Pinoy Historian Reacting to How the US Stole the Philippines 🇺🇸🇵🇭

Summary of YouTube Video: "but the heyday of the spanish empire came and went and by the 1800s it was kind of crumbling but it was the arrival of a new superpower that i believe had a bigger imprint not just on the philippines but on the u.s itself it established rules and behaviors that we still grapple with today and that's why this is the story of how the us stole the philippines"

Key Concepts:

• Pre-colonial Philippines (Mai, Tondo, Butuan, Luzon, Sulu)
• Spanish Colonization (1521 "discovery" vs. 1560s conquest, Sultanates of Sulu and Mindanao)
• U.S. Expansionism (Cuba, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, Micronesia)
• Spanish Cruelties vs. American Atrocities (Reconcentrados, Balangiga Massacre, Bud Dajo Massacre)
• Mock Battle of Manila (Admiral George Dewey)
• Treaty of Paris (20 million USD payment)
• Unincorporated Territories & Exploitation of Cheap Labor (Sugar industry, Filipino farm workers)
• World War II & Erasure of the Philippines (Pearl Harbor, Japanese Imperialism)
• Colonial Miseducation (Renato Constantino, "Pinoy baiting")
• Colonial Mentality

1. Pre-Colonial Philippines:

• The video's claim that "Mai" was the name of the entire pre-colonial Philippines is false. Mai was just one of many kingdoms.
• Mai was first mentioned in 971 during the Song Dynasty. Its location is debated (Mindoro vs. Luzon/Bai, Laguna).
• Other kingdoms included Butuan, Luzon, and Sulu, all with extensive relationships with China.
• The oldest recorded kingdom is Tondo in Luzon, documented in the Laguna Copperplate Inscription (year 900).
• The video's animation incorrectly places the Laguna Copperplate find in Mindanao; it was found in Luzon.

2. Spanish Colonization:

• The video incorrectly states that Spain conquered the Philippines exactly 500 years ago (from the video's release date). The "discovery" was 500 years ago (1521), but the conquest came later in the 1560s-1570s.
• Spain never fully conquered the archipelago. The Sultanate of Sulu and many sultanates in Mindanao remained independent until after the Philippine-American War.
• Early Spanish expeditions faced resistance, such as the Battle of Mactan (Lapu-Lapu) and the plot in Rajah Humabon's court in Cebu.

3. U.S. Expansion and the Spanish-American War:

• The U.S. did steal land to expand its borders, as shown by its treatment of Native Americans and Mexico.
• The U.S. was interested in both Cuba and the Philippines. Cuba was a major sugar producer, and the U.S. sought to dominate the sugar industry.
• The U.S. offered to buy Cuba from Spain before the Spanish-American War.
• The U.S. also seized the opportunity to take over Spain's other colonies, including the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
• Guam and Palau were technically part of Spanish colonial Philippines (Spanish East Indies).

4. Spanish Cruelties vs. American Atrocities:

• The Spaniards were cruel colonial masters, especially to those who resisted.
• The Americans exaggerated Spanish cruelties to justify their takeover.
• The U.S. committed similar, if not worse, atrocities than the Spanish.
• The U.S. implemented concentration camps, similar to the Spanish "reconcentrados."
• U.S. policies led to the genocide of Filipinos, with estimates of 1 to 3 million deaths in the early 1900s (Balangiga, Samar; Palapala, Pampanga; Bud Dajo, Sulu).

5. The Mock Battle of Manila:

• A fake battle was staged between the U.S. and Spain in Manila in August 1898.
• Filipino revolutionary forces were excluded from the deal.
• The Spanish preferred to surrender to the Americans rather than the Filipinos.
• Filipino revolutionaries had already liberated most of the Philippines from Spanish rule.
• There had been over 200 anti-colonial revolts against Spain since the late 1500s.
• The Sultanates of Sulu and Mindanao were never fully colonized by Spain.

6. The Treaty of Paris and U.S. Acquisition of the Philippines:

• Spain ceded the Philippines to the U.S. for $20 million.
• The U.S. forced Spain to accept the payment.
• Filipinos were excluded from the negotiations in Paris.
• Roxas Boulevard in Manila was originally named Dewey Boulevard after Admiral George Dewey.

7. Unincorporated Territories and Exploitation of Cheap Labor:

• The issue of import/exports and tariffs shaped the status of unincorporated territories.
• A major factor was the exploitation of cheap labor in these territories and within the U.S.
• The U.S. used a loophole in anti-Asian laws to bring in Filipino workers to Hawaii, Alaska, and California.
• Filipino farm workers were the dominant labor force in California agriculture up to the 1930s.
• Citizenship was denied to prevent Filipinos from gaining rights and to maintain a cheap labor force.

8. World War II and the Erasure of the Philippines:

• FDR's speech after Pearl Harbor omitted mention of the Philippines.
• This was partly due to racism and a desire to downplay the U.S. as an empire.
• Japan bombed Pearl Harbor to weaken the U.S. Navy and facilitate the invasion of the Philippines and Indonesia.
• Japan needed resources from Southeast Asia, particularly oil from Indonesia and minerals from the Philippines.

9. Colonial Miseducation and its Legacy:

• The speaker did not learn about these events in school, either in the U.S. or the Philippines.
• Education focused on the U.S. "saving" the Philippines, not the atrocities of the Philippine-American War.
• The Philippine-American War is often minimized as the "Philippine Insurrection."
• The U.S. implemented a massive education program to mold Filipino minds in favor of American interests.
• Renato Constantino called this the "miseducation of the Filipino."
• Colonial mentality is still prevalent in the Philippines and the diaspora.
• There is a tendency to seek foreign approval ("Pinoy baiting").
• There is often more doubt and hate when Filipinos share their own history compared to when a white journalist does.

10. Conclusion:

• It is important for Filipinos and Americans to learn about this history to understand the past and prevent future injustices.
• Recognizing these injustices is a step towards justice, and without justice, there can be no peace.