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Feb 13, 1565
The Spanish Colonial
The Philippine islands came to the attention of Europeans with the Spanish expedition led by a Portuguese explorer named Ferdinand Magellan. After the end of the American-Spanish war in 1898, the Spaniards sold the Philippines and other colonial properties for 20 million dollars to the Americans. Spain colonized the Philippines and the 3,000 islands became part of the Spanish East Indies from 1565-1898. -
Trading
Spanish trading ships called the 'Manila Galleons' set up a trade route from Manila to the United States port of Acapulco. Male Filipinos called the "Manilamen", made their first permanent settlement in the bayous of Louisiana. They settled in the marshlands of Louisiana where no Spaniards could reach them. They governed themselves and kept their existence a secret from mainstream society for over 100 years. -
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Philippine Revolution
A wave of Filipino Immigration to America was preceded by the 1897 revolution in the Philippines. The Philippine Revolution erupted between the Philippines and the Spanish colonial authorities. It was a Filipino victory and led to the establishment of the First Philippine Republic in 1899, proclaimed by revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo on June 23, 1898. -
Second Wave of Filipino Immigration
The second wave of Filipino Immigration to America occured from 1906 with the concentration of Filipinos emigrating to California and Hawaii. The Jones Law was enacted in 1916 which promised independence to the Philippines once a stable government had been made. Because the Philippines were an American colony, Filipinos in the second wave of immigration were able to travel to the US as American nationals. -
Third Wave of Filipino Immigration
The third wave of Filipino Immigration to America started in 1934 right before World War II in 1939. In 1941, Japan invaded the Philippines defeating General Douglas MacArthur at Bataan and Corregidor. President Manuel Quezon y Molina was forced to establish a government in exile and then dies in 1944. In the same year, General MacArthur re-invaded the Philippines and Manila was liberated from Japanese occupation. -
The Philippines Become an Independent Nation
The Tydings-McDuffie Act provided for independence of the Philippine Islands in 1946, changed the status of Filipinos from American citizens to aliens, and so the transition to independence began. Philippine independence came on July 4, 1946, with the signing of the Treaty of Manila between the governments of the United States and the Philippines. Records show that 32,201 Filipinos immigrated between 1953-1965. -
The Fourth Wave of Filipino Immigration
The fourth wave of Filipino Immigration to America started in 1965 with the passing of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The law was an extremely important landmark in U.S. immigration history because it abolished nation-of-origin restrictions. The numbers of immigrants from Asian and Hispanic countries rose dramatically and Filipinos now represent the 4th largest immigrant group in the United States.
