Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

19th Century Philippines

as Rizal’s Context
Balala, Lyrca Roniech
Cagaanan, Earl Jedidiah
Erfe, Bryle
Timajo, Kurt Vincent
CPE 1b
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Economic Context

End of Galleon Trade (1565-1815)
History

● Manila-Acapulco Trade

● A Galleon ship.

● Started when Andres de Urdaneta in convoy under

Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, discovered a return route
from Cebu to Mexico in 1565.

● Serves as the central income-generating business

for Spanish colonists in the Philippines.
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Economic Context

End of Galleon Trade (1565-1815)
Exports went to Mexico

● Mango de Manila, Tamarind, rice, carabao, Chinese

tea, cock fighting, tuba, textiles and fireworks
display.

Imports from Mexico

● Flora and Fauna:guava, avocado, papaya, pineapple,

horses and cattle.
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Economic Context

End of Galleon Trade (1565-1815)
Impact the Galleon Trade

● Manila became a trading hub

● Modern Liberal ideas entered the Philippines.

● Ended in September 14,1815 with Mexico's war of

independence.
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Economic Context

Opening of the Suez Canal (1859-1869)
History

● Artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt.

● Constructed by the Suez Canal company between

1859-1869 under French diplomat Ferdinand de
Lesseps.

● Officially opened on November 17,1869.

Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Economic Context

Opening of the Suez Canal (1859-1869)
Impact

● Voyage lessened to only 32-40 days.

● Expedited the importations of commercial products
and other products like magazines and books.
● Enabled the growth of nationalistic desires of Jose
Rizal and other ilustrados.
● Stimulated the liberal ideas of the reformists.
● Influenced their thoughts on nationhood, politics and
government.
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Economic Context

Rise of the Export of Crop Economy(1820-1870)
I. History

● This development was motivated by the

commercial undertakings of North European
and North American merchants.
● Operations are based in Port cities, especially
Manila.
● The Chinese distribute imports in the interior
and buy up goods for export.
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Economic Context

Rise of the Export of Crop Economy(1820-1870)
Exported crops

● Manila hemp (abacá), sugar, and coffee

Impact

● The various economic activities in the new export

crop economy in the country provided lots of
opportunities for the expanding Chinese
population.
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Economic Context

Monopolies (Post-Galleon Era)

Tobacco Monopoly

● General Jose Basco placed the Philippine Tobacco

industry under government control on March
1,1782.

● There was a widespread cultivation of Tobacco in

Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, LA Union,
Isabela, Abra, Nueva Ecija, and Marinduque.
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Economic Context

Monopolies (Post-Galleon Era)

● Fines and physical punishments are sanctioned for

the ones who transgress the decrees under the
system.

● Philippine Tobacco prominent all over Asia and

some parts in the Europe.

● Shortages of planting basic crops.

● It was abolished in 1882.

Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Economic Context

Monopolies (Post-Galleon Era)

Monopoly Contracting

● Main source of wealth.

● Chinese enjoyed a pre-eminent position.

● Prompted Filipinos to seek freedom and

colonial bondage.
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Social Background

Education in the 19th Century

● A public school system was established in

the Philippines because of a royal decree.
● This allowed the sons of wealthy native
families to pursue higher education.
● The Suez Canal inspired students to
pursue education in Europe.
● Due to the atmosphere, the thirst for
reform bloomed.
The Social Background
The Rise of the Chinese Mestizo

● Due to the changing political and economic

situation in Europe, the galleon trade was
eliminated.
● The elimination of the galleon trade allowed
Manilla to trade with foreign merchants with
little to no caveats. Sugar and hemp/abaca in
particular had high demand.
● Chinese/Filipino mestizos had haciendas of
the aforementioned products.
● This lead to a development of a new class.
This class would later hold positions of power
in finance and education.
The Social Background
The Rise of the Inquilinos

● Inquilinos are similar to tenants.

● Inquilinos paid rent in exchange for the right to use land.
● Some inquilinos would sub-lease part of their land to
sharecropper/kasamas.
● The main purpose of renting out land was to take
advantage of the higher demand of the products
mentioned before, sugar, hemp/abaca, etc.
● Some issues with estate owners and workers was
excessive taxes, land rent, etc.
● Peasants took up arms and protested those issues. The
freedom acquired by the Inquilinos by sub-leasing their
land gave the peasants a tactical advantage when
protesting.
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Political Landscape

Liberalism
What is liberalism?

● Liber - free man

● Worldview founded on ideas of freedom and
equality

● “Government is necessary to protect

individuals from being abused by others.”
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Political Landscape

Liberalism
Liberalism & French Revolution (1789-1799)

● ‘Liberty, Equality, & Fraternity’ as its battle cry

● Spain experienced:
○ Changes in Parliaments and Constitution
○ Peninsular War
○ Struggle between Liberals and conservatives
■ Anti-Clericalism
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Political Landscape

Liberalism
Liberalism in the Philippine Context

● Liberal ideas entered the country due to the

world trade

● Motivated the illustrados - the Filipino educated

class
○ Social Contract by Jean Jacques Rousseau
○ Two Treatises of Govt by John Locke
○ Common Sense by Thomas Paine
John Locke Jean Jacques Thomas Paine
Rosseau
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Political Landscape

Liberalism
Gov. Gen Carlos Maria de la Torre (1869-1871)
● 1st Liberal Gov gen
● LIberal and democratic ways:
○ Avoiding luxury
○ Living a simple life
● Achievements:
○ Encouraged freedom and abolished
censorship
○ Filipino clergy as parish priests
○ Peacefully solved Cavite’s land problem
Gov. Gen. Carlos
Maria de la Torre
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Political Landscape

The Impact of Bourbon Reforms
Bourbon reforms and King Philip V
● Bourbon Reforms and King Philip V
○ Spanish Bourbon King Philip V advocated
century-long effort to reform and modify the
Spanish empire

● Bourbon Reforms - aims to:

○ Curtail contraband commerce
○ Regain control over transatlantic trade
○ Restrict Church’s power
○ Reform state finances King Philip V
○ Find tighter administrative and political control
within the empire
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Political Landscape

The Impact of Bourbon Reforms
Effect of Bourbon Reforms to the Philippines

● Advantageous to the Philippines

● Impacted to a limited extent

● Philippines was far from Spain

Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Political Landscape

The Impact of Bourbon Reforms
Is this effective?

● Lacked some ideological coherence

● So Complex
○ distinctly different kinds of policies
● Impact of the Reform
○ At least it gave people the idea
especially in the Philippines that
colonization could be done without
much intervention from the Catholic
Church
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Political Landscape

The Cadiz Constitution
What is Cadiz Constitution?
● Liberal constitution, promulgated in Cadiz in
March 1812

● Drafted by elected representatives, thus, put in

practice in almost all areas of the Hispanic
(Spanish) Monarchy

● First constitution in Europe to deal with national

sovereignty as coming from the people, and
not from the king
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Political Landscape

The Cadiz Constitution
Cadiz Constitution in PH
● Pedro Perez de Tagle & Jose Manuel Coretto
○ first delegates from PH

● Implemented in Manila:
○ Established universal male suffrage
○ National sovereignty
○ Constitutional monarchy
○ Freedom of the press
○ Advocated land reforms and free enterprise
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

The Political Landscape

The Cadiz Constitution
Cadiz Constitution in PH
● King Fernando VII declared it invalid and
restored absolutism (May 1814)

● One crucial creed embodied in the constitution:

exemption of the natives from paying tributes
and rendering public services based on its
equality clause.

King Fernando VII

Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

Seeing Rizal’s Life in His Society

It is a widely acceptable principle in social studies
that we see the life of an individual in their society,
and the society in the life of an individual.

One unique trait about Rizal is that he has this

quality of mind called by sociologists the
“sociological imagination”.
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

Seeing Rizal’s Life in His Society

Sociological Imagination
People with sociological imagination can understand their own
experiences by locating themselves in history. They are able to
respond effectively by being aware of all the individuals who
share the same situations as themselves.

Those who do not have this quality of mind fail to grasp the
ability to respond effectively to world which history in the
context of reality they face and the connections between the
two.
Life and Works of Rizal: Chapter 2

Thank you for Listening!

19th Century Philippines

as Rizal’s Context
Balala, Lyrca Roniech
Cagaanan, Earl Jedidiah
Erfe, Bryle
Timajo, Kurt Vincent
CPE 1b