War and Revolution

In the latter half of the 19th century a strong nationalist feeling developed in the Philippines. The opening of the Suez Canal and growth of steam transportation increased the country's foreign contacts. Revival of trade created a middle class. Domination of the government by the friars aroused bitter resentment among the Filipinos, and demands for reform became demands for independence. Many Filipino nationalists, of whom the writer José Rizal was the most prominent, were exiled by the Spanish authorities. Rizal had organized an opposition group and the Spanish authorities arrested him and exiled him to Mindanao in 1892. Shortly afterwards, a secret society, the Katipunan, was founded to carry on Rizal's struggle.

In 1896 an armed rebellion started under the leadership of General Emilio Aguinaldo. Although not involved in the rebellion, Rizal was a symbol of Filipino nationalism and was put to death by the Spanish, thus becoming a martyred hero. Aguinaldo appealed to Commodore George Dewey of the U.S. Navy for support in overthrowing Spanish rule. When the Spanish-American War began in 1898, Dewey sailed at once for Manila Bay. He destroyed the Spanish fleet, and three months later Manila was occupied by United States forces. In December the Philippines were ceded to the United States by Spain.

The Filipino revolutionaries, denied immediate independence, turned against the United States, beginning what came to be known as the Philippine Insurrection. Aguinaldo was captured in 1901; the insurrection ended the next year.