NAME: JOSON, Jan Carlo C.

DATE: November 23, 2015

YR./SEC.: 2POL2

Philippine History

The end of three centuries of Spanish Rule in the Philippine brought about a new foreign
interest on our islands, the Americans. With the failure of the First Philippine Republic headed
by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy to secure the right to govern, the Americans switched open
the mechanism of colonization. In 1901 a civil government was established by United States of
America. American customs and institutions are imported from the USA to the Philippines. They
made a statement to Educate, Civilize, and Evangelize the Filipino people thru building a new
society with American foundations. Political Consciousness and Language, these are just two
examples of heavy American influence over the aspects of contemporary Philippine Society to be
elaborated.
A. Political Consciousness and Interest
Government is one of the key components of society that was influenced by the
occupation. When the Americans overthrew the dictatorial administration of then president
Aguinaldo, the institutions, concepts, and processes that defined the gears of the American
government such as a bilateral congress, judicial system, electoral terms, and municipal elections
were adapted to fit the local setting. An example of an introduced concept is that of partisan
politics which has greatly influenced the development of local political parties institutions. The
Americans established the 1st political party in the country, the Federal Party founded in 1900,
the Federalist were upper class Filipino conservatives in favor of the American occupation. The
Americans also introduced the Philippine Assembly in 1907, and a bicameral legislature in 1916
the forerunner of the contemporary Philippine Congress. Party bans were removed for the 1916

general elections. Later, the Partido Nationalista was established by the growing opposition
under the Commonwealth Administration. American political practices were inherited by
Filipino political aspirants after the national elections for the bicameral congress in 1916.
Electors were succumbed by corrupt politicians and were blinded by personal interest and
personality politics.
B. Language
The influence of the United States on our language is undeniably their greatest and most
evident contribution and legacy to the Filipino Society. American English is still being used as
the second or third language of a majority number of Filipinos today. The education curriculum
of the country includes the teaching of the English language from elementary levels upward.
During the American occupation, the medium used for relaying knowledge and instructions was
English. Thus, it significantly contributed to the flourish and development of our literature for
the past century. The adaptation of many American words into the Filipino's local vocabulary and
everyday living is a big cultural impact on the locals. Words like; candy, beefsteak, and speaker
became localized into words such as; 'kendi', 'bistek', and 'ispiker"'respectively. The influence of
English is also evident in the language that the current generation use to communicate their ideas
and express themselves today, which can be in the form of speaking fluently in English or
speaking in 'Tag-lish', a mixture of Filipino and English. Presently, English is still the main
medium for relaying Education, it is used by the mass media to spread important news
information, and is the main medium for doing transactions in the fields of business, governance,
and diplomacy.

The United States of America left a large mark in the country regardless of the short
amount of time that they have occupied the Philippine Archipelago. The country's government
and politics alongside the Filipino way of life was drastically changed and was heavily
westernized. The impact of the Americans on our government can be seen in the foundations of
its very structure, while its mammoth sized impacts on almost every aspect of our contemporary
culture like clothing, food, language and mass media cannot be dismissed. The western colonial
mentality remains embedded in the way of life of the Filipino. Our regard for the United States
of America remains high, however we must battle our colonial mentality in this era of
development in order to preserve and flourish our own heritage, culture and identity.

Bibliography
Agoncillo, Teodoro A. History of the Filipino People. Quezon City: R.P. Garcia,
1990.