Beyond-the-Class Activity: A Sneak into the 19th Century Philippines

Context: Rizal’s life, writings, and works are better understood within the context of the
historical period in which he was born and reared. Understanding so equips one to
come up with historically valid assessments both of Rizal and the Philippine society
during the momentous century. Hence, before tackling Rizal’s life, a review of the
19th Century Philippines is essential.
Complementing class discussions with this student-centered activity strengthens
your foundation on the most critical tool of analysis for all the subsequent topics.
Instructions: a) Decide whether you opt to do this individually, in dyad or triad.
b) Browse through the readings provided to you, and/or search for more resources
on the key developments in 19th Century Philippines.
c) Thresh out significant details from your sources and fill-out the following
Information Retrieval Chart:
A Holistic View of 19th Century Philippines
Aspect Political Economic Socio-cultural
Primary Feature Advent of Development of Ascendance of land-
administrative export economy based classes
reforms
Supporting Details* By the late 18th The decades from In 1863 there was a
century, political and 1820 to 1870 were public education in
economic changes in crucial in the the Philippines, and
Europe were finally economic history of even then the church
beginning to the world and controlled the
affect spain and, thus, produced significant curriculum. Less than
the Philippines. changes in the one-fifth of those
Spain Established one economy of the who went to school
central government country. An increase could read and write
many of different in trade and Spanish, and far
barrangays of our navigation in Asia fewer could speak it
anscestors accompanied the properly. The
disappeared. One opening of the Suez limited higher
government alone Canal. Goods like education in the
ruled most of the sugar, fibers, coffee, colony was entirely
country. Thus, for the etc. became the main under clerical
first time in history, export commodities. direction, but by the
we became united as The Spanish 1880s many sons of
one nation called government granted the wealthy were sent
"FILIPINAS". The shipping subsidies. to Europe to study.
rest of the world As a result of all of There, nationalism an
came to know our this, in the d a passion for reform
country by that name. Philippines there was blossomed in the
https://eh.net/book_re “a saltatory rise in the liberal atmosphere.
views/after-the- level of foreign trade. Out of this talented
galleons-foreign- British and group of overseas
 trade-economic- Americans were Filipino students
change-and- predominant in the arose what came to
entrepreneurship-in- foreign trade. The be known as
the-nineteenth- Chinese occupied the the Propaganda
century-philippines/ position of Movement.
Hernandez, C. G., intermediaries Magazines, poetry,
Borlaza, G. C. and between foreign and pamphleteering
Cullinane, western merchants flourished. José
M.(August, 2019). and the domestic Rizal, this
Phillipines. market. In spite of the movement’s most
Encyclopedia dominant presence of brilliant figure,
Britannic foreigners in the produced two
Philippine economy political novels—
“a native middle class Noli me
was rising. tangere(1886; Touch
Legarda, B. Me Not) and El
J.(November 2001). filibusterismo (1891;
After the Galleons: The Reign of
Foreign Trade, Greed)—which had a
Economic Change wide impact in the
and Entrepreneurship Philippines.
in the Nineteenth- https://www.britannic
Century Philippines. a.com/place/Philippin
EHnet:p179-213. es/Cultural-life
Hernandez, C. G.,
Borlaza, G. C. and
https://eh.net/book_re Cullinane,
views/after-the- M.(August, 2019).
galleons-foreign- Phillipines.
trade-economic- Encyclopedia
change-and- Britannic
entrepreneurship-in-
the-nineteenth-
century-philippines/
Alternative The growth of In order to raise funds Christian churches
Information* commercial the merchant houses built by the Spanish
agriculture resulted in issued notes taking and the mosques built
the appearance of a deposits in local by the Muslims
new class. Alongside currencies from provided a spiritual
the landholdings of people of different anchor, the
the church and economic educational system
the rice estates of the backgrounds. This established by
pre-Spanish nobility capital was given as the United States and
there arose haciendas an advance to finance expanded by the
of coffee, hemp, and agricultural Filipinos has become
sugar, often the operations. “Liquid emblematic of
property of wealth” reached cultural unity and
enterprising Chinese- Filipinos in the socioeconomic
Filipino mestizos. countryside, at the progress.
Some of the families same time the Nonetheless, through
that gained merchants’ exercised the persistence of
prominence in the control over the strong family ties, the
19th century have supply of export revival of
continued to play an commodities. the barangay as the
important role in Legarda, B. smallest unit of
Philippine economics J.(November 2001). government,
and politics. After the Galleons: increased attention to
https://eh.net/book_re Foreign Trade, Asian history and
views/after-the- Economic Change literature, and
galleons-foreign- and Entrepreneurship subsequent revival of
trade-economic- in the Nineteenth- dormant traditions,
change-and- Century Philippines. the Philippines has
entrepreneurship-in- EHnet:p256. strengthened its
the-nineteenth- Asian heritage
century-philippines/ https://eh.net/book_re without abandoning
Hernandez, C. G., views/after-the- its Western cultural
Borlaza, G. C. and galleons-foreign- acquisitions.
Cullinane, trade-economic- https://www.britannic
M.(August, 2019). change-and- a.com/place/Philippin
Phillipines. entrepreneurship-in- es/Cultural-life
Encyclopedia the-nineteenth- Hernandez, C. G.,
Britannic century-philippines/ Borlaza, G. C. and
Cullinane,
Archipelago, M.(August, 2019).
established one Phillipines.
central government Encyclopedia
headed by the Britannic
Spanish gobernador-
general. He had
tremendous powers
and could make laws
by himself, aside
from exercising
executive,
administrative, and
judicial functions. As
Capitan-General, he
was the commander-
in-chief of all the
Spanish armed forces
in the Philippines. As
vice-royal patron of
 the Catholic Church,
he was vested with
certain religious
powers. For a long
time, until 1861, he
was also the president
of the Royal
Audiencia, the
Spanish Supreme
Court in the country.
Funtecha, H. (2019).
Government under
spanish rule. [online]
The news today.
Available at:
http://www.thenewst
oday.info/2006/08/04
/government.under.th
e.spanish.rule.html
[Accessed 4 Aug.
2006].

*historical information that substantiates the primary feature identified

**refers to historical information that are not decisively supportive of the primary feature but still
too significant to be left out
d) Cite the bibliographic details of the sources you used to complete the information
retrieval chart (Selected Bibliography).

Parameters: a) Accomplish the submission in 8.5”x11” size of paper. NO limitation on the

number of pages is imposed.
b) Be free to decide on other formatting matters.
c) This output is equivalent to 100 points in Continuous Assessment. Evaluation
Criteria are as follows:
60% - Substantial Content (which reflects extent of research
and reading)
30% - Appropriate Choices (of source and allocation of
details)
10% - Presentation (face validity of the output)
d) Deadline of Submission: September 6, 2019 (Friday, 11:30 am)

Note: Should there be immediate questions, you may reach me through this e-mail address or
thru 09322017912. BUT, make sure you have read these instructions well first. ☺
After the Galleons: Foreign Trade, Economic Change and Entrepreneurship in the Nineteenth-
Century Philippines