Law passed after the Philippine-American War

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Laws Passed after the Philippine-American War
Introduction
The Philippine-American war, referred to by the Americans as the Philippine insurrection, started in 1899 and ended in 1902 (Francia). It was as a result of the U.S. colonization of the Philippines, which was met with fierce resistance from the Philippines army, albeit unsuccessful. After the war, several laws were enacted and had various effects on the Filipinos. This paper describes two laws that were beneficial to the Filipinos.
The Pensionado Act
The Pensionado Act passed in 1903 by the U.S Congress to provide funds for Filipino students to study in the U.S. (Paik, Choe and Witenstein 144). These sponsored students were referred to as pensionados, and they created a path for other Filipino students to pursue opportunities in the U.S. The law lasted from 1903 to 1938 and as a result, around 14,000 qualifying students utilized this opportunity to study in the U.S. (Paik, Choe and Witenstein 144). The Act was beneficial to the Filipino people because it empowered the pensionados and self-sponsored students economically and politically.
One of the benefits of the law was that it opened opportunities for other self-sponsored students to enroll for college education in the U.S. (Paik, Choe and Witenstein 144). The self-sponsored students saw an opportunity to improve their economic condition by studying in the U.S. This concept was highly ingrained in their brain by their American teachers who taught them in the Philippines (Paik, Choe and Witenstein 144). They already had a basic understanding of the American culture from their teachings, and upon completion of their education, some of the students who chose to remain in the U.S. were well received by the white people. As a result, they acquired jobs, albeit not consistent with their level of education (Paik, Choe and Witenstein 144). This gave them an opportunity to offer financial aid to their families back in the Philippines, and also opened their minds to different perspectives. The Filipino students saw the American education system as an opportunity rather than as a method of suppressing them to rise against the colonialists (Knake 3). They understood the benefits they could reap from American education, and they took the opportunity, either to feed their curiosity or to gain economic benefits.
Also, a majority of these students were able to return to the Philippines and work for the government (Paik, Choe and Witenstein 144). The returnees had an opportunity to work as high ranking officials in the government and other fields that were regarded as necessary. It was also an obligation for them to work for the colonial government for every year they received education in the U.S. (Paik, Choe and Witenstein 144). As a result, this kind of empowerment regarding literacy helped them influence important matters back at home. For instance, they were able to resist from within and take collective action against the colonial government (Knake 1). The pensionados viewed the opportunity to study in the U.S. as a means to obtain liberty and subsequent independence. The Pensionado Act was used by the Filipino students as a way of returning home with a p...