Tydings-McDuffie Act
The Tydings-McDuffie Act, signed into law on March 24, 1934, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was a significant milestone in the Philippines’ journey towards independence. This legislation established a ten-year transition period during which the Philippines would operate under a commonwealth government, ultimately promising full independence by 1944. During this transitional phase, the Philippines was to have its own national legislature and executive branches, although significant policy-making authority remained with the United States. The invasion of the Philippines by Japan in 1942 delayed this promise of independence, which was eventually fulfilled in 1946.
However, the commonwealth arrangement raised concerns about the extent of American control over the Philippines. Critics argue that instead of paving the way for authentic independence, the Act perpetuated American economic dominance, making the Philippines increasingly dependent on U.S. interests. The commonwealth structure limited the Philippines' ability to compete effectively in the global market, as it constrained trade revenues from duty-free exports to the U.S. This situation led to increased indebtedness and reliance on American loans and investments. The Tydings-McDuffie Act thus represents a complex interplay of aspirations for self-governance and the lasting influence of colonial economic structures.
Tydings-McDuffie Act
On March 24, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Philippines Commonwealth Independence Act, popularly known as the Tydings-McDuffie Act. The law promised independence to the Philippines by 1944, following a ten-year transition period of “commonwealth status.” During that time, the islands were to be governed by their own national legislature and executive branches; policy-making power, however, would continue to remain in the United States. This commonwealth system was in place when the Philippines were invaded and occupied by the Japanese in 1942, an event that delayed Philippine independence for two years, until 1946.
Under the structure authorized by the Tydings-McDuffie Act, the goal of true Philippine independence was increasingly circumvented. In the name of independence, American control of the Philippines continued. American suzerainty was magnified by a commonwealth political system that furthered American economic interests at the expense of the islands’ competing in the world market. In the end, the Philippines became increasingly dependent on American economic interests. Commonwealth status destroyed that which the Philippines needed in order to compete economically on a global scale: revenue from the export of duty-free goods to the United States. Without trade revenues, the Philippines became increasingly dependent on the United States for loans and investment, made with the understanding that U.S. interests came first. As the Philippine treasury emptied, the commonwealth thus became more indebted to its patron, the United States. The implementation of the Tydings-McDuffie Act both initiated and reinforced this condition.
Bibliography
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"TOPN: Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934." Legal Information Institute. Cornell U Law School, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
"Tydings-McDuffie Act (United States)(1934)." North American Immigration. North American Immigration, 3 Jan. 2011. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.