The Philippine Revolution and 1898

Ages 13 to 17 Read alone · about 45 minutes

Read together

The Philippine Revolution began in 1896, led by the Katipunan, against Spanish rule. José Rizal, who had written for reform, was executed in December 1896.

On 12 June 1898, independence was declared at Kawit. Later that year Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States in the Treaty of Paris.

Do it

1. Draw a timeline: 1872 (the execution of the priests Gomez, Burgos and Zamora), 1896, 1898, 1899.
2. Read a short passage from a primary source, such as Rizal's last poem 'Mi último adiós', in a translation.
3. Note who is speaking, and what hopes and fears appear.
4. Write a paragraph on why people saw independence as just, and how the story looks from different sides.

Talk about it

• Why did Rizal write rather than fight?
• How do different people tell this story?

For the grown-up

This is a hard history with war, execution and colonial rule, including the Philippine-American War that followed from 1899. Filipino and foreign accounts differ on many points, and church roles were mixed: friars were both criticised and defended, and Filipino clergy were also victims. Read with your teen and allow disagreement. Dates are well established; interpretation is debated.

Mark as done

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Where this comes from

• Agoncillo, T. A., The Revolt of the Masses: The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan (University of the Philippines, 1956)
• Ileto, R. C., Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840 to 1910 (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1979)
• Treaty of Peace between the United States and Spain (Treaty of Paris), 10 December 1898

Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Please read it before sharing it with a child.