Before Magellan arrived, Negrito tribes inhabited the isles,
who were subsequently joined and largely supplanted by migrating groups of
Austronesians. This population had stratified into hunter-gatherer tribes,
warrior societies, petty plutocracies and maritime-oriented harbor
principalities which eventually grew into kingdoms, rajahnates, principalities,
confederations and sultanates. The Philippine islands were greatly influenced
by Hindu religions, literature and philosophy from India in the early centuries
of the Christian era. States included the Indianized Rajahnate of Butuan and
Cebu, the dynasty of Tondo, the august kingdoms of Maysapan and Maynila, the
Confederation of Madyaas, the sinified Country of Mai, as well as the Muslim
Sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao. These small maritime states flourished from
the 1st millennium.These kingdoms traded with what are now called China, India,
Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, and IndonesiThe remainder of the settlements were
independent Barangays allied with one of the larger states.
Spanish colonization and settlement began with the arrival
of Miguel López de Legazpi's expedition on February 13, 1565 who established
the first permanent settlement of San Miguel on the island of Cebu. The
expedition continued northward reaching the bay of Manila on the island of
Luzon on June 24, 1571, where they established a new town and thus began an era
of Spanish colonization that lasted for more than three centuries.
Spanish rule achieved the political unification of almost
the whole archipelago that previously had been composed by independent
kingdoms, pushing back south the advancing Islamic forces and creating the
first draft of the nation that was to be known as the Philippines. Spain also
introduced Christianity, the code of law and the oldest modern Universities in
Asia.
The Spanish East Indies were ruled as part of the
Viceroyalty of New Spain and administered from Mexico City from 1565 to 1821,
and administered directly from Madrid, Spain from 1821 until the end of the
Spanish–American War in 1898, except for a brief period of British rule from
1762 to 1764. They founded schools, a university, and some hospitals,
principally in Manila and the largest Spanish fort settlements. Universal
education was made free for all Filipino subjects in 1863 and remained so until
the end of the Spanish colonial era. This measure was at the vanguard of
contemporary Asian countries, and led to an important class of educated natives,
like José Rizal. Ironically, it was during the initial years of American
occupation in the early 20th century, that Spanish literature and press
flourished.
The Philippine Revolution against Spain began in August
1896, culminating the establishment of the First Philippine Republic. However,
the Treaty of Paris, at the end of the Spanish–American War, transferred
control of the Philippines to the United States. This agreement was not
recognized by the insurgent First Philippine Republic Government which, on June
2, 1899, proclaimed a Declaration of War against the United States. The
Philippine–American War which ensued resulted in massive casualties. Philippine
president Emilio Aguinaldo was captured in 1901 and the U.S. government
declared the conflict officially over in 1902.
The U.S. had established a military government in the
Philippines on August 14, 1898, following the capture of Manila. Civil
government was inaugurated on July 1, 1901. An elected Philippine Assembly was
convened in 1907 as the lower house of a bicameral legislature. Commonwealth
status was granted in 1935, preparatory to a planned full independence from the
United States in 1946. Preparation for a fully sovereign state was interrupted
by the Japanese occupation of the islands during World War II. After the end of
the war, the Treaty of Manila established the Philippine Republic as an
independent nation.
With a promising economy in the 1950s and 1960s, the
Philippines in the late 1960s and early 1970s saw a rise of student activism
and civil unrest against President Ferdinand Marcos who declared martial law in
1972.The peaceful and bloodless People Power Revolution of 1986, however,
brought about the ousting of Marcos and a return to democracy for the country.
The period since then was marked by political instability and hampered economic
productivity. However, economic growth has gained pace in recent years to
become one of the highest in Asia; as such the Philippines have been labeled
one of the Next Eleven countries due to promising future growth.
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