Alfred McCoy

American Colonization
in Philippines
1898-1946
TREATY OF PARIS
 The Treaty of Paris, signed on December 10, 1898, was a

peace agreement between Spain and the United States that
ended the Spanish-American War.
 Under the treaty, the United States gained possession of the

Philippines.
 Marking the end of Spanish imperialism, the treaty established

the United States’ position as a world power.
June 12,1898
- Philippine Independence from Spain
July 4,1946
In accordance with the Philippine Independence Act (more

popularly known as the "Tydings–McDuffie Act"), President Harry
S. Truman issued Proclamation 2695 of July 4, 1946 officially
recognizing the independence of the Philippines.
In 1962, President Diosdado Macapagal issued
Proclamation No. 28, s. 1962, effectively moving the
date of Philippine independence from July 4 to June
12—the date independence from Spain was
proclaimed in Emilio Aguinaldo’s home in Kawit,
Cavite.
• June 12 - Philippine Independence Day
• July 4 - Philippine–American Friendship Day
Alfred McCoy: Political Caricature of the American Era
Political Cartoons
a drawing (often including caricature) made for the purpose of

conveying editorial commentary on politics, politicians, and
current events. Such cartoons play a role in the political
discourse of a society that provides for freedom of speech and of
the press. They are a primarily opinion-oriented medium and can
generally be found on the editorial pages of newspapers and
other journalistic outlets, whether in print or electronic form.
Ways to analyze political cartoons
Political cartoons allow students to examine the many

persuasive techniques cartoonists use to change people’s
minds. The most used persuasive techniques are symbolism,
exaggeration, labeling, analogy, and irony.
Symbolism - Simple objects, or symbols, can stand for larger
concepts or ideas. Have students identify any symbols and what
they are intended to represent.
Symbols used in Political Cartoons:
• Peace - dove, olive branch, victory sign
• United States - Uncle Sam, flag, stars and stripes, shield
• Democrats - donkey
• Republicans - elephant
• Death - vulture, skeleton with shroud, skull and crossbones, grim reaper
• Love - heart, Cupid, Venus
• Money - dollar bill or dollar sign
• Heroes or good guys - wear white
• Villains or bad guys - wear black
Exaggeration - Physical characteristics of people or things may
be exaggerated to make a point. Students should look for these
exaggerations and why the artist chose to exaggerate these
features.
• When you study a cartoon, look for any characteristics that

seem overdone or overblown. (Facial characteristics and
clothing are some of the most commonly exaggerated
characteristics.) Then, try to decide what point the cartoonist
was trying to make through exaggeration.
Labeling - Sometimes objects or people are labeled to make it
obvious what they stand for. When students see labels, ask them
to decide why the artist decided to add a label.
Watch out for the different labels that appear in a cartoon, and
ask yourself why the cartoonist chose to label that particular
person or object. Does the label make the meaning of the object
more clear?
Analogy - By comparing two different things, cartoonists can
help their readers see a different point of view. If students
discover an analogy, have them decide what the analogy is
comparing and the point the comparison makes.
After you’ve studied a cartoon for a while, try to decide what the
cartoon’s main analogy is. What two situations does the cartoon
compare? Once you understand the main analogy, decide if this
comparison makes the cartoonist’s point more clear to you
Irony - Irony is the difference between the ways things are and the way
things should be or are expected to be. Students should decide if the
irony expresses an opinion on the issue.
When you look at a cartoon, see if you can find any irony in the situation
the cartoon depicts. If you can, think about what point the irony might be
intended to emphasize. Does the irony help the cartoonist express his or
her opinion more effectively?
• In his book Philippine Cartoons: Political
Caricature of the American Era (1900-1941)
Alfred McCoy, together with Alfred Roces,
compiled political cartoons published in
newspaper dailies and periodicals in the
aforementioned time period.
Manila: The Corruption of a City
The editors, artists and writers all lived and worked in Manila, and so expressed
their frustrations with its discomforts and decadence in some of the angriest cartoons of
the American period (1899-1941).
The Distant Provinces
Colonial Condition
for Sophisticated Filipino nationalist, colonialism was not a simple matter of who occupied the
executive offices in Malacanang Palace. They saw colonialism as a pervasive condition that had
penetrated the whole of their social fabric – influencing their culture, politics, economy, and class
relations.
Uncle Sam and Little Juan
Uncle Sam underwent a striking transformation in the pages of the Philippines press. The
transition from the Spanish Colonial period to the American Occupation period demonstrated
different scenario of changes and shifts in culture, society, and politics.
The selected cartoons illustrate not only
opinion of certain media outfits about the
Philippine society during the American period
but also paint a broad image of society and
politics under the United States.

Alfred McCoy

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Alfred McCoy

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Alfred McCoy

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

American Colonization

 The Treaty of Paris, signed on December 10, 1898, was a

 Under the treaty, the United States gained possession of the

 Marking the end of Spanish imperialism, the treaty established

In accordance with the Philippine Independence Act (more

a drawing (often including caricature) made for the purpose of

Political cartoons allow students to examine the many

• When you study a cartoon, look for any characteristics that

You might also like