AGUINALDO, Emilio, leader of the insurgents in the Philippine insurrection of 1896, and their chief in the can war of 1898: b. Imus 1870 of Chinese and Tagalog parentage. His father was a planter and he received his early education at the College of St Jean de Lateran and the Uni versity of St. Tomas in Manila. Later he be came the protege of a Jesuit priest, and was for a time a student in the medical department of the Pontifical University of Manila. In 1888 he had some conflict with the authorities and went to Hongkong, there becoming inter ested in military affairs and acquiring a knowl edge of warfare. He quickly learned some thing of the English, French and Chinese lan guages, together with various native tongues, achieved a reputation for intelligence, ability, shrewdness and diplomacy and had a personal i magnetism which gave him great influence among his countrymen. On the outbreak of the rebellion against Spanish authority in 1896 Aguinaldo became a commanding figure with the insurgents. He was at the head of the diplomatic party, which succeeded in making terms with the Spanish government, the latter paying a large sum to induce the Philippine leaders to lay down their arms. Aguinaldo quarreled with his associates in Hongkong over the division of this money and went to Singapore, where he came in contact with the United States consul shortly before the break ing out of the war between the United States and Spain. On the representations of the con sul Commodore Dewey telegraphed to have Aguinaldo sent to him and the insurgent leader arrived at Cavite shortly after the battle of Manila Bay. Aguinaldo was given opportunity to organize the Filipinos against the Spanish authority; but no promises were made to him and the insurgents were never officially recog nized by the Americans. Friction early arose
and the Americans protested against the cruel treatment of Spanish prisoners by the Filipinos. The strain became serious at the capture of Manila, the insurgents claiming the right to sack the city, which the Americans denied. On 12 June 1898 Aguinaldo organized a so-called Filipino republic, with himself as president, but very soon proclaimed himself dictator. He protested against the Spanish-American treaty of peace which ceded the Philippine Islands to the united States, and claimed the independ ence of the islands. Organizing an extensive conspiracy among the native population of Manila, he ordered the complete massacre of the Americans, together with the entire European population of the city, while yet at peace with them. The plot was discovered in time and failed. The intention of Aguinaldo to oppose by force the American occupation had been growing increasingly evident and on the evening of 4 Feb. 1899 his forces attacked the American lines in the suburbs of Manila. The news of this overt action caused the prompt ratification of the Spanish-American treaty by the United States Senate. Aguinaldo made a determined resistance to the Americans and the rainy sea son soon prevented the latter from following up their uniform successes in the open field; but early in 1900 organized insurrection, which was chiefly confined to the Tagalog nationality, was broken up, Aguinaldo driven into hiding and his correspondence, order books, etc., cap tured by General Funston, who captured Agui naldo himself at Palawan, Luzon, 23 March 1901. On 2 April he took the oath of alle giance. Consult Wildman,
(Boston 1901) ;