ESSAY 1

Do you think Uncle Sam is a better colonial ruler of Juan Dela Cruz
than Hispania? Cite at least 3 reasons why/why not.

Based on the vast historical information that has been passed on to our
generation, I can honestly say that Uncle Sam was a far better colonial
ruler than Hispania. Although both of them were considered to be
conquerors who strived to expand their territory as much as they can,
they varied in their methods of achieving these goals.

For one, Uncle Sam stated their intentions when they decided to take
control of the country through the Benevolent Assimilation Act. They
made it clear in this act that they did not come to invade, rather to
provide aid and protection. Filipinos were given the opportunity to
govern themselves and the people through the guidelines that were
provided to them by Uncle Sam. These paved the way for various laws
to be created that allowed the Filipinos to have knowledge of their
basic human rights, organized educational system, and many more.

Another, Uncle Sam did not discriminate the importance of women in

the community. Women were treated almost as equal as men because
they were permitted to run as government officials. They were not
seen as lower beings in the society compared to how they were
perceived during the Spanish Era. Women were provided the same
education and opportunities as men would.

And another, Uncle Sam introduced various improvements to the

Filipinos and allowed them to trade freely with the Americans by 1923.
This was the start of economic growth for the Philippines because of
their new knowledge in creating infrastructures which allowed them to
make improvements for the country. More roads were being built
because the number of vehicles were increasing, the country was able
to have their first commercial airplane that travelled to Baguio, and
modern telephones and radios were introduced as a mean of
communication.

In my opinion, Hispania also provided many positive opportunities for

the Filipinos, but they were not as diplomatic as Uncle Sam. Hispania
opted to oppress the Filipinos and strip them of their rights as true
citizens of the country. During the Spanish Era, more negative
experiences were endured by the Filipinos compared to the positive
ones which made them prisoners of their own country.