19th Century Philippines

as Rizal’s context
Presented by Group 1
“Man is partly the product of his time. His life and his
messages are affected by his environment and the event that
take place in the world he lives in.”

• 19th century was the era of challenges and responses.

• It is the period of major challenges that affects man and
society.
• Age of Enlightenment.
At the end of the chapter the learner should have :

• Analyzed various economic, social, political and cultural

changes that occurred in the 19th century.

• described the critical role played by the Chinese mestizos

and their status in the Philippine society and economy.

• Understood Jose Rizal in the context of his times.

 The Economic Background

Four historical elements:

1. The end of the galleon trade

2. Opening of the Suez Canal
3. Rise of the export of the crop economy
4. Established monopolies in the Philippines.
Economic Development
Before the Spanish Occupation our
Forefathers have already been trading
with the Chinese, Japanese, the
inhabitants of Siam, the Indians,
Cambodians and with the natives of
Borneo and Mollucas. When the
spaniards arrived the Spanish
government carried on the existing
trade relationships with this countries
for a period.
Galleon Trade
( Manila- Acapulco trade
• Connected the Philippines With Mexico for 250
years.

• It was a government monopoly of two trading ships,

one navigated from Acapulco for 120 days with
some 500,000 pesos worth of merchandise and the
other sailed from Manila to Acapulco for 90 days
with some 250,000 pesos worth of goods.

• Philippines sent mangoes, tamarinds, rice, carabao,

Chinese tea textile, tuba(coconut wine) to Mexico
while guava, avocado, papaya, pineapple etc. was
sent by Mexico to the Philippines
• This economic transaction was ended on September 14,1815 when Mexico gained its
independence from Spain and it was abolished because of the efforts of Valentin Delos
Santos our representative in Spanish Cortes (1810-1813)
Suez Canal
• It was an artificial way that connects the Red Sea and
Mediterranean Sea in Egypt.
• On November 17, 1869 afforded the Philippines and
Spain A relatively effortless maritime route for Spanish
trading.
• Started off an agreement between Ferdinand de
Lesseps, Cairo’s former French diplomat and the
Ottoman governor of Egypt in 1854 for the Former to
construct a 100-mile canal across the Isthmus of Suez.
• The construction commenced in April 1859 with forced
laborers digging by hand with picks and shovels.
European workers though with dredgers and steam
shovels later arrived.
• It decreased the travel time of Philippines to Spain
from 3 months to 32-40 days.
 Suez Canal
• Suez Canal was the first infrastructure that paved the way for the importation of
books, magazines and newspaper with liberal ideas from Europe and America. This
was instrumental to the political awakening of Rizal because he was able to expand
his perspective, therefore shaping his nationalist sensibilities.

• Jose V. Basco who became the first Governor-General to the Philippines under the
Bourbon reign arrived in the country in 1778 when the Galleon trade was failing
venture.

• The European industrialization and other countries in the West brought an

increased demand for raw materials which meant that the Philippines can take
advantage of its agricultural potential toward economic transformation.
• Basco’s economic program of developing and promoting agriculture in the country
in order to Transform the Philippines into a financially sufficient colony.
 Economic History: Opening the Philippines to the Worl
Commerce
• 1815-1830- The last Galleon arrived in Manila to Acapulco.
• 1834- Manila officially opened to the world commerce.
• The rise of Haciendas and the “cash-crop economy”.
• Expansion of export products in Europe to Suez Canal
(1869)
• The Philippines became a major exporter (sugar, tobacco,
coffee and abaca) and became well known in other parts of
the world.
• 1834-1873- Different Ports were opened; Sual (Pangasinan),
Iloilo, Zamboanga, Cebu and legazpi.
Rise of the Export of Crop Economy

• Some years after the end of the Galleon Trade,

between 1820 and 1870 the Philippines was well
on its way of developing an export crop economy
 Monopolies
Another main source of wealth during the post-galleon era was monopoly contracting
• Monopoly contracts were opened to foreigners who could be in charge of the
importation and sales.
• majority of the contracts were held by the Chinese.
• the tobacco monopoly positively raised revenues for the government all over
Asia and some parts in Europe.
• Negatively though, the monopoly brought about food shortages since the
planting of basic crops like rice, was somewhat neglected and abandoned.
• Finally abolished in 1882 because it prompted Filipinos to seek freedom from
colonial bondage
The social Background
• Education in the 19th century
• The rise of Chinese mestizo
• The Rise of the Inquilinos
 Education in the 19th Century
• School were established and run by missionaries.
• Aiming to convert the natives to catholic faith and make them obedient, the
colonial government and the Catholic Church made religion a compulsory
subject at all levels.
• The first formal schools were the parochial schools opened in their parishes
(an area that has its own priest or minister) by the missionaries.
• Aside from religion, the native children were taught reading, writing
arithmetic and some vocational and practical arts subjects.
 Education in the 19th Century
Latin was taught instead of Spanish.

College:
• Boys and Girls separated
• Included history, Latin, geography, mathematics and philosophy.
• 17th century when colleges and universities were opened (for Spaniards and
mestizos (those with Spaniards blood)
• 19th century started accepting native Filipinos. Did not earnestly teach
science and mathematics.
 Education in the 19th Century
• In 1863, a royal decree called for the establishment of a public
school system
• Church controlled the curriculum
• Previously exclusive for Spaniards and Spanish Mestizos. Limited
accommodation to natives, to wealthy Indio families
• As a result, a new social class emerged: Ilustrados. But despite their
wealth and education, were still deemed inferior. One of their aims
was to be in the same level with the proud Spanairds.
 Education in the 19th Century
• With the opening of Suez Cana, local took advantage to study abroad typically
in Madrid and Barcelona.
• Their nationalism and the thirst for reform bloomed in the liberal atmosphere.
• The new enlightened class would later lead the Philippines
independence movement, using the Spanish language as their key
means of communication. Out of this talented group of students came
Propaganda Movement. The most prominent of Ilustrados was Jose
Rizal.
 The Rise of Chinese Mestizo
• The rise of the mestizos were important element of the Philippines society
in the 19th century.
• The Chinese mestizo played an important part in the creation and evolution
of what is now called the Filipino nation.
• According to Fr. Jesus Merino, no matter how Malayan, it may be in its main
ethnic stock, no matter how Spanish and Christian, it may be in its
inspiration, civilization and religion, no matter how American it may be in
its politics, trade and aspiration has been historically and practically shaped,
not by the Chinese immigrant but by the Chinese mestizo.
 The Rise of Chinese Mestizo
• The development of commercial agriculture in the archipelago
resulted in the presence of a new class. Alongside the
landholdings of the church and the rice estates of the pre-
Spanish nobility, there emerged haciendas of sugar, coffee
and hemp, typically owned by enterprising Chinese-Filipino
mestizos.
• Chinese Mestizo are those Filipinos with Chinese blood either
on the paternal or maternal side. “ Jose Rizal is a Chinese
Mestizo”
 The Rise of Chinese Mestizo
This middle class included:
• The ilustrados who belonged to the landed gentry (upper or ruling
class) and who were highly respected in their respective towns,
though regarded as filibusteros or rebels by the friars.
• The relative prosperity of the period has enabled them to send their
sons of Spain and Europe for higher studies. Most of them later
became members of freemasonry and active in the propaganda
Movement.
• Some of them sensed the failure of reformism and radicalism and
looked up to Rizal as their leader.
 The Rise of the Inquilinos (tenant)
• Inquilinos system in the Philippines is better understood as the right to
use land in exchange for rent. Consequently, many estate turned
progressively to the inquilino system of land tenure.
• Inquilinos paid a fixed rent and the amount was determined by the size
and quality of the land being worked on. But with expansion of land
owned by missionary congregations (friar estates), the proportion of
farmlands leased to inquilinos also increased allowing many of them to
sub-lease parcels of their land to sharecroppers of kasamas.
• As friar states enlarged, outlining the boundaries that separated these
estates from communal lands became a common cause of conflict.
Political Landscape
 Liberalism
• A political philosophy based on belief in progress,
the essentials goodness of the human race, and
the autonomy of the individual and standing for
the protection of political and civil liberties.
Origins of 19th Century Liberalism
• The word was first used when the term was adopted
by the Spanish political party, the liberales in 1812.
• Liberalism usually encompasses the belief that the
government should act to alleviate poverty and other
social problems, but not though through radical
changes to the structure of society.
• General Carlos Maria De la Torre, a fierce liberal, brought liberalism in the
Philippines and was appointed to be Governor-General

• Philippine’s actual experience of Liberalism come from the “ first liberal

governor-general Carlos Maria De la Torre”. He was most beloved. His
liberal and democratic governance had provided Jose Rizal and the others
a preview of a democratic rule and way of life.

• Liberalism demanded representative government as opposed to autocratic

monarchy, equality before the law as opposed to legally separate classes.
• Radical modifications in government form were also
introduced by liberals in Spain. Other reasons were:
when the Philippines was opened to world trade in the
19th century, opening of the Suez Canal which eased the
importation of books, magazines, and newspaper with
liberal ideas from the west, which impacted local
reformists like Rizal ( the abbreviated route stimulated
the ilustrados like Rizal to pursue higher studies abroad
and learn liberal ideas in European Universities).
Impact of Bourbon
Reforms
 Bourbon Reform
• Were a set of economic and political legistation promulgated
by the Spanish Crown under various kings of the House of
Bourbon, mainly in the 18th century.
• The Bourbon Reforms have been termed “ a revolution in
government” for their sweeping changes in the structure of
administration that sought to strengthen the power of the
Spanish State.
• During the Bourbon Reforms, the Catholic Churches played a
major role especially in the vice royalties.
 Bourbon Reform
• The Reforms caused many religious tensions as well
as social tension. One of the major modifications in
the Bourbon Reforms was the expulsion of the
Jesuits.
• The legistation passed by the Bourbons did much to
reform the Empire, it was not enough to save it.
Cadiz Constitution
• In 1912, in the middle of occupation of almost all the Liberian
peninsula by the French army, a group of 300 deputies from
Spain, Spanish America and the Philippines promulgated a
liberal constitution in the Mediterranean port of Cadiz.

• Cadiz and the Constitution of 1812 was very important period

in the political and intellectual history of the Spanish-
speaking world and represent a major contribution to
Western political thought and practice during the Age of
Revolution.
• The Constitution of 1812 essentially established a
constitutional monarchy.

• The constitution of 1812 provided for a division

of government powers, consolidated and
updated the Spanish legal system, ensure civil
equality, and curtailed corporate privilege.
 Our Team

Joanna Mae Abrena

Princess Nicole Alcoy

Dionwill Jett Apayyo
Thank You!