CHAPTER II

19th Century Philippines as Rizal's Context

Presented by:
Marjorie S. Cortez
Jennifer E. Cotillon
Lalaine B. Dades

Presented to:
Dr. Rebecca M. Mercado
 Hello, classmates!
We are Group 2!

Larissa
 Meet the Group

Marjorie Jennifer Lalaine

Introduction
> To fully appreciate the details of Rizal’s life related in
the previous chapter, one needs to locate him within the
wider context of the Philippines in the nineteenth
century.

> Nineteenth century is commonly depicted as the birth of modern life, as well as the birth of many nation-states
around the globe.

> It was during this era that the power and glory of Spain, the Philippines’ colonizer, had waned both in its

colonies and in the world.

Discussions on the 19th Century Philippines as Rizal’s

context are hereby divided into Three (3) aspects; The
economic context, The social background, and The
political landscape.

Marjorie
 Under the Economic Context are:
THE
ECONOMIC
Ø The End of Galleon Trade
CONTEXT
Ø The Opening of Suez Canal

Ø Rise of the Export of Crop Economy

Ø The Established Monopolies in the Philippines

Marjorie
End of Galleon Trade
1. Galleon Trade (1565 – 1815) was a 3. The Manila – Acapulco Galleon
ship (galleon) trade going back and Trade was the main source of income
forth between Manila (which actually for the colony during its early years.
landed first in Cebu) and Acapulco, Service was Inaugurated in 1565 and
Mexico. continued in the early 19th century.
2. In 1565, the Spanish government closed the ports of Manila to all countries except Mexico,
4. Because of the Galleon Trade, Manila became the “Pearl of Orient” or the Trade Center of Asia.

thereby giving birth to Manila – Acapulco Trade, popularly known as the “Galleon trade.”

Marjorie
Opening of Suez Canal
Previously, the Philippines was governed
by Spain from Mexico. The Spanish
Crown took direct control of the
Philippines and administered it directly
from Mandrid.

The opening of the Suez Canal and the invention of steam ships, which lessened the travel

time from Spain to the Country to 40 days, made this more convenient.

Marjorie
End of Galleon Trade
1. Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level 3. The opening of Suez Canal
waterway in Egypt. It connects the became a huge advantage in
Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea commercial enterprises
through the Isthmus of Suez. especially between Europe and
East Asia.
2. It is constructed by the Sues Canal Company between 1859 and 1869 under the Leadership
of French diplomat Ferdinand De Lesseps and it was officially opened on November 17, 1869.

Marjorie
The Suez Canal expedited the importation
not only of commercial products but also
books, magazines and newspapers with
liberal ideas from America and Europe,
which ultimately affected the minds of
Rizal and other Filipino reformists.

The availability of the Suez Canal has also

encouraged the Ilustrados, especially Jose
Rizal to pursue education abroad and learn
scientific and liberal in European Academic
Institutions.

Marjorie
 RISE OF THE EXPORT OF
CROP ECONOMY

> During the Galleon Trade, most of the

Spaniards in the Philippines were
engrossed in maritime trading undertakings
between Manila and Mexico. The
exploitation of the Philippines’ natural
resources and the progress of an export
crop economy were phenomena of the
nineteenth century, not of the Spanish
rule’s early period.

Marjorie
1. Some years after the end of 3. Formerly concentrated in
Galleon Trade, between 1820 Manila, many Chinese moved to
and 1870, the Philippines was provinces that produced export
well on its way of developing an crops.
export crop economy.
4. The development of the export crop industry in the Philippines was motivated by

2. Goods like sugar, fiber, coffee, and many more became the the comercial undertakings of North European and North American merchants.

main export commodities

Marjorie
 5. The economies of the region’s colonial
power tried to increase agricultural output
pressuring the peasants to produced more goods
for export and to develop plantation agriculture.

Marjorie
 Monopolies

1. Monopolies - A 2. After 1850,

market structure government monopoly
characterized by a contracts for the
single seller, selling a collection of different
unique product in the revenues were opened to
market. foreigners for the first
time.

Marjorie
3. The opium monopoly was 4. Even before 1850,
specifically a profitable one. monopolies on some
During the 1840’s, the Spanish products had been
government had legalized the established, which were
use of opium (provided it was basically controlled by the
limited to Chinese) and a colonial government. There
government monopoly were monopolies of special
importation and sales was crops and items.
created.

Marjorie
 On March 1, 1782, Governor
General Jose Basco placed the
Philippine tobacco industry under
5. The most government control, thereby
controversial establishing the tobacco
and oppressive monopoly.
to locals was
perhaps the
tobacco
monopoly.

Marjorie
 It aimed to increase government revenue since the annual
subsidy coming from Mexico was no longer sufficient to
maintain the colony. An order was thus issued for the
widespread cultivation of tobacco in the provinces of Cagayan
Valley, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La union, Isabela, Abra,
Nueva Ecija, And Marinduque.
1. These provinces planted
nothing but tobacco to sold
their produce only to the
government at a pre-
designated price, leaving
little or no profit for the
local farmers.
2. Nobody was allowed
to keep even a few
tobacco leaves for
personal use, thereby
forcing the local farmers
to buy the tobacco they
themeselves planted
from the government
3. The colonial
government exported
the tobacco to other
countries and to the
cigarette factories in
Manila.
4. The tobacco monopoly positively
raised revenues for the government and
made Philippine tobacco prominent all
over Asia and Some parts in Europe but
brought about food shortages since the
planting of basic crops like rice was
somewhat neglect and abandoned
5. The tobacco
monopoly was finally
abolished in 1882. It
was lasted for exactly 6. A century of hardship
100 years, (1781 – and social injustice caused
1881) by the tobacco monopoly
prompted Filipinos in
general and Novo Ecijanos
in particular to seek
freedom from colonial
bandage