2023 21:12:19 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/76267182/GROUP2-American-Made-Herodocx/
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)