The Philippine Revolution was directed against Spain which had colonized the Philippines since 1565. The Revolution against Spain had two phases: the first from the declaration of defiance against Spanish rule on August 23, 1896 till the conclusion of a truce in December 1897: the second from the return till the outbreak of the Filipino-American War in February 1899. The Philippine Revolution exploded on August 23, 1896, in the event that is commemorated as the "Cry of Pugadlawin." The Katipunan, led by its founder, Andres Bonifacio, tore their cedulas as a symbol of their determination to takeup arms against Spain.The most important event which possibly made the Revolution inevitable was that of February 17, 1872, when three Filipino secular priests, leaders in the movement of the secularization of Philippine parishes, were executed publicly by garrote for their supposed complicity in a miltary mutiny at a Cavite arsenal on January 20, 1872. The first manifestation of Philippine nationalism followed in the decades of the 1880s and the 1890s, with a reform or propaganda movement, conducted both in Spain and in the Philippines, for the purpose of "propagandizing" Philippine conditions in hopes that desired changes in the social, political and economic life of the Filipinos would come about through peaceful means. The revolutionary society, Katipunan, was established on July 7, 1892, by Filipinos who had given up hope that the Spanish government would administer the affairs of Filipinas in the inerests of its subjects-- with justice and dignity. Andres Bonifacio led the Revolution in its early stages, although he did not excel in the field of battle. Internal rivalry led to the division of the ranks within the Katipunan organizations and with the execution of Bonifacio in May 1897 (charged with sedition and treason). The first phase of the Revolution ended inconclusively, with both Filipino and Spanish forces unable to pursue hostilities to a successful conclusion. Consequently, between November 18 and December 15, there was a truce. -"The Katipunan Revolution"
In the fall of 1896, Filipino nationalists revolted against the Spanish rulethat had controlled the Philippines since the sixteenth century. Led by Emilio Aguinaldo (1869-1964), the 1896 revolt carried the Filipinos to an anticipated was with Spain and an unanticipated war with the United States. In 1872, there was a small revolt in the Cavite Province which launched the revolutionary cause. In 1892, Jose Rizal founded Liga Filipina, and in 1895, Andres Bonfacio organized the Katipunan, a fraternal brotherhood of Filipino nationalists commited to independence. Emilio Aguinaldo joined the Katipunan in 1895. In 1896, the armed struggle in Manila began and quickly spread throughout the country. Aguinaldo had Bonfacio arrested and executed in 1897. When the United States and Spain went to war over Cuba, the Philippines joined the side of the United States. On June 12, 1898, Aguinaldo declared the independence of the Philippines islands, and in January 1899, he became President. While the Filipinos believed that a U.S. defeat of Spain would lead to a free Philippines, the U.S. refused to recognize the new government. Emilio Aguinaldo was captured by the U.S. military in 1901 and declared allegiance to the United States. By the end of the Philippine War in 1902, more than 40,000 Filiipinos and 4,000 American soldiers were dead. -"August 1896: Revolt in the Philippines"
On February 25,1896, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt ordered Commodore George Dewey to make Hong Kong the headquarters of the AmericanAsiatic Squadron. He also directed Dewey to attack Manila Bay and destroy the Spanish fleet,the moment hostilities between Spain and U.S. break out. On February 15, 1898, a fateful event occured in Cuba. The American warship Maine was blown up in Havana Harbor, resulting in the death ofits 260 officers and crewmembers. Although it was not proven that the Spaniards had sunk the Maine, the Americans called for war against Spain. Spain declared war on the United States on April 23, 1898. The United States declared war against Spain on April 25, 1898. On May 1, 1898, the United States Navy led by Commodore George Dewey crushed the Spanish squadron in Manila Bay and the Spanish naval base at Sangley Point in Cavite. The Spanish- American War ended with the Treaty of Paris signed on December 10, 1898. The treaty conferred ownership of the Spanish colonies of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the United States. On May 1, 1898, Dewey enetered Manila Bay almost undetected. THe battle began at 5:41 in the morning and by 12:30 of the same day, the Spaniards were raising the white flag in surrender. THe battle proved to be too costly for the SPaniards, who lost 167 men and had 214 others wounded. As for the Americans, no ships were destroyed,and no soldiers were killed or injured. The Battle of Manila Bay is considered one of the easiest encounters ever won in world history.
On April 21, 1898, the United States declared war against Spain. The causes of the conflict were many, but the immediate ones were America's support of Cuba's ongoing struggle against Spanish rule and the mysterious explosion of the U.S.S Maine in Havana Harbor. It would be the first overseas war fought by the United States, involving campaigns in both Cuba and the Philippine Islands. The Spanish fleet guarding the Philippines was defeated by the U.S. Navy under the command of Commodore George Dewey on May 1, 1898. The military base best suited as the staging point for troops bound for the Philippines was the Presidio of San Francisco. The majority of these soldiers were volunteers. The first soldiers left the Presidio in May 1898. From the beginning of the war to 1900, some 80,000 men passed through the post on their way to the Philippines. Philippine rebels had been waging guerrilla warfare against Spanish colonialism long before the U.S. became involved. After the signing of the Treaty of Paris, on December 10, 1898, which ended the war against Spain, the United States opted to give Cuba its independence but keep the Philippines, to the dismay of the Philippine nationalists.