Analysis of the "Proclamation of the Philippine Independence"

The proclamation gives us the impression on how the victorious revolutionary government of
Aguinaldo historicized the struggle for independence. There were mentions of past events that were
seen as important turning points of the movement against Spain. The execution of the GOMBURZA
for example and the failed Cavite Mutiny of 1872 was narrated in detail. This shows that they saw this
event as a significant awakening of the Filipinos in the real conditions of the nation under Spain. Jose
Rizal's legacy and martyrdom was also mentioned in the document. However, the Katipunan as the
pioneer of the revolutionary movement was only mentioned once toward the end of the document.
There was no mention of the Katipunan's foundation. Bonifacio and his co-founders were also left out.
It can be argued thus, that the way of historical narration found in the document also reflects the
politics of the victors. The enmity between Aguinaldo's Magdalo and Bonifacio's Magdiwang in the
Katipunan is no secret in the pages of our history. On the contrary, the war led by Aguinaldo's men
with the forces of the United States were discussed in detail.

The point is, even official records and documents like the proclamation of independence,
while truthful most of the time, still exude the politics and biases of whoever is in power. This
manifests in the selectiveness of information that can be found in these records. It is the task of the
historian thus, to analyze the content of these documents in relation to the dominant politics and the
contexts of people and institutions surrounding it. This tells us a lesson on taking primary sources like
official government records within the circumstance of this production. Studying one historical subject
thus entails looking at multiple primary sources and pieces of historical evidences in order to have a
more nuanced and contextual analysis of our past.