1. THE MILITARY RULE
After manila fell into the hand of the
Americans the count was administered by
the President of the United States through
the military.
The president McKinley ordered The military
commander General Wesley Merritt to establish
a military government in the Philippines with
Merritt as the first Military governor
In August 1898 he was Ordered to go to
Paris to testify before the peace
commissioner regarding the condition in
the Philippines.
Merritt was succeeded by General ElweII 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
AMERICAN POLICY IN THE
PHILIPPINES
Toward the end of 1898 even before the
conclusion of the treaty of Paris American
policy regarding the Philippines was
already clear.
There was no mistaking the fact the McKinley
wanted the entire Philippines for the United
States
In order to help him formulate this policy
McKinley created what is now known as the first
Philippines Commission.
This was called the Schurman Commission
named After its chairman Dr. Jacob Gould
Schurman President of Cornell University in New
York.
For the Guidance of the schurman
Commission McKinley issued his
“Instruction.”
These instruction Clearly indicated that the
authority of the United states should extended all
over the Philippines in a peaceful manner.
The Commission arrived in manila in March 1899.
For this Purpose it interviewed the highly-
education and wealthy Filipinos the
ilustrados.
A month after its arrival the Commission
issued the following Recommendation to
implement American rule.
Immediately it countered a investigation into the
condition of the country.
THE SCHURMAN COMMISSION
(1) The enforcement of American sovereignty
over the entire Philippines
(3) Protection of the civil rights of the
Filipinos and ;
(4) the promotion of the welfare of the
Filipinos.
(2) Training for self-government of the Filipino
compatible with the maintenance of order and
with a wise just and economical administration of
public affairs ;
THE TAFT COMMISSION
The Taft commission was instructed by
McKinley in 1900 to establish a government for
the Filipinos and that the steps toward attaining
this goal should be in accordance with the
customs and traditions of the people.
Taft Commission introduced in the Philippines
the Free primary education that the English
Language should be used as the medium of
instruction.
To summarize American Policy with
regard to the Philippines was based on
President McKinley’s instruction to the
Schurman and the Taft Commission.
Taft Commission introduced in the Philippines
the Free primary education that the English
Language should be used as the medium of
instruction.
(Un-like the fact-finding Commission the
Taft Commission may be Described as an
organizing commission.
Early in March 1901 the Congress Of
the United States Passed the Army
Appropriations Act.
Senator John Spooner of Wisconsin
inserted an amendment in the
appropriations act which authorized the
president of the United States to establish
a civil government in the Philippines.
After the passage of the Army
Appropriations Act the administration of
the Philippines was passed on to the U.S
Congress.
On July 4 1901 the Civil Government was
inaugurated with William Howard Taft as
the first civil Governor.
RESISTANCE TO TAFT’S POLICY
Governor Taft realized the enormity of his
PROBLEMS particularly the peace and
order situation in the country. Not all the
provinces of the Philippines were pacified.
Guerrilla Fighting continued and reached its peak
in 1899 to 1900. in Luzon and in the Visayas the
Filipinos patriots were harassing the Americans.
The guerrillas Appeared Peaceful by day were
but at night they attacked the Americans
wherever they were found.
The guerrillas stopped fighting
when the problem of food
supply arose.
There was famine because
AGRICULTURE was neglected during the
war and due to Rinderpest that Killed 90
% of the country’s main farm animal the
Carabaos.
The period in fact saw the passage of
repressive laws like the Reconcentration
Act which provide for the zoning of the
inhabitants of a town known to have
“thieves and outlaws”.
According to James Blount (1913) section
17 of general orders 100 authorized the
military to starve unarmed and armed
native on order for them to immediately
recognize American military authority.
To further explain the
reconcentration policy of the
American Military Blount
mentioned :
To those not familiar with reconcentration
tactics it should be explained that
reconcentration means this : you notify by
proclamation and otherwise all person within
an area that on and after a certain day they
must all leave their homes and come within a
certain prescribed zone or radius of which a
named town as the center there to remain
until further order,. . . Rice found in the
possession of families outside the protected
zone,. . . Be moved with them to the town
(which was the protected zone) and that found
apparently cached for enemy’s use should
use confiscated and also necessary
According to Circular Order NO.19
issued on December 24, 1901
, “these rules were made in order to
make the existing condition of war
and martial law so inconvenient and
unprofitable to the people that they
will earnestly desire and work for
the reestablishment of peace and
civil government”.
Even before the fall of the Aguinaldo
government, many wealthy and
educated Filipinos were already
Collaborating with the enemy. Filipino
like Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera , benito
legarda Felipe buencamino Cayetano
Arellano and others were telling the
Schurman Commission that the Filipinos
were not prepared for self -government
BANISHMENT OF THE PATRIOTS
THE PHILIPPINE BILL OF 1902
In 1902 the U.S congress passed a law known
as the cooper law or the Philippines Act of
1902. the law boosted Governor Taft’s
Administration. This law Approved all the acts
of the President of the United States Relative
to the Philippines It also provided for a bill of
right which guaranteed Filipinos the right of
free Speech free press and freedom to petition
for the redress of grievances.
After the Proclamation the civil
Government under Taft decided to take
the census of the Philippines. March 2
1903 was declared as Census Day. This
was the First scientific the Spanish
Friars During the Spanish regimes was
deemed inaccurate and unreliable.
THE ELCTION OF 1907
In accordance with the cooper Act or the
Philippine Bill of 1902 the Filipinos could elect
delegates to the Philippines Assembly two
years after peace and order had been
Proclaimed in the Country. The Filipino
Political parties prepared for the coming
election to the Assembly. The issue presented
before the people was whether or not they
wanted immediate independence as
announced by the Nacionalista party or
eventual independence as proclaimed by the
Progresista Party.
THE FIRST PHILIPPINES ASSEMBLY
The Philippine Assembly which was to become
the Lowe House of the Legislative body of the
country and the Philippines commission being
the upper House was inaugurated in the Opera
House at Rizal Avenue on October 16 1907.
the Assembly Elected its officers where Sergio
Osmena who was only twenty-nine years old
then was elected Speaker while Manuel L.
Quezon was elected majority Floor Leader.
THE WORK OF THE ASSEMBLY
•Under the able leadership of speaker Osmena the
Assembly outlined its activities based on the following
Goals:
•(1) cooperating with the united States on the basis of
mutual respect.
•(2) Making the Assembly an instrument in achieving
the Autonomy of the Philippine
•(3) passing of laws in intended to hasten the
economic social and political development of the
people and
•(4) substituting the oppressive policy of the past with
progressive policies.
THE RESIDENT COMMISSIONERS
In compliance with the provisions of the
Philippine Act of 1902 the Philippine Assembly
Elected two Resident Commissioners to the
United States Congress. The first resident
commissioners were Pablo Ocampo (1907-
1909) and Benito Legarda (1907-1912).
Commissioner in 1909 to replace Ocampo. On
1912 manuel Earnshaw R. Yangco (19017-
1920) Jaime C. De Veyra ( 1917-1923) isauro
Gabaldo (1920-1928) pedro Guevarra (1923-
1925)
THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
One f the great achievement of the
Americans in the Philippines as the
introduction of the public school system.
Unlike Spain’s Education policy which
was good on paper but selective in
practice the American system Of
education was democratic.
In 1901 the Department of public Instruction was
established. At the same time normal school and
schools of arts and trade were also established.
PENSIONADO PROGRAM
The Pensionado program which was
inaugurated in 1903 sent Filipino student to the
United States for higher education as
government scholars. After four years of
college and living with American families they
returned to the Philippines as teachers layers
engineers and mostly as civil servants in the
bureaucracy. THAY WERE ALSO THE Filipino
upper class families some talented student
from the lower class were also included in the
program.
during the Spanish period the position of women
was relegated to the status of mere housewives
whose duties were to rear children and serve the
husband.
Under the Americans women were Allowed to
enroll n college and universities pharmacists
dentist lawyers physicians and scientists
Women would also be granted the
right to vote and run for public office
by 1935.
THANK YOU!