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Philippines was
named after Spain's King Phillip II. Ferdinand Magellan discovered the
country, and the missionaries introduced Christianity and attempted to
unify the many peoples and islands under a central government.
The
prosperity of the Philippines depended on the exchange of New Spain's (now
Mexico) silver for silk from China. Chinese entrepreneurs and Spanish
officials were lured to Manila for the prospect of wealth.
Intermarriages between Spaniards, and Chinese immigrants produced
mestizos and helped produce a distinctive new culture.
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In the 1700s, the
empire of Spain crumbled. Open trade was available and led to the
emergence of a local wealthy class. For its education, the wealthy class
went to Europe where liberal philosophies taught them the idea of
national identity.
In the 1860s, there was discontentment with the
Spanish rule. Jose Rizal started a peaceful reform under colonial rule
but was later executed. His death started a revolution under Andres
Bonifacio. In 1898, United States won the war against Spain, and the
Philippines declared its independence from Spain. Spain sold the islands
to the United States. Emilio Aguinaldo was the first president of the
Republic of the Philippines. |
