The history of the Philippines is
believed to have begun with the
arrival of the first humans using rafts
or primitive boats, at least 67,000 years
ago as the 2007 discovery of Callao
Man showed.[1] The first recorded visit
from the West is the arrival of
Ferdinand Magellan, who sighted the
island of Samar Island on March 16,
1521 and landed on Homonhon Island
(now part of Guiuan, Eastern Samar
province) the next day. Homonhon
Island is southeast of Samar Island.[2]
Before Magellan arrived, Negrito tribes
inhabited the isles, who were
subsequently joined and largely
supplanted by migrating groups of
Austronesians. This population had
stratified into hunter-gatherer tribes,
warrior societies, petty plutocracies
and maritime-oriented harbor
principalities which eventually grew
into kingdoms, rajahnates,
principalities, confederations and
sultanates. The Philippine islands
were greatly influenced by Hindu
religions, literature and philosophy
from India in the early centuries of the
christian era.[3] States included the
Indianized Rajahnate of Butuan and
Cebu, the dynasty of Tondo, the
august kingdoms of Maysapan and
Maynila, the Confederation of
Madyaas, the sinified Country of Mai,
as well as the Muslim Sultanates of
Sulu and Maguindanao. These small
maritime states flourished from the
1st millennium.[4][5] These kingdoms
traded with what are now called China,
India, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, and
Indonesia.[6] The remainder of the
settlements were independent
Barangays allied with one of the larger
states.
Spanish colonization and settlement
began with the arrival of Miguel López
de Legazpi's expedition on February 13,
1565 who established the first
permanent settlement of San Miguel
on the island of Cebu.[7] The
expedition continued northward
reaching the bay of Manila on the
island of Luzon on June 24, 1571,[8]
where they established a new town
and thus began an era of Spanish
colonization that lasted for more than
three centuries.[9]
Spanish rule achieved the political
unification of almost the whole
archipelago, that previously had been
composed by independent kingdoms,
pushing back south the advancing
Islamic forces and creating the first
draft of the nation that was to be
known as the Philippines. Spain also
introduced Christianity, the code of law
and the oldest modern Universities in
Asia.
The Spanish East Indies were ruled as
part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain
and administered from Mexico City
from 1565 to 1821, and administered
directly from Madrid, Spain from 1821
until the end of the Spanish–American
War in 1898, except for a brief period of
British rule from 1762 to 1764. They
founded schools, a university, and
some hospitals, principally in Manila
and the largest Spanish fort
settlements. Universal education was
made free for all Filipino subjects in
1863 and remained so until the end of
the Spanish colonial era. This measure
was at the vanguard of contemporary
Asian countries, and led to an
important class of educated natives,
like José Rizal. Ironically, it was during
the initial years of American
occupation in the early 20th century,
that Spanish literature and press
flourished.
The Philippine Revolution against
Spain began in August 1896,
culminating the establishment of the
First Philippine Republic. However, the
Treaty of Paris, at the end of the
Spanish–American War, transferred
control of the Philippines to the United
States. This agreement was not
recognized by the insurgent First
Philippine Republic Government
which, on June 2, 1899, proclaimed a
Declaration of War against the United
States.[10] The Philippine–American
War which ensued resulted in massive
casualties.[11] Philippine president
Emilio Aguinaldo was captured in 1901
and the U.S. government declared the
conflict officially over in 1902.
The U.S. had established a military
government in the Philippines on
August 14, 1898, following the capture
of Manila.[12] Civil government was
inaugurated on July 1, 1901.[13] An
elected Philippine Assembly was
convened in 1907 as the lower house
of a bicameral legislature.[13]
Commonwealth status was granted in
1935, preparatory to a planned full
independence from the United States
in 1946.[14] Preparation for a fully
sovereign state was interrupted by the
Japanese occupation of the islands
during World War II.[15] After the end
of the war, the Treaty of Manila
established the Philippine Republic as
an independent nation.[16]
With a promising economy in the 1950s
and 1960s, the Philippines in the late
1960s and early 1970s saw a rise of
student activism and civil unrest
against President Ferdinand Marcos
who declared martial law in 1972.
[citation needed] The peaceful and
bloodless People Power Revolution of
1986, however, brought about the
ousting of Marcos and a return to
democracy for the country. The period
since then was marked by political
instability and hampered economic
productivity. However, economic
growth has gained pace in recent years
to become one of the highest in Asia;
as such the Philippines has been
labeled one of the Next Eleven
countries due to promising future
growth.