![HenryACooper](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/HenryACooper.jpg)
The Philippine Organic Act (c. 1369, ) was a basic law for the
Insular Government
The Insular Government of the Philippine IslandsThis form of the name appeared in the titles of U.S. Supreme Court cases, but was otherwise rarely used. See Costas v. Insular Government of the Philippine Islands, 221 U.S. 623, 1911. The Admini ...
that was enacted by the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
on July 1, 1902. It is also known as the Philippine Bill of 1902 and the Cooper Act, after its author
Henry A. Cooper. The approval of the act coincided with the official end of the
Philippine–American War
The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...
.
Overview
The Philippine Organic Act provided for the creation of an elected
Philippine Assembly
The Philippine Assembly (sometimes called the Philippine National Assembly) was the lower house of the Philippine Legislature from 1907 to 1916, when it was renamed the House of Representatives of the Philippines. The Philippine Assembly wa ...
after the following conditions were met:
# the cessation of the
existing insurrection in the Philippine Islands;
# completion and publication of a census; and
# two years of continued peace and recognition of the authority of the
United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
after the publication of the census.
After the convening of the Assembly,
legislative power
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...
shall then be vested in a bicameral legislature composed of the
Philippine Commission
The Philippine Commission was the name of two bodies, both appointed by the president of the United States, to assist with governing the Philippines.
The first Philippine Commission, also known as the Schurman Commission, was appointed by Preside ...
as the upper house and the Philippine Assembly as the lower house. Supervision of the islands was assigned to the War Department's
Bureau of Insular Affairs
The Bureau of Insular Affairs was a division of the United States Department of War that oversaw civil aspects of the administration of several territories from 1898 until 1939.
History
The bureau was created 13 December 1898 as the Division of ...
.
Other key provisions included:
* a bill of rights for the Filipinos,
* the appointment of two Filipino nonvoting
Resident Commissioner
Resident commissioner was or is an official title of several different types of commissioners, who were or are representatives of any level of government. Historically, they were appointed by the British Crown in overseas protectorates (such ...
s to represent the Philippines in the United States Congress, and
* the disestablishment of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.
* conservation of natural resources for the Filipinos
* exercise of executive power by the civil governor who would have several executive departments
* establishment of the Philippine Assembly to be elected by the Filipinos two years after the publication of a census and only after peace had been restored completely in the country
This act was superseded by the
Philippine Autonomy Act
The Jones Law (, . 416, also known as the Jones Act, the Philippine Autonomy Act, and the Act of Congress of August 29, 1916) was an Organic Act passed by the United States Congress. The law replaced the Philippine Organic Act of 1902 an ...
, or the ''Jones Law'', enacted on August 29, 1916.
Background
The act was preceded by the
Spooner Amendment
The Taft Commission, also known as the Second Philippine Commission (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Ikalawang Komisyon ng Pilipinas''), was established by United States President William McKinley on March 16, 1900, following the recommendations ...
to the Army Appropriations Act of 1901 (, 910, enacted 2 March 1901) which had provided that:
... all military, civil, and judicial powers necessary to govern the Philippine Islands ... shall until otherwise provided by Congress be vested in such person and persons, and shall be exercised in such manner, as the President of the United States shall direct, for the establishment of civil government, and for maintaining and protecting the inhabitants of said Islands in the free enjoyment of their liberty, property, and religion.
This was complemented by a cable from the
Secretary of War
The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
Elihu Root
Elihu Root (; February 15, 1845February 7, 1937) was an American lawyer, Republican politician, and statesman who served as Secretary of State and Secretary of War in the early twentieth century. He also served as United States Senator from N ...
to the
Philippine Commission
The Philippine Commission was the name of two bodies, both appointed by the president of the United States, to assist with governing the Philippines.
The first Philippine Commission, also known as the Schurman Commission, was appointed by Preside ...
on 5 March 1901:
Until further orders government will continue under existing instructions and orders.
The comprehensive Spooner Amendment, and these instructions and orders, virtually constituted for many months the charter of government for the Philippine Islands.
[Cincinnati Soap Co. v. U.S., 301 U.S. 308 (1937)] Between September 1900 and August 1902, the
Second Philippine Commission
The Taft Commission, also known as the Second Philippine Commission (Filipino: ''Ikalawang Komisyon ng Pilipinas''), was established by United States President William McKinley on March 16, 1900, following the recommendations of the First Phili ...
(the Taft Commission) issued 499 laws.
Implementation
The act was enacted into law on July 1, 1902, and the Philippine Commission executed its provisions.
A census was conducted in 1903, and published on March 25, 1905.
The
Philippine Assembly elections of 1907 were held on July 30, 1907, for 80 seats, and on October 16, 1907, the
1st Philippine Legislature
The First Philippine Legislature was the first session of the Philippine Legislature, the first representative legislature of the Philippines. Then known as the Philippine Islands, the Philippines under the sovereign control of the United States ...
was inaugurated at the
Manila Grand Opera House
The Manila Grand Opera House (Filipino: ''Marangal na Bahay-Opera ng Maynila'', abbreviated MGOH) was a theater and opera house located in the district of Santa Cruz in Manila on the intersection of Rizal Avenue and Doroteo Jose Street. It was t ...
.
As a result of the act, the Catholic Church agreed to gradually substitute Spanish
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
s with Filipinos and to sell its land.
It refused however to send the
friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ol ...
s immediately back to Spain.
In 1904, the American administration bought 166,000 hectares, a major part of the friars' holding, over half of which was in the Manila area, and the land was resold to Filipinos—some of them tenants but the majority of them estate owners.
See also
*
History of the Philippines (1898–1946)
The history of the Philippines from 1898 to 1946 began with the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April 1898, when the Philippines was still a colony of the Spanish East Indies, and concluded when the United States formally recognized ...
*
Resident Commissioner of the Philippines
The resident commissioner of the Philippines () was a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives sent by the Philippines from 1907 until its internationally recognized independence in 1946. It was similar to current non-voti ...
References
External links
Philippine Organic Act of 1902* — A 1926 interview with Congressman Henry A. Cooper.
{{Philippine legislatures
1902 in American law
1902 in the Philippines
Constitutions of the Philippines
Filipino-American history
Government of the Philippines
United States federal territory and statehood legislation