Important Changes and Developments in the 19th Century

 

 

Many international events in the 19th century had paved the way to the independence of our country from Spain. After Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo in 1815, bringing an end to the Napoleonic Wars, the United Kingdom from the merged Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland controlled almost a quarter of the world’s population and one-third of the land area. This British empire enformed a Pax Britannica, encouraged trade, and fought widespread piracy. But at the end of the century, New Imperialism emerged.

Slavery was also discouraged around the world. There was a successful slave revolt in Haiti and slavery in America (1820) and serfdom in Russia (1851) was also abolished. In the 1810’s to 1820’s, most of the Latin American colonies at that time freed themselves from their Spanish or Portuguese Empires after the Mexican War of Independence and the South American Wars of Independence. Greece and Uruguay also gained their own independence from their colonizers during the 1820’s and Belgium, Columbia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica also followed in the 1830’s. The British Empire then had banned slavery using the Slavery Abolition Act enacted in 1833.

During the 1940s, revolutions were rampant in Europe and new countries had formed from treaties like the foundation of New Zealand with the Treaty of Waitangi. In 1848, the The Communist Manifesto was also published. Social turmoil increased in China during the Taiping Rebellion when it was considered as the bloodiest conflict of the century. Wars and rebellions continued, creating worldwide violence and massive deaths.

The Second Industrial Revolution, fueled by electricity, steel and petroleum, also started in this century which made the German Empire, Japan, and the United States to become internationally powerful that raced to create their own empires. However, China’s Qing Dynasty and Russia experienced a massive social unrest during the Opium Wars that made them fail to keep pace with these other world powers. The Gilded Age started in 1876 where there was massive expansion in population, territory, industry and wealth of the United States. In 1884-1885, the attending nations of the Berlin Conference agreed to totally ban slavery. Slavery in Brazil was then banned and it was then the beginning of the Brazilian Republic. In Asia during the 1890’s, China ceded Taiwan to Japan and granted Japan a free hand in Korea. At that time when the United States had gained control to the Philippines, it had also gained control of Cuba and Puerto Rico. At the same time again, the One Thousand Days War in Colombia broke out between the “Liberales” and “Conservadores”, culminating the loss of Panama.

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Important Changes and Developments in the 19th Century

Reaction on RA. 1425 RIZAL LAW

Based on the Philippines’ vibrant history, the Filipinos are well-known throughout the world with their sense of nationalism. Since the Spanish era until the latest People Power, the Filipinos had generously expressed their ideals of their own love of freedom of their country. This certain noble love that we, Filipinos, are proud of should always be remembered and practiced, and therefore should be taught to the younger generations. For this reason, the Republic Act 1425, or popularly known as the Rizal Law, was implemented by the State.

The Rizal Law states that all public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the country must include in their curricula, courses or subject about the life, works and, writings of Dr. Jose Rizal, particularly the novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. In this law, the honor of the Filipinos’ nationalism, particularly our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, is met with special fondness and devotion by the younger generations during their formal education.

The works of Dr. Jose Rizal, especially the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, are excellent inspiring sources of nationalism or patriotism in which the Filipino youths should also recognize and put into practice. Since also in school, the minds of these youths are carefully molded with proper knowledge and discipline. Therefore, in school, the enacted curricula, course or subject is also a way of teaching the youths of being a good Filipino citizen.

On the other hand, minor occurrences have already violated this law. The use of the English translation as an alternative medium is already a contrast to the objectives of the law. The law should also recognize our national language and not the English language but this implementation may be difficult due to colonial mentality and the recent issue of globalization. Certain primers, readers, and textbooks that are used in certain public schools with only a few funds for good education had already edited the original texts to different explanations and views that had led to a confusion or false knowledge to the students. But sad to say, there is not enough implementation of laws that can control this problem in our poor country.

Many other violations of the law had been done and ignored. Adequate amounts of copies are not available in public schools due to the massive graft and corruption of some public officials. Distribution of copies of Rizal’s works that are free of charge to those persons desiring to read them is not also really available in the Purok organizations and Barrio Councils throughout the country. I think that a revision of the Rizal Law should be considered or, in a hard way, the law should be more strictly practiced and penalized so hat somehow, or in some way, appreciation and recognition of the love of country is truly practiced.

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Reaction Paper on RA. 1425 RIZAL LAW