User:Jondel/CaviteHistory

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Cavite's location in relation to Manila and Manila Bay ensured it a prominent place in the nation's past; historical markers can be found throughout the province. It is believed that the Chinese were mooring their junks and trading at Sangley Point, on the tip of Cavite Peninsula, by the early 13th century. From here, they crossed to the Pasig River and Laguna de Bay. Sangley is said to be an adaptation of seng-li or xang-li ("trader" in the Amoy Chinese dialect). Cavite was only lightly populated when the Spanish arrived. They founded what is now Cavite City in 1571 and fortified it against Moro raiders. Encomiendas were granted and Cavite was designated a politico-military province in 1614. It became a Jesuit stronghold. During the 17th century, Cavite City developed as a center for shipbuilding and naval operations. Giant molave trees from the forests around Paete were floated across Laguna de Bay, down the Pasig River, and across Manila Bay to Cavite, where many of the great Manila galleons were built. Cavite City was attacked by the Dutch in 1647, and British landed here during their 1762 invasion.

The Revolution

Cavite played a crucial role in the struggle for independence. The 1872 mutiny of about 200 native soldiers and workers in Cavite City's arsenal in which they killed their Spanish officers, was swiftly suppressed, but it led to the unjust implication and execution of the Filipino priests Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora. This incident helped focus and inflame the native desire to be free of the colonial yoke, and the province was among the first to rise in the arms in 1896. Cavite produced many revolutionary leaders and saw much action. The small, flamboyant General Emilio Aguinaldo (1869-1964) of Kawit came to prominence when he led the Katipuneros in taking Kawit, Binakayan, and several other settlements. His success made Cavite the focal point of the revolution. Rivalry between Aguinaldo and Bonifacio became intense after a split in revolutionary ranks between factions of loyal to one or the other. Bonifacio's headquarters was at Imus and Aguinaldo's at what is now General Trias. After conciliatory attempts failed, Bonifacio and his brother were arrested by the Aguinaldo group, taken to Maragondon, tried, and condemned for sedition by a revolutionary military court. They were executed on Mt. Buntis, outside Maragondon. After this, the revolutionaries' disunity, compounded by a lack of arms and supplies, enable the Spaniards to recapture town after town and regain control of Cavite. Aguinaldo was forced to retreat to Bulacan, and after the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, he was exiled to Hong Kong, but returned after U. S. Commodore Dewey had destroyed the Spanish fleet off Cavite's coast. Aguinaldo landed at Cavite on 19 May 1898 and, believing that the Americans had come as liberators, he urged Filipinos to rise in support. They routed the Spanish forces throughout most of Luzon. Aguinaldo's home in Kawit was the site of the declaration of Philippine Independence on 12 June 1898. Bacoor was briefly the capital of the revolutionary government before it moved to Malolos.

The Twentieth Century

Meanwhile, the first US expeditionary force debarked at Cavite as the Americans moved to take control of the country. Sangley Point became the chief naval base and coaling station of the U. S. Fleet in Asian waters. These installations and the city's strategic position made Cavite a key Japanese target during the 1941 invasion. U. S. Troops parachuted onto Tagaytay Ridge to join others who had landed at Nasugbu (Batangas) before advancing north to liberate Manila.

The Land