The 1872 Cavite rebellion was easily quelled but nationalist grew by leaps and bound with the inspiration Dr. Jose Rizal (1861-1896). His two novels Noli Me Tangere (Touch me not) and El Filibusterismo (The Filibusterer) broke the camel’s back and opened the gateway to nationalism.
In 1892, Dr. Rizal established the Liga Filipina that advocated reform rather than revolution. As a result Rizal was arrested and exiled to Dapitan on Mindanao.
Meanwhile, the road to freedom was paved by heroes, like Andres Bonifacio who organized the Katipunan and started the revolution. Jose Rizal was implicated and despite his innocence, he was executed on 30 December 1896. His death inflamed the Filipinos and the revolution grew. He is declared National Hero of the Philippines.
When the Americans defeated the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay in 1898, Spain ended her domination in the Philippines. Filipino leader, Emilio Aguinaldo declared Philippines independence on 12 June and continued the revolution when he Americans took over.
War between American forces in Manila and the Filipinos was initiated on 4 February 1899. The Filipino-American War lasted until 1902 when Aguinaldo was captured.