02 - 19th Century Philippines as Rizal's Context - Life and Works of Rizal

THE 19th CENTURY
as Rizal's Context

I. How Did Rizal Became Who He Was?

Ako?
Have you ever wondered
what makes you, you?

Our personalities are
formed by a multitude
of experiences and
events that are
interwoven throughout
our lives.

It’s like a puzzle, with
many different factors
coming together create
the bigger picture.

We have control
over some factors
that shape us,

but others are
beyond our control.

Rizal was born in the 19th century,
a time marked by significant
changes in the world.

He grew up amidst the Philippines'
struggle for independence and the
shifting social, economic, and
political landscape of the time.

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.

Birth of modernity
The 19th Century

The term modernity
emphasizes the break
from traditional ways
of life

and the emergence of new
ideas, attitudes, and
institutions that marked
the transition to a new era.

Before The 19th Century
Democracy
Monarchy

Before
Feudalism Capitalism
The 19th Century

Before
Reform-Minded
Passively-Accepting
The 19th Century

The 19th Century
Part of Age of Revolution

During this era, the industrial
revolution was taking place.

New modes of production, transportation
and communication were introduced,

bringing about a shift from
manual labor to machine-
based production.

This transformation of the economy and society
resulted in new forms of work and leisure, as
well as urbanization and the growth of cities.

Various political revolutions also happened
during the late 18th and 19th Century.

This era was characterized by various
political upheavals, including the American
Revolution and the French Revolution,

which were both heavily influenced by the
Enlightenment, a philosophical movement that
valued reason, rationality, and individualism.

The wave of political change challenged the power of the
monarchy and paved the way for new forms of governance
based on individual rights, nationalism, and freedom.

characterized by an increased focus on
individualism, rationality, and the belief
in progress and the ability to shape the
world through scientific, technological,
and social advancement.
The 19th Century encompasses
a new way of thinking about the
world and one's place in it,

While different parts of Europe were flourishing,
Spain was experiencing a slow decline
The 19th Century

To better understand why, we
need to examine its economic
condition during this period.

Trading was already apparent
among our ancestors even before the
Spaniards colonized the Philippines.

Early Philippine merchants traded
with various countries, including
China, Japan, Siam, Cambodia,
India, Borneo, and the Moluccas.

Amen na ito mga Indio!
The Spanish Crown saw
an opportunity to profit
from this trade,

and eventually closed the ports of
Manila to all countries except Mexico.

During the 16th century, Mexico was a
colony of Spain, just like the Philippines.

This created a monopoly because
Spain had exclusive control over the
trade route and the goods that were
traded.

Hence, the birth of the Manila-Acapulco Trade.

The Spanish Crown saw an opportunity to profit from this
trade,
and eventually closed the ports of Manila to all countries
except Mexico.
The trade monopoly that emerged
from this decision made Manila the
center of commerce in the East.

Mangoes from Manila, as well as tamarind,
rice, carabao, Chinese tea, textiles,
fireworks, perfume, precious stones, and
tuba (a coconut wine), were sent to Mexico.

On the return voyage, numerous
and valuable flora and fauna were
brought into the Philippines,
including guava, avocado, papaya,
pineapple, horses, and cattle.

Spain became a mercantilist superpower.
But not forever.

By the late 18th century, the
Galleon system faced tough
competition as other nations
became self-sufficient and
preferred direct trade.

By the late 18th century, the
Galleon system faced tough
competition as other nations
became self-sufficient and
preferred direct trade.
Spain's trading system and the
demand for Asian goods
eventually declined.

Spain was heavily dependent on
the silver mines of its colonies in
South America, which slowly
dwindled.

The value of silver also
declined due to the
increased production of
silver in the Americas,
reducing the profit
margins of Galleon
Trade merchants.

By the late 18th century, the Galleon system
faced tough competition as other nations
became self-sufficient and preferred direct
trade.
Spain's trading system and the demand for
Asian goods eventually declined.
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.

Because the Galleon Trade ended,
the Philippines need a commercial purpose.

The economic opportunities created by the
Industrial Revolution had encouraged Spain in 1834
to open the Philippine economy to world commerce.

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.

cash crop agriculture
is a type of farming where crops are
grown primarily for sale rather than
for personal or local consumption.

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,

such as Chinese, mestizos,
and rich natives.

They help them with
the acquisition of
lands, mobilization of
labor, transportation of
crops, 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.

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.
When the Suez Canal, an artificial sea-level waterway, was
opened, the distance of travel between Europe and the
Philippines was considerably shortened.

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.

From this, positive effects took place as
the industrial revolution contributed
many things to the people:

The Philippines was opened for
world commerce.

Foreigners were engaged in
manufacturing and agriculture.

The Philippine economy became
dynamic and balanced.

There was rise of new influential
and wealthy Filipino middle class.

People were encouraged to
participate in the trade.

Migration and increase in
population were encouraged.

During 1825, the total trade of the
Philippines was only 2.8 million pesos.

In 1875, it was 31.1 million pesos,

and by 1895, it had grown to
62 million pesos.

What does all of this
have to do with Rizal?

The fast tempo of economic progress in the
Philippines during the 19th century facilitated
by Industrial Revolution resulted to the rise
to a new breed of rich and influential Filipino
middle class.

This made the Inquilino class
wealthy, which include the Rizal
patriarch, the family Mercado.

When Rizal’s Chinese ancestor Domingo Lam-co had
come to the Binan hacienda in mid-eighteenth century,
the average holding of an Inquilino was 2.9 hectares.

After Rizal's father had moved too the Calamba hacienda, the Rizal
family in the 1890s rented from the hacienda over 390 hectares.

The family Mercado became one of
the most affluent family in Calamba.

This enabled the family to live a prosperous and comfortable life,
thus giving the Rizal children more time and focus toward education.

Education is considered
a status symbol.

Only a few people, usually those with
Spanish blood, have the opportunity to
experience college education.

This privileged people belong to
the highest racial class.

In the Mariana Islands, for administrative purposes,
the Spanish racial hierarchy was as follows:
Peninsulares
Creoles or Insulares
Mestizos
Native Filipinos
Indios

The highest class is the
Peninsulares - pure-blooded
Spaniards who were born in the
Iberian Peninsula, such as Spain.

They were the officials and
friars who had the power and
authority to rule over the
Filipinos.

Insulares or Creoles were
part of the second-
highest racial class in the
Spanish hierarchy below
the Peninsulares.

Insulares were the specific
term given to creoles (full-
blooded Spaniards born in
the colonies) born in the
Philippines or the Marianas.

Mestizos, or colloquially
Tisoy, is a name used to
refer to people of mixed
native Filipino and any
foreign ancestry.

At the bottom of the
hierarchy were the Native
Filipinos and Indio.

Indios, a term used to refer to the poor people of the country
who were viewed as inferior and treated as second-class citizens.

The Spanish colonial government's discrimination against Indios
limited their opportunities and social mobility.

This oppression resulted in the term "Indio"
becoming associated with social and
economic oppression..

Spanish blood was highly valued
during the Spanish colonial era,

and as Spanish blood disappeared, so
did all the privileges that came with it.

Insulares, despite being
part of the second-highest
racial class, were viewed
negatively because they
were born in the Philippines
or the Marianas,

which were considered to
be a "dumping ground" for
societal misfits.

Those with any trace of Indio
blood were never considered
the social equals of pure-
blooded Spaniards.

Since the Spaniards viewed Filipinos
as inferior, they denied them access
to education, associating them with
backwardness, primitiveness, and
inferiority.

As a result, obtaining a college education was
difficult for those at the bottom of the hierarchy.

While wealthy families like the Rizals were able to
send their children to study in prestigious schools.

The female children of the Rizal's studied at La Concordia,

while their son Paciano studied at Colegio San de Jose.

The relative prosperity of the
period has enabled them to
send their other sons to Spain
and Europe for higher studies.

There, they were exposed to secular and liberal ideas, thanks to the
French Revolution, which showed that a democratic world was possible.

The exposure of these young Filipinos in Spain and
Europe inspired them to form the Ilustrados,

Ilustrados
a group of educated natives
who sought freedom and
independence from Spanish rule.

mean "erudite", "learned",
or "enlightened ones".
Ilustrados

One of their aims was to
be in the same level with
the proud Spaniards.
Ilustrados

It has become commonplace to speak of the role of
ideas learned by the European-educated Ilustrados
in the emergence of the nationalist movement.

However, it was not just this handful of Filipinos who
were important, nor was it only the European
intellectual atmosphere that stimulated nationalism.
‘Di lang kami?

A key factor in the emergence of nationalism in the late
nineteenth century was the cultural development consequent
on the rapid spread of education from about 1860.

In many respects, the spread of higher education among middle and
lower-middle-class Filipinos, who could not afford to go abroad, was
more important for propagating the liberal and progressive ideas
written about from Europe by Rizal or Del Pilar.

Let us examine the educational reforms
that happened in the mid-19th century.

The Industrial Revolution
necessitated changes in the
education system of the Philippines.

Schools need to
focus on
teaching skilled
labor, as that is
what the
economy needs.

Before this, schools had total and
strict control from the friars.

It can even be summed up in three words:
inadequate, suppressive, and controlled.

Children were taught to fear God over basic literacy and to
obey the friars instead of learning how to count.

They were instilled with the belief that they were inferior to
others and were only capable of doing manual work.

This educational system will no longer work
to keep up with the modernizing world.
Whew.

This educational system will no longer work
to keep up with the modernizing world.
Whew.
The Educational Decree of 1863.

The Educational Decree of 1863.
This was a significant attempt by the Spanish
Colonial Government to address the lack of
formal education among Filipinos.

It mandated the establishment
of a public school system
throughout the country and
required each town to have at
least one primary school for
boys and girls,

which was to be supported by
municipal funds and supervised by
the local government.

This decree marked the beginning of formal education in the
Philippines and opened up educational opportunities to a wider
segment of society, including the middle and lower classes.

However, the implementation of the Education
Decree faced numerous challenges, including a
lack of resources and qualified teachers.

The curriculum was heavily
influenced by the Spanish
colonial government and
focused on Catholicism and
Spanish culture,

limiting the scope of
education and hindering the
development of a national
identity among Filipinos.

Despite these challenges, the Education Decree of 1863
was an important step towards the democratization of
education in the Philippines and laid the foundation for the
development of a formal education system in the country.

The return of the Jesuits was a significant event that
influenced the educational system in the Philippines

When the Jesuits returned to the Philippines, they returned with
ideas and methods new to the educational system.

In 1865, Ateneo (which was handled by Jesuits) transformed into a
secondary school that offered a level of instruction beyond the official
requirements, more closely resembling today's college than high school.

Alongside Latin and Spanish,
subjects such as Greek, French,
and English were also taught.

Literature, Science, Philosophy,
and Natural Science were also
given an emphasis.

It was in these secondary schools that the ideas
of nationalism began to emerge,

It was in these secondary schools that the ideas
of nationalism began to emerge, even among
those who had never traveled to Europe.

While the Ateneo did not directly teach
nationalism or liberal principles of
progress, its emphasis on humanistic
education in literature, science, and
philosophy, as well as the principles of
human dignity, justice, and equality of
all men, undermined the foundations of
the Spanish colonial regime.

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.

The Jesuits have surely not
intended to teach us love of
country, but they have shown us all
that is beautiful and all that is best.
Therefore I do not fear discord in
our homeland; it is possible, but it
can be combated and prevented."
As Rizal once said in a letter,

These reforms opened up educational opportunities to a
wider segment of society, helping to democratize
education in the country.

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 schools 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.

During Rizal's time, there were widespread
calls for democracy in the Philippines.

To understand why, we need to look
back again to the 16th century.

When Spanish missionaries
introduced Christianity,
they taught that all men
are equal before God.

Despite the teachings of
Christianity, which emphasized
equality among all people, the
Spanish colonial authorities did
not treat brown-skinned
Filipinos equally.

This hypocrisy is reminiscent of this
famous quote from Animal Farm:

Most Filipinos (except the hinterland of
Luzon and the Visayas and in Mindanao
and Sulu) became Christians.

And throughout the next three centuries,
Spaniards used religion to justify their
malicious behaviors:

Cultural Suppression?
For God.

Conquest and violence?
For God.

Spain showcased this wonderful
thing and used it for corruption,
oppression, and exploitation.

During Rizal's time, the court of justice in the
Philippines was notoriously corrupt.

They were a court of "injustice," as far as
brown Filipinos were concerned.

The Spanish fiscals (prosecuting attorneys)
and other court officials were inept, venal,
and oftentimes ignorant of the law.

Brown Filipinos were often treated unfairly
and justice was costly, partial, and slow.

The poor had no access to the courts due
to the heavy expenses of litigation,

while the rich and those with white skin
color were favored in court.

John Foreman, a British eyewitness of the
last years of Spanish sovereignty in the
Philippines, said:
It was hard to get the judgment
executed as it was to win the case.
Even when the questions at issue
were supposed to be settled, a
defect in the sentence could
always be concocted to reopen
the whole affair.

If the case had been tried and judgment given
under the Civil Code, a flaw would be discovered
under the Laws of the Indies, or the Siete
Partidas, or the Roman Law, or the Novísima
Recopilación, or the Antigous Fueros, Decrees,
Royal Orders, Ordenanzas del Buen Gobiernos,
and so forth, by which the case should be
reopened."

Racial prejudice was rampant in the
Philippines during the Spanish colonial period.

The local indigenous population was prohibited
from organizing assemblies or political meetings.

Merit was not based on one's capabilities or qualifications but on
wealth, race, and connections with influential people.

This system of discrimination resulted in a sense of
oppression and discontent among the local population.

The Spanish colonial government in the Philippines
was highly centralized and authoritarian.

It enforced strict social and political
hierarchies, denying Filipinos basic
political rights and freedoms.

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.

In addition, the money collected from the natives
was not used to improve their province, but rather
for the self-betterment of the officials.

The system was exploitative and maintained
through the use of 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?

That's precisely how Rizal,
Ilustrados, and other Filipinos
who were exposed to liberal
ideas felt when they witnessed
such injustices.

They viewed Spain as
regressive, incompatible, and
the main reason why the
country was not progressing.

"I wanted to hit the friars since the friars are
always making use of religion, not only as a
shield but also as a weapon, protection,
citadel, fortress, armor, etc.,
In one of Rizal’s letter, he said:

I was therefore forced to attack their false
and superstitious religion in order to combat
the enemy who hid behind this religion...
God must not serve as shield and protection
of abuses, nor must religion.
In one of Rizal’s letter, he said:

Those who shared Rizal's views wondered if
other countries could achieve independence,
could the Philippines also do so?

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.

This motivated people to follow suit. Filipino
reformists like Rizal were inspired by the
revolution to pursue freedom and
independence for the country.

It's high time for these abuses 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?

Are you having trouble understanding this presentation on your own?
If so, you might find my video on this topic helpful. It covers the same material as this post, but presents it in a different way that might be
easier for you to understand. Just scan the QR Code above or Check my YouTube Channel “Over the Academic Wall.”
Video Link Channel Link

"We all make choices,
but in the end, our
choices make us."
Andrew Ryan
Video Game Character (BioShock)

02 - 19th Century Philippines as Rizal's Context - Life and Works of Rizal

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