THE PHILIPPINE UNDER

AMERICAN RULE

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC.

The period of American colonialization of
the Philippines lasted 48 years.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.

America's involvement in the
Philippines started with a bang. On
the morning of May 1, 1898.
American troops
pose victoriously
on the ramparts of
Manila, circa 1899.
(photo: Library of
Congress) 
 When the Spanish-American War ended in December
1898, Spain sold the entire Philippine archipelago to the
United States for $20 million.
But in the purchase, the United States also had received control
over ancient Muslim sultanates still angry about the Spanish
takeover centuries earlier. 
How did Filipinos respond to American
colonization just after they had gained
independence from Spain?
Emilio Aguinaldo led the Filipino people in the rebellion
against the United States. The Filipinos used guerrilla
warfare tactics against the United States. The Americans
responded by putting people into “reconcentration
camps” and treating civilians and soldiers alike.
The United States, a newly formed anti-imperialist
movement protested the war as an act of criminal
aggression against the Filipino people.
"The Philippines are ours forever. We will not repudiate
our duty in the archipelago. We will not abandon our
duty in the Orient. We will not renounce our part in the
mission of our race, trustee under God, of the civilization
of the world."
Aguinaldo was captured in March 1901 and
eventually pledged allegiance to the United
States. The Philippine-American War was
declared to be over a year later.
Filipino insurgents, led by Emilio Aguinaldo 
(seated third from the right).
 To run America's new possession, President
McKinley implemented a policy of "benevolent
assimilation"
Filipino nationalists suspected the United States
of postponing independence indefinitely while
exploiting the islands' economic resources and
using their country as a military base. "10 years
of bitter deception."
 After independence in 1946, many
Americans chose to remain in the
Philippines while maintaining relations
with relatives in the US.
 America then held the Philippines until
granting full independence on July 4, 1946.
The
American
Influence
  •Norhanifah D. Untong
•Krizia Marie S. Tenchavez
 Religion

Because Spain controlled the Philippines so early and

for so long, they were a massive influence to the
modern Filipino culture. The biggest influence still
seen to this day is religion. The majority of religion
practiced in the Philippines is still Roman Catholic, at
79.5%.
 Free Education

Americans introduced the idea of free education to

the Philippine islands. The United States even sent
teachers to help establish schools where the Filipino
children could have a free education. A large group of
these teachers were called “Thomasites,” named after
the boat that they came on, called Thomas.
 During this time, English began to
be taught in the schools, and this is
English the language that the teachers
would use. Even today, most
Filipinos can’t help but mix in
English words when they speak.
“Taglish” has literally become part
of the culture. In fact, English is
now the 2nd national language.
Lots of English words have made
their way into the Tagalog
language. 
 Clothing
Here are a few types of clothing that America introduced to the
Filipino culture: 
• Belts 
• Suspenders 
• Polo shirts 
•  Tennis shoes
• Short skirts/dresses 
• Bonnets/hats 
• High heels               
 Food
Here is a list of some of the food that Americans introduced to
the Philippines that have been widely adopted into their
lifestyle:

• Chewing gum 
• Hamburgers 
• Mayonnaise
• Sandwiches 
•  Hot do
• Oatmeal
 Emancipation of woman 

-Study in universities.
 -Acquire higher education
 -Choose and practice any
profession. 
-Participate in politics
 -Vote and be voted for public
office .
 SCIENCE

-Modern techniques and research in medicine, Pharmacy,

Biology and other sciences and technology.
 -National research council.
 FINE ARTS

-Modern schools, Theaters, Hotels, Stores, Houses with

American architectural lines. 
-Buildings with elevators, Air-conditioning system, and
electrical gadgets.
 The Philippines
Under Japanese
Military

Desiree Temario
In December 1941, Japanese military forces landed on the island of
Luzon in the Philippines, a US territory.

Ten hours earlier, Japanese warships and airplanes launched a

searing attack on Pearl Harbor that also caught the US by surprise.

During that attack, many US warships and aircraft were destroyed.

The attack on Pearl Harbor triggered the US' declaration of war on

Japan.
Japan had long prepared to attack the Philippines. Before the
invasion, thousands of Japanese fifth columns or spies came to
the Philippines as “traders” or even street sweepers. But when
war broke out, these Japanese spies immediately wore their
military uniforms to the great surprise of the Filipino people.

World War II records show that the American and Filipino

troops fought back when the country was invaded, but they were
no match to the well-prepared and superior Japanese forces. 
Manila quickly surrendered, and a military government
was installed on 3 January 1942. Filipinos mounted a
vigorous guerrilla offensive and organized a resistance
movement to oppose Japanese military rule. The Japanese
forces waged a cruel campaign in an attempt to suppress
the guerrilla opposition. Of the 381 cases of Class B
and Class C war crimes brought before post-war military
tribunals in the Philippines, almost half involved
massacres of local civilians (138 cases) or rapes (45 cases).
Also in parts of the Philippines occupied by
the Japanese military, according to victims'
testimonies, a number of women were raped and
abducted through violent means to garrison
buildings, then confined there and forced to provide
sexual services. Such victims can be thought of
as equivalent to comfort women. In many of these
cases, their fathers or husbands killed in front of the
women and their other family members.
 Strength 

● 129,435 ● 151,000 troops

troops ●108 tanks
● 90 tanks ● 277 aircraft
● 541 aircraft
 Casualties & Losses
● US estimate:
     17,000–19,000
●Japanese source: ● 7,000 killed or wounded
        11,225 ● 10,000–12,000 dead of
disease

● 4,130 killed ● Philippines estimated:

       146,000
● 287 missing ● 25,000 killed
● 6,808 wounded ● 21,000 wounded
● 100,000 captured
The Battle Against Oppressors in
the Philippines
Battle of Manila (1899)
[55 killed 204 wounded238 killed 306 captured]
• The Battle of Manila (Filipino: Labanan sa Maynila; Spanish: Batalla
de Manila) was fought between 19,000 American soldiers and 15,000
Filipino armed militiamen on February 4–5, 1899, and was the first
and greatest battle of the Philippine–American War. When American
troops, under orders to keep insurgents away from their
encampment, opened fire on an encroaching group of Filipinos,
armed conflict ensued. A truce were attempted the Philippine
President Emilio Aguinaldo, but it was rejected by American General
Elwell Stephen Otis, and battle resumed the next day. Although
minor skirmishes continued for several days afterward, it fight ended
in an American victory.
In the Filipino forces General Aguinaldo sought occupancy of a line of blockhouses on the
Zapote Line, which had formed the Spanish defensive perimeter, after the Spanish
surrendered Manila to American forces in 1898. General Otis first objected, but then stated that
he would not oppose until higher authority overruled him. Around 20,000 Filipino troops
were thought to be surrounding Manila at the time, with their distribution and exact
composition unclear.

In the American forces Around 800 commanders and 20,000 enlisted troops made up the US
Army forces. 8,000 were stationed in Manila, while 11,000 were stationed on a defensive line
inside the Zapote line. The rest of the American forces were stationed in Cavite or on vessels
off the coast of Iloilo.
The Filipinos remained in their trenches, caught off
guard by the abrupt explosion, and exchanged fire
with the Americans. A Filipino battalion launched a
charge against the 3rd US Artillery, routing a
company of American soldiers and briefly capturing
two artillery pieces. Because their generals had gone
home for the weekend, the Filipino troops were
caught off guard and without a leader. The American
forces, on the other hand, were prepared and only
needed to follow pre-planned procedures. Brigadier
General Arthur MacArthur ordered an American
advance the next day. 
• The Filipinos hoped that a popular
insurrection in Manila would split
American soldiers and disrupt supply
lines. Despite the fact that some fires
were ignited inside the city, there was
no major revolt because the Provost
Guard, led by Provost Marshal Brig.
Gen. Robert Patterson Hughes, rapidly
put out any disturbances. However,
several small units of Philippine
soldiers who were not part of the
routed force fought the Americans on
the outskirts of Manila for several
days until being pushed out.
Battle of Manila (1945) 
[35,000 US troops 3,000 Filipino guerrillas12,500 sailors
and marines 4,500 soldiers]
{the bloodiest battle in the Philippine}
The Engagement of Manila (Filipino: Labanan sa Maynila; Japanese: ; 3
February – 3 March 1945) was an important battle of the Second World
War's Philippine campaign in 1944–45. It was fought in Manila, the
Philippines' capital city, by soldiers from both the US and the Philippines
against Japanese troops. The month-long struggle, which claimed the lives
of nearly 100,000 civilians and left the city completely destroyed, was the
worst urban warfare in the Pacific theater. Japanese military murdered a
large number of people.
On 9 January 1945, the Sixth U.S. Army under Lt. Gen. Walter
Krueger waded ashore at Lingayen Gulf and began a rapid drive
south in the Battle of Luzon. On 12 January, MacArthur ordered
Krueger to advance rapidly to Manila.  The 37th Infantry
Division, under the command of Major Gen. Robert S. Beightler,
headed south.

On January 31, Lt. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger's Eighth United

States Army, which included Col. Robert H. Soule's 187th and
188th Glider Infantry Regiments and elements of Maj. Gen.
Joseph Swing's US 11th Airborne Division, landed unopposed at
Nasugbu in southern Luzon and began moving north toward
Manila.
As the Americans approached Manila from several angles, they discovered
that the Imperial Japanese Army troops protecting the city had been
ordered by General Tomoyuki Yamashita, commander in head of Japanese
Army forces in the Philippines, to retire to Baguio. Yamashita intended to
wage a coordinated assault against Filipino and American forces in
northern Luzon in order to purchase time for defenses against the
impending Allied invasion of the Japanese home islands.Yamashita did
instruct Shimbu Group commander Gen. Shizuo Yokoyama to demolish all
bridges and other important installations before fleeing the city as soon as
any substantial American forces appeared. Although nominally part of the
Shimbu Army Group, Rear Admiral Sanji Iwabuchi, commander of the
Imperial Japanese Navy's 31st Naval Special Base Force, was resolved to
wage a last-ditch battle in Manila.
• General Oscar Griswold pushed portions of the XIV Corps south from Santo
Tomas University, heading towards the Pasig River. On the 4th of February, late
in the afternoon, he ordered the 2nd Squadron of the 5th Cavalry Regiment to
seize Quezon Bridge, the only crossing over the Pasig not destroyed by the
Japanese. As the squadron approached the bridge, powerful machine guns from
a solid roadblock erected across Quezon Boulevard opened fire, forcing the
cavalry to halt their advance and withdraw until dusk. The Japanese blew up
the bridge as the Americans and Filipinos retreated. The 37th Infantry Division
arrived in Manila on February 5th, and Griswold divided the northern half of
the city into two sectors, with the 37th in charge of advancing to the south and
the 1st Cavalry Division in charge of an envelopment to the east. By 6 February,
the Americans had taken control of the northern bank of the Pasig River, as well
as the city's water supply at the Novaliches Dam, Balara Water Filters, and San
Juan Reservoir.
The Memorare-Manila 1945 Foundation dedicated the
Shrine of Freedom on February 18, 1995, to honor the
memory of the approximately 100,000 civilians died
in the fighting. It's also known as the Memorare
Manila Monument, and it's located in Intramuros'
Plaza de Santa Isabel.