9 h 34 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 235 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 235 pagesAbout this book
How do scattered islands become a nation through centuries of trade, colonial rule, and resistance?
In A History of the Philippines, David P. Barrows traces the islands from their earliest peoples to the opening years of American rule. The story moves from bays and river plains to the arrival of Magellan and Legazpi, then through Spanish colonial life, expanding trade, and the growth of national feeling.
First published in 1905 as a school text, this survey brings a long history into one clear narrative. Friars shape village life, galleons carry goods across the Pacific, and reform gives way to revolt. Barrows writes as an American educator and colonial official, so his account also reveals the viewpoint and assumptions of his day.
What you’ll discover
- Islands before Spanish rule Begin with the land and diverse peoples who live here before European ships arrive.
- Colonial power in village life Explore how religious orders stand at the center of Barrows's account of Spanish rule.
- Silk, silver, and sea routes Follow Manila's galleon trade as Chinese goods cross the Pacific and silver returns.
- Reform becomes revolt Trace how world trade and growing national feeling form part of the path toward revolt.
- An official's revealing perspective Read early American rule through an account shaped by Barrows's own work in the islands.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who want a single narrative of Philippine history, students of colonialism, and anyone curious about early American rule. It may be less suited to those who want a modern, Filipino-centered account free from the assumptions of 1905.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Many peoples lived here before Spain
- Magellan and Legazpi bring Spain
- The friars shape village life
- Trade, war and a brief British rule
- A new age brings reform and revolt
- The American turn and Barrows's own view
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- Large print hardcover
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A History of the Philippines
by David P. Barrows· 1905
A history of the Philippines through centuries of changing rule.
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Language: Español
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
Many peoples lived here before Spain
Barrows opens with the islands themselves. The Philippines are a vast scatter of islands, with Luzon in the north and Mindanao in the south, and many sheltered bays and rich river plains. The geography matters to his story, because it helped keep the peoples apart from one another. Travel by sea was easy, but unity over the whole chain was not.
He then describes the peoples as the scholarship of his time understood them. He speaks of the Negritos, small dark-skinned hunters usually thought to be among the earliest inhabitants. After them, he says, came waves of Malay-speaking settlers who spread across the islands. These later groups farmed rice, built boats, and lived in small communities led by chiefs.
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The author
David P. Barrows
1873–1954 · American anthropologist
David Prescott Barrows (1873–1954) was an American anthropologist and educator. He was born in Chicago and lived in the Philippines and California. He wrote A History of the Philippines, published in 1905. He served as president of the University of California from 1919 to 1923.
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What is A History of the Philippines by David Barrows about?
It is a survey of Philippine history from the early island peoples through Spanish colonial rule, the rise of national feeling and revolt, to the first years of American government after 1898.
Who was David P. Barrows?
He was an American educator and anthropologist who served as the first general superintendent of education in the Philippines under American rule, and later became president of the University of California.
When was A History of the Philippines written?
It first appeared in 1905 as a school textbook, and it was later revised. It is a history written by a participant in early American rule, not by a modern scholar.
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