U.S Grants Philippines "Independence"

On July 3rd, 1946, the United States granted independence to the United States. President Harry Truman signed the Treaty of General Relations, also known as the Treaty of Manila, which recognized the Republic of the Philippines as its own sovereign nation.


The picture depicted above shows President Truman signing treaty on July 3rd. As a display of American symbolism, the treaty came into effect the next day on July 4th, the same day in which the United States announced the Declaration of Independence. In a similar respect, the United States was declaring independence for the Philippines when President Truman signed this treaty.
Unfortunately, many Filipinos recognized this day as the Independence Day that wasn’t. The United States created a veil of kindness when it signed the treaty, but when looking at the fine print of the treaty; it is obvious that the Philippines were not truly free. The price of freedom came with many chains attached to it. Specifically, there are two aspects of the independence that has turned this act of kindness into a display of American might.


Although the Americans granted the Philippines independence, the United States still kept its presence in the Philippines. After this treaty was passed, the United States still claimed dozens of military bases in the Philippines. These bases included major bases, which were the basis of U.S operation in the Asian region. With the United States holding onto their military bases, this was a display which showed that the United States still had control of the Philippines. Even though the Philippines were granted independence on paper, they were still under the watchful eye of the United States military. The Philippines were granted independence in name only, but they were still the little brown brother to the United States.

The second aspect that is important to look at is the Bell Trade Act. The Bell Trade Act is also known as the Philippine Trade Act because it specifically focuses on the Philippines. The Bell Trade Act specified the economic conditions in which the Philippines had to meet if they wanted independence. Specifically, the act created a system of tariffs which was favorable to the United States. It also measured the Peso to the U.S dollar. The Philippines government also could not place restrictions on currency transfers from the Philippines to the United States. And the act gave the United States equal access to the natural resources of the Philippines. The Bell Trade Act effectively traded Filipino independence for the economic growth of the United States. The restrictions placed on the Philippines were indicative that the United States still had a hold of power in the Philippines. The Bell Trade Act made sure that the Philippines would never eclipse the United States as an economic might.



The date July 4th, 1946 might be the day that the United States recognized the Republic of the Philippines as a sovereign nation, but it is a date that most Philippines recognize as a reinforcement of United States’ colonial might. With numerous provisions to their independence; it is difficult to recognize this treaty as a victory for the Filipinos. If the United States truly wanted to grant the Philippines independence; they would not have retained their military bases and limit the economic growth of the Philippines with their restrictions. Unfortunately for the Philippines, the United States were able to flex their proverbial muscles while acting kind at the same time.

-H. Du