Recent anthropological evidence shows that human beings have lived in the Philippine Islands

since something like 65,000 BC. Over the millennia, small principalities, city-states,

if you like, emerged in the islands, many under the cultural influence of India.

Sea trade developed with neighboring nations such as Japan, China, Vietnam, the East Indies.

The Philippines would fall under Spanish colonial control in the 16th century.

By the end of the 19th century,

Filipinos would lose one colonial master and gain another.

The experience of the Filipinos during the colonial period would come to be described as

300 years in a convent

and 50 years in Hollywood.

Welcome to the history of the 20th century. Episode 3 Touch Me Not

Before we get started on today's episode, I'd like to take a step back, just to take

the broad view and see

where we are and where we're going. I mentioned back in episode one that at the beginning of the

20th century, the United States was involved in an ugly colonial war in the Philippines. I'd like to

tell that story, but before we go there, I need to say a few things about the Spanish-American War.

The Spanish-American War properly belongs in the history of the 19th century podcast,

and I promise I will get right on that just as soon as I finish the 20th century.

So I'm not going to go into the full thing here,

but I do have to tell a good bit of that story

in order to set the table for the situation in the Philippines.

And the thing is, in order to talk about that,

...