2. The Philippines was bought from Spain by the US for
$20 million!
This led to subsequent questions on the value of the
Filipino “savages” in the eyes of the White Man.
This was December 10, 1898!
3. A bitter battle between the colonizers and the rebels
ensued.
Notable events include:
Gen. Jacob Smith’s infamous order to “Kill everyone over 10”.
About 4,000 American soldiers were killed in the Fil-Am war.
The Philippine casualty was eight times larger.
Economically, there was no industrial growth.
4. There was great divide between pro-American writers
and the nationalists.
Nationalist writers were branded “seditious”.
The writers were divided into two:
The writers who wrote in the vernacular;
The writers who wrote in English.
5. English became a medium of instruction in schools.
A new form of colonialism emerged, thus English was
the medium of instruction in books and other forms of
literature.
New literary forms such as free verse [in poetry], the
modern short story and the critical essay were
introduced.
6. Alejandro Abadilla (“Ako ang Daigdig”)
Manuel Arguilla
Paz Marquez Benitez (“Dead Stars)
Angela Manalang Gloria
Jose Garcia Villa
And… Lope K. Santos, Salvador Lopez and I.V. Mallari.
