Shaping Legacy by Reframing Dewey Monument and Raising People’s Historical Consciousness
- Mar 25
- 2 min read
Shaping Legacy by Reframing Dewey Monument and Raising People’s Historical Consciousness
At the heart of San Francisco’s shopping and hotel district, in Union Square, Dewey Monument stands to commemorate the victory of Admiral George Dewey and the American Fleet over the Spanish forces at Manila Bay, the Philippines, on May 1,1898, during the Spanish-American War. Two US Presidents officially graced this historic Monument: President William McKinley for the groundbreaking (May 12,1901) and President Theodore Roosevelt for the dedication (May 14,1903).
Why These Battles Matter
To understand why Dewey Monument stands in San Francisco — and why it erases Filipinos — we must follow the chain of events that began in 1896.
Before the United States ever entered the Philippines, Filipinos had already risen.
On August 23, 1896, the Cry of Pugad Lawin ignited the Philippine Revolution. Bonifacio and the Katipunan tore their cédulas and declared they would no longer live under Spanish rule (Since 1565). This was the first great act of collective defiance — the moment the Filipino people claimed themselves as a nation.
Everything that followed — the Spanish‑American War (April 21,1898), the Battle of Manila Bay (May 1,1898), the Mock Battle of Manila (August 13,1898), and the Philippine‑American War (February 4,1899) — unfolded on top of a revolution already in motion.
Dewey Monument tells only the American story.
Counter‑memory restores the Filipino one.
The Spanish‑American War brought the United States into the Pacific.
The Battle of Manila Bay made Dewey an American national hero.
The Mock Battle of Manila excluded Filipinos from their own capital.
The Philippine‑American War was the violent enforcement of that exclusion.
This is the story the monument does not tell.
These links are not just educational.
They are tools for awakening, repair, and reclaiming the Filipino presence erased by empire — from Manila Bay to Union Square.
Counter‑memory is people’s work.
It is how we insist that history must serve justice, not empire.
When we confront the injustices done to Filipinos and to peoples caught in today’s wars of empire — from the Middle East to Latin America — we are Shaping Legacy and transforming public memory into public responsibility.
1. Philippine Revolution (August 23,1896):
Overview of the Katipunan uprising that launched the revolution.
The Cry of Pugad Lawin: How the Philippine Revolution Began
2. Spanish‑American War (April 21,1898)
The Spanish-American War
3. Battle of Manila Bay (May 1,1898)
The Battle of Manila Bay
4. Mock Battle of Manila (August 13,1898)
Kung Tuyo na ang Luha MO, Aking Bayan! [ANGIE FERRO]
The Mock Battle of Manila-How a War Was Staged to Fool the World
5. Philippine-American War (February 4,1899)
"The Philippine-American War: The Forgotten Struggle for Independence | Roots and Republic"
6. Dewey Monument in Union Square
Help us bring the Dewey Monument to life in 3D
Posted 3/25/2026
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