What are the significant changes during the American Period in the field of:

1. Politics and Governance

 The American and Philippine flags are raised from the sterns because the Commonwealth
government is still protected and advised by the US.
 A Philippine president now oversees the entire government of this island Commonwealth,
which is rapidly evolving from a dreary Spanish colony to a new, rural, commercial, and
autonomous nation.
2. Foreign Relations
 Manila has evolved from a sleepy Spanish town to a modern city as the headquarters for
American economic activities in the Orient.
 The moat encircling the Intramuros was filled in for sanitary reasons by the Americans,
and is today a drill ground, a recreation area and a golf course.
3. Education
 The University of the Philippines, a government institution that covers a wide range of
subjects and provides outstanding educational facilities to all, was located in Ermita.
4. Culture and the Arts
 Many local trades are undertaken in "kaskos," flat-bottomed vessels that are poled across
Manila's many canals and waterways. Each “kasko” has its own family who live
underneath its thatched roof of bamboo or palm, veritable water gypsies in an
environment that is kind to all.
 The traditional dress of Filipino women consists of a bodice with large sleeves made of
pineapple plant fabric and a long skirt with the train tucked into the front of the belt.
 In Manila, there are several arcaded sidewalks to avoid sunstroke due to the heat.
 The Filipinos' primary modes of transportation are the two-wheeled "caromata" and
"caritela." These carriages can hold two or six people.
 The “carabao” is the Philippine beast of burden. The islands are home to more than a
quarter million of these diligent, hardworking creatures.
 There are four bridges that cross the Pasig River. Two sculptures of La Madre Filipina
can be found on Jones Bridge. The first statue is a replica of the original, which was
destroyed during WWII, and the second statue was returned to Rizal Park.
5. Religion
 Well before the missionaries arrived, the Spaniards turned the Filipinos into the first
Christian peoples in the Orient, and the San Francisco church is one of several places of
worship within walled Manila.