This final documentary volume brings together primary sources illustrating the salient points of the Philippine history during the last half-century of Spanish rule. The text presents eyewitness accounts by civil and military officials regarding internal political conditions, economic challenges, and administrative reforms.
Sinibaldo de Mas examines the fundamental policies available to Spain: perpetual possession or emancipation. To ensure perpetual possession, Mas argues for reducing the white population, maintaining native subordination through religious influence, and executing comprehensive administrative reforms.
Juan Manuel de la Matta addresses the moral condition of the country following popular unrest and military sedition. His report underscores the loss of prestige by the government and regular clergy, advocating for radical administrative and economic reorganizations to attract capital and develop agriculture.
James A. LeRoy provides a comprehensive review of the modern era, offering bibliographical notes and impartial commentary on social, economic, and political developments. His notes survey the administrative organism, taxation, legal matters, and the rise of Filipino self-consciousness.
The volume includes the historically significant constitution of the Liga Filipina, drafted by José Rizal, demonstrating that the organization sought mutual aid and unity rather than immediate separation from Spain.
The friar memorial of eighteen ninety-eight voices the collective protest of the religious orders against charges of personal immorality and hostility toward education. The friars attribute the rebellion to the spread of free-thought and Masonic doctrines, arguing that religion remains the core foundation of Spanish authority.
An appendix on agricultural conditions contrasts eighteenth and nineteenth-century practices, outlining the projects of the Economic Society of Manila and noting the persistent backwardness of the industry due to administrative shortcomings.
