<P> In the 333 years of Spanish rule, the Philippines developed from a small overseas colony governed from the Viceroyalty of New Spain to a land with modern elements in the cities . The Spanish - speaking middle classes of the 19th century were mostly educated in the liberal ideas coming from Europe . Among these Ilustrados was the Filipino national hero José Rizal, who demanded larger reforms from the Spanish authorities . This movement eventually led to the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial rule . The revolution had been in a state of truce since the signing of the Pact of Biak - na - Bato in 1897, with revolutionary leaders having accepted exile outside of the country . </P> <P> On April 23, 1898, a document appeared in the Manila Gazette newspaper warning of the impeding war and calling for Filipinos to participate on the side of Spain . </P> <P> The first battle between American and Spanish forces was at Manila Bay where, on May 1, Commodore George Dewey, commanding the U.S. Navy's Asiatic Squadron aboard USS Olympia, in a matter of hours defeated a Spanish squadron under Admiral Patricio Montojo . Dewey managed this with only nine wounded . With the German seizure of Tsingtao in 1897, Dewey's squadron had become the only naval force in the Far East without a local base of its own, and was beset with coal and ammunition problems . Despite these problems, the Asiatic Squadron not only destroyed the Spanish fleet but also captured the harbor of Manila . </P> <P> Following Dewey's victory, Manila Bay was filled with the warships of Britain, Germany, France, and Japan . The German fleet of eight ships, ostensibly in Philippine waters to protect German interests, acted provocatively--cutting in front of American ships, refusing to salute the United States flag (according to customs of naval courtesy), taking soundings of the harbor, and landing supplies for the besieged Spanish . </P>

Where did fighting began in spanish american war