This volume documents the intense political tension in Manila in August 1907, which arose during and after the election of delegates to the inaugural Philippine Assembly. Nationalist Filipino politicians and their supporters engaged in public demonstrations, frequently displaying the Katipunan flag—a symbol Americans associated with the earlier Philippine-American War and ongoing insurgency—and publicly showing disrespect for the American flag and national anthem. This provocative behavior caused outrage among the American community, particularly the American veterans, who viewed it as a direct challenge to the authority and sovereignty of the United States. In response, a massive, highly-attended patriotic meeting was organized by American residents of Manila to protest the perceived insults and demand firm action from the colonial government. In a pivotal move, the Philippine Commission, recognizing the seriousness of the situation, simultaneously enacted Act No. 1696, popularly known as the Flag Law. This legislation legally prohibited the public display of the Katipunan flag and other emblems associated with rebellion against the United States. This compilation of meeting proceedings, key speeches, contemporary newspaper editorials, and the text of the Flag Law itself captures a critical juncture in early American colonial rule, formalizing a strict governmental stance against symbolic protests by the Filipino independence movement.
The exaltation of the flag... Proceedings at the patriotic mass meeting held by the Americans of the Philippine Islands which took place in the City of Manila