ABSTRACT

The Filipinos' submissive attitude was partly the result of the friars' constantly telling them how intellectually inferior they were; it was also due to a lack of national consciousness among the Filipinos, whose loyalties rarely transcended the barangay group or the pueblo level. The commission proclaimed the rule of law and the separation of church and state and granted freedom of press and of assembly. The conflict between the US administration and Filipino political leaders eased considerably with Wood's sudden death in August 1927. Politically, the Filipinos advanced more rapidly than most other colonies of any other Western power. In general, the progress toward freedom was greater during Democratic than Republican administrations. The Republican administrations of Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover in the United States marked setbacks for the Filipino march to independence. Innovation in judicial administration included the establishment of a Supreme Court and introduction of habeas corpus and civil marriage.