Have you ever wondered

what makes you, you?

Our personalities are shaped
by a mosaic of life experiences
and events, like pieces of a
puzzle coming together to
form the whole picture.
Rizal was born in the 19th century, during
a period of global change, growing up amid
the Philippines' fight for independence and a
shifting socio-political landscape.
These changes played a
role in shaping his
perspective on life.
 To better understand how Rizal became who he was,
let's look back at what was happening in the 19th century.
The 19th Century
Birth of modernity
The term “modernity” highlights the shift from
tradition to new ideas, attitudes, and institutions,
signaling a transition to a new era.
The 19th Century
Part of Age of Revolution
During this era, the Industrial Revolution introduced
new production, transportation, and communication
methods, shifting from manual labor to machines.
This transformation of the economy and society
resulted in new forms of work and leisure, as
well as urbanization and the growth of cities.
The late 18th and 19th centuries saw political revolutions,
like the American and French Revolutions, influenced by
Enlightenment values of reason and individualism.
Political change challenged monarchy, fostering governance
based on individual rights, nationalism, and freedom.
 While different parts of Europe were flourishing,
Spain was experiencing a slow decline. To grasp
why, let's analyze its economic state during that time.
Economic Condition
Trading predates Spanish colonization in the Philippines.
Our ancestors traded with China, Japan, Siam,
Cambodia, India, Borneo, and the Moluccas.
When the Spanish Crown arrived, they monopolized
Manila ports, closing them to all but Mexico, gaining
exclusive control over the trade route and goods.
Hence, the birth of the Manila-Acapulco Trade,
which is also known as Galleon Trade.
The trade monopoly that emerged
from this decision made Manila the
center of commerce in the East.
Spain became a mercantilist
superpower. But not forever.
By the late 18th century, the
Galleon system faced tough
competition as other
nations opted for self-
sufficiency and direct trade,
leading to a decline in
Spain's trading system and
Asian goods demand.
Spain was heavily dependent
on the silver mines of its
colonies in South America,
which slowly dwindled.
Revolts, particularly in the War for Independence in
Mexico, took place in the New World, thus shifting
the focus and priority of consumers away from trade.
With the old trade system no
longer sustainable, the
Galleon Trade was ended
by decree during the first
decade of the 19th century.
 The end of the Galleon Trade prompted Spain to open the
Philippines to world commerce in 1834, seeking new
commercial opportunities created by the Industrial Revolution.
The Philippines became a
supplier of raw materials for
the industries of the West by
utilizing its underutilized land
resources to venture into
cash crop agriculture.
British, Dutch, and American trading companies invested
large capital in the country for the large-scale production
of different products, such as tobacco and sugar.
To make transactions easier, foreign investors
need people who are already in the Philippines.
Chinese, mestizos, and rich natives helped with land acquisition,
labor mobilization, crop transportation, and retail trade.
Chinese immigrants served as middlemen between
the provinces, where the crops were planted, and
the merchant houses of the Mestizos in Manila.
Rich natives became tenants,
known as ‘Inquilinos' in Spanish.
Inquilinos oversee the production of cash crops by
subleasing large estates or haciendas from friars
and then subletting them to indigenous farmers.
 When the Suez Canal was constructed, it shortened travel
between Europe and the Philippines, enabling more intensive
crop production and boosting commercial enterprises.

The opening of the Suez Canal, construction of steel bridges, and

safer and faster gave way to more intensive production of crops,
which provided a huge advantage in commercial enterprises.
What does all of this
have to do with Rizal?
Industrial Revolution fueled rapid
Philippine economic growth in the
19th century, creating a rich and
influential Filipino middle class.
This made the Inquilino class
wealthy, which include the Rizal
patriarch, the family Mercado.
Affluence allowed the Mercado family to provide their
children with a prosperous and focused education.
Social Condition
In the early Spanish colonial period up until the mid-19th century,
education was a privilege, typically for the highest racial class.
Spanish blood was highly valued
during the Spanish colonial era,
so its disappearance also meant
the loss of privileges.
Natives' low status in the colonial hierarchy likely
made higher education difficult to obtain.
In the late 19th century, the growing economy transcended
racial boundaries. Wealthy families, such as the Rizals, sent
their children to prestigious schools.
 Many families sent their sons to Europe for higher studies,
where they were exposed to secular and liberal ideas
inspired by the democratic ideals of the French Revolution.
 The exposure of these young Filipinos in Spain
and Europe inspired them to form the Ilustrados.
 Ilustrados
A group of educated natives
seeking reforms to achieve
equality with proud Spaniards.
Cultural Condition
Commonly, we attribute
the nationalist movement
to European-educated
Ilustrados.

However, it wasn't just

them or the European
intellectual atmosphere
that fueled nationalism.
The rapid spread of education from around 1860
was a key factor in late 19th-century nationalism.
Access to higher education for middle and lower-middle-class
Filipinos, who couldn't go abroad, played a crucial role in
promoting liberal and progressive ideas from Europe.
Let us examine the educational reforms
that happened in the mid-19th century.
1. The Industrial Revolution necessitated changes in
the Philippine education system to prioritize training
skilled labor, aligning with economic demands.
Before this, children were prioritized
to fear God over basic literacy and
friar obedience instead of learning
practical skills.

They were made to feel inferior,

limited to manual work.
This educational system will
no longer work to keep up
with the modernizing world.
2. The Educational Decree of 1863 was a significant
attempt by the Spanish Colonial Government to
address the lack of formal education among Filipinos.
The decree required a
nationwide public school system
with at least one primary school
for boys and girls in every town.
This marked the start of a broader public primary
education system in the Philippines, expanding
educational access to a wider segment of society.
 Although, it wasn't perfect,
with a shortage of qualified
teachers and a curriculum
influenced by Spanish colonialism.
However, it was an important step towards the democratization
of education in the Philippines and laid a foundation for the
development of a formal education system in the country.
When the Jesuits returned to the Philippines, they returned
with ideas and methods new to the educational system.
In 1865, Ateneo, run by Jesuits, became a secondary
school with an advanced curriculum, resembling
today's college more than high school.
Ateneo's humanistic education in literature, science,
philosophy, and principles of human dignity, justice,
and equality challenged Spanish colonial rule,
indirectly promoting nationalist and liberal ideas.
Although the Spanish Jesuits may not have intended to do so, their
teachings broadened the perspectives of their Filipino students, and
many of them drew their own conclusions from these principles.
 By 1866, the proportion of literate people in the Philippines was
higher than in Spain. The proportion of Filipino children attending
school was also above average in European standards.
 By emphasizing humanistic education and principles of
justice and equality, these reforms helped to undermine the
foundations of the Spanish colonial regime and inspired a
growing sense of national identity among Filipinos.
This growing sense of nationalism would ultimately
pave the way for significant political developments,
including the pursuit of greater democracy.
Political Condition
During Rizal's time, there were widespread
calls for democracy in the Philippines.
Despite the teachings of Christianity, which emphasized
equality among all people, the Spanish colonial
authorities did not treat brown-skinned Filipinos equally.
Throughout the next three centuries,
Spaniards used religion to justify
their malicious behaviors.
Brown Filipinos were often treated unfairly
and justice was costly, partial, and slow.
Merit was not based on one's capabilities or
qualifications but on wealth, race, and
connections with influential people.
The Church played a significant role in the state's
proceedings, manipulating the indigenous people
to comply with the state's laws as it saw fit.
Meanwhile, the colonial government was primarily
interested in exploiting the country's natural
resources and labor for the benefit of Spain.
The system was exploitative and maintained
using force, including military forces
deployed to quell uprisings and rebellions.
If you witnessed such injustices happening to your
fellow Filipinos, wouldn't you feel angry?
The British colonial masters were overthrown to gain independence
and achieve the status of becoming a sovereign nation, a feat that
spread across European countries and other parts of the world.
It’s high time for these abused to end.
The thirst for reform and nationalism flourished in the liberal
atmosphere, and, to make a long story short, this led to the
Philippine Independence movement and the death of Rizal.
The cries for democracy during Rizal's time were a result of the
long-standing injustices and corruption of the Spanish colonial
authorities, who used religion to justify their actions.
The call for democracy was a call for equality, justice, and fairness
for all Filipinos, regardless of their skin color or social status.
If Rizal were born today,
would he still be the same
Rizal that we knew?