Filipino Americans

Precolonial Period

Situated southeast of the Asian mainland above the equator, the islands of the Philippine archipelago received their first inhabitants as early as 40,000 to 50,000 b.c.e. The indigenous people developed a wide variety of tools, agricultural and hunting techniques, as well as varieties of pottery, folklore, textiles, wood carvings, musical instruments, and house- and boat-building technologies. As sea routes and trade communities expanded, so did prospects for increased migration to neighboring territories, cross-cultural dialogue, and intercultural marriage. Manila's seafaring merchant trade began with Borneo and the Indonesian Islands by 300 c.e., with India and China by 800 c.e., and with Muslim missionaries who arrived in the southern Philippines by 1240 c.e.

Men, Pioneers, and Laborers

Though Ferdinand Magellan is celebrated for “discovering” the Philippines in 1521, Ruy Lopez de Villalobos named the archipelago Felipinas in honor of Crown Prince Felipe (Philip II), who finalized Spanish rule on June 24, 1571.

The enslavement of the Philippine Indios (a derogatory Spanish name for the indigenous peoples of their colonies) imposed new labor trades, including seafaring to the Americas. Known as Manila Men, Filipino sailors served on Mexico-bound galleon ships from 1565 to 1813. This sea cargo enterprise transported Asian goods twice a year between Manila Bay and the Bay of Acapulco.

The first documented presence of Manila Men in America occurred on October 17 or 18, 1587, in Morro Bay, California. Some historians theorize Filipino seamen wandered throughout various parts of America when galleon ships arrived in Mexico—escaping captivity and possibly traveling northward through Veracruz.

On March 31, 1883, Lafcadio Hearn's article dedicated to Filipinos in America for Harper's Weekly highlighted the bizarre existence of Filipino villages in St. Malo on the Louisiana bayous. Of note are historical documents discovered by Nestor Palugod Enriques chronicling at least 31 Manila-born men who enlisted to fight in the War of 1812 against the British, alongside many others of Asian descent.

With the Gold Rush of 1848, whaling ship expeditions to the arctic, and growing participation of Filipinos in the agriculture industry, even greater numbers of laborers and sailors of Philippine ancestry arrived in California with hopes of wealth acquisition and a new start in the “promised land.” By this time, the growing Philippine diaspora extended throughout the United States, with some Filipinos even losing their ethnic identities over time through intermarriage with multiple nationalities.

U.S. Annexation of Philippine Territory

On December 10, 1898, Spain sold the independent Republic of the Philippines to the United States for $20 million. This event responded to a countrywide initiative for independence inspired by the martyrdom of Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal. The ensuing Philippine-American War endured from 1899 to 1902.

The colonization and Americanization of the Philippines resulted in unique U.S.-Filipino relations. As early as 1903, pensionados (wealthy, upper-class Filipinos) were allowed to study in the United States, provided they return to serve in the Philippine government for every year of schooling abroad.

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