Documenting References Using the APA Format

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APA-Style In Text Citations

The American Psychological Association (APA) endorses a name-year in-text parenthetical reference the citation system for articles published in its journal. “Name-year” means that only the surname of the author and the copyright year are used. “In-text” means that the citation is within the text itself (as opposed footnote references In other systems, such as the University of Chicago/Turabian System, where the citations are given at the bottom of the page). “Parenthetical reference” means that the citations are (often) enclosed in parentheses.

1. Paraphrased or summarized sources. A paraphrase is the replacement of technical or difficult-to-understand words with similar but simpler words (or those closer to the author's writing style). A summary is a short version of the reference containing only the important points; it is about one-third (1/3) of the length of the original. Both paraphrases and summaries are the researcher(s)' own words. A reference, whether paraphrase or summary, should be cited.

People from the Mediterranean prefer an elbow-to-shoulder distance from each other (Morris, 1977, p. 131). [Author's name, date, and page cited in parentheses]

Desmond Morris (1977, p. 131) notes that people from the Mediterranean prefer an elbow-to-shoulder distance from each other. [Author name cited in text; date and page cited in parentheses]

2. Short quotations. Quotations are exact copies of the original author's work. These are enclosed in quotation marks (“ ”). Quotations should be used sparingly, only if the author's words are so perfectly written that these would lose their power when paraphrased or summarized. Generally, quotations in the APA format should only be four (4) lines long. Quotations should be preceded by some introductory words. The in-text citation should follow immediately the quotation.

A recent report of reductions in SAD-related “depression in 87 percent of patients” (Binkley, 1990, p. 203) reverses the findings of earlier studies.

Binkley reports in SAD-related “depression in 87 percent of patients” (1990, p. 203).

3. Long quotations. Quotations longer than four lines (or forty words) should be written as “displayed quotations”. Displayed quotations are not enclosed in quotation marks but placed one single space (SS) after the introductory words. Displayed quotations are also written single-spaced (as opposed to the body of the research paper, which is written double-spaced (DS). Displayed quotations are also written one (1) tab mark after the left margin.

Jet lag, with its characteristic fatigue and irregular sleep patterns, is a common problem among those who travel great distances by jet airplane to different time zones:

Jet lag syndrome is the inability of the internal body rhythm to rapidly resynchronize after sudden shifts in the timing. For a variety of reasons, the system attempts to maintain stability and resist temporal change. Consequently, complete adjustment can often be delayed fir several days—sometimes for a week—after arrival at one's destination. (Bonner, 1991, p. 72).

Interestingly, this research shoes that the number if flying hours is not the cause of jet lag.

4. One Author. Give the surname of the author, the year of publication, and the page number; separated by a comma and a space.

Examples: (Ramos, 2005); (Ty, 2006, p. 3); According to Ramos (2005)....

5. Two authors. Give the surnames of both authors, separated by an ampersand (&).

Examples: (Ramos & Ty, 2006, pp. 114-115); Ramos and Ty (2005) claim that...

6. Three, Four, or Five authors. Give the name of all authors in the first citation; for subsequent citations, use the symbol et al. (Latin, et alii, 'and others').

First citation: (Ramos, Ty, & Uy, 2005, pp. 164-165)

Subsequent citations: (Ramos, et al., 2005)

7. Six or more authors. Give the name of the first author (as it appears in the list of authors) followed by et al., even in the first citation.

8. Author(s) with two or more works in the same year. Alphabetize the titles of their works (in the References List) and assign letters in alphabetical order to the years: (1996a), (1996b), (1996c) and so on.

Most recently, Jones (199c) draws new conclusions from the results of 17 sets of experiments (Jones, 1996a, 1996b).

9. Two or more authors with the same surname. For each citation, include the initials of each author who share the same surname.

R. A. Smith (1997) and C. Smith (1989) both confirm these results.

10. Work with group or corporate author. Use the name of the corporation, agency, group, etc. as the “author”. Give the full name of the group in the first citation with the initials enclosed in square brackets ([ ]). In the subsequent citations, use the initials of the group.

First citation: This exploration will continue into the 21^st century (National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA], 1996).

Subsequent citations: (NASA, 1996)

11. Works listed by title (Publications and articles). If no author is cited, use the title of the reference. If the title is long, use the first three (3) significant words of the title.

“All students are expected to be in proper uniform and display their school IDs while on campus” (Philippine Christian University Student Manual, 2009).

(In the following example, the title of the full article is “Are You a Day or Night Person?”)

The “morning lark” and the “night owl” connotations are typically used to categorize the human extremes (“Are You,” 1989).

12. Reference to more than one source. If multiple has contributed to an idea, give the citations within the same parenthetical citation, each separated by a semicolon (;).

Conceptions of personal space vary among cultures (Morris, 1977; Worchel & Cooper, 1983).

13. Non-retrievable sources (e.g., e-mail, telephone calls, personal letters, interviews, etc.). Non-retrievable sources are references that the readers cannot access or retrieve. Use the words “personal communication” and the complete date in the in-text citation, but not in the References List entries.

Recalling his first summer at camp, one person said, “The proximity of 12 other kids made me—an only child with older, quiet parents—frantic for the entire eight weeks” (A. Weiss, personal communication, January 12, 1996).

14. Online sources. When quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing an online source, cite the reference as if it is a print reference. If no author is cited, use the name of the website or the title of the online article. In the in-text citation, indicate the URL using “Retrieved: <http://example.com>” and the date it was viewed using “Accessed: (Exact date)”.

(Guerrero, July 24, 2014, Retrieved: <http://instructionalminutes.blogspot.com/how-to-use-instructional-minutes.html>, Accessed: January 29, 2015).

All references used in the research paper should be cited in the References List (except for non-retrievable sources in number 13).

APA-Style References List Entries

In the American Psychological Association format, the References List (also called a Bibliography in other systems) list down all retrievable references cited in the whole research paper, whether quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. (Non-retrievable sources, such as those marked as “personal communication”, are not included.) The References List begins on a new page, and lists down the references in alphabetical order by the surname of the authors (or the title of the publication, or the name of the corporate author as the case may be). Entries are written using a hanging indent style; that is, the first line is flush to the left margin while any subsequent lines are one (1) tab mark after the left margin. An entry is typically composed of: 1) author's surname and initials, 2) date of publication, 3) title of the publication, 4) Place of publication and publisher. For online sources, it also includes the access date and the URL.

In the APA format, titles of publication are written in italics (or in underlining) with lowercase letters, except for the first letter of the title, any proper nouns, and the first letter of subtitles (separated from the main title with a colon [:]). Titles of articles are enclosed in not enclosed in quotation marks (“”) and not italicized.

1. Book by one author.

Troyka, L. Q. (2002). Simon & Schuster handbook for writers (6^th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

2. Book by two authors. Use the ampersand (&) between the names of the two authors.

Strunk, W. Jr. & White, E. B. (2000). The elements of style (4^th ed.). MA: Allyn & Bacon.

3. Book by three or more authors. List the name of the first six authors; substitute et al. for all subsequent authors.

Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., & Hyams, N. (2010). Introduction to Linguistics. Singapore: Cengage Learning Asia.

4. Two or more authors by the same author(s). The titles of the publications from the same author(s) should be arranged alphabetically.

Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice. New York: Basic Books.

Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21^st century. New York: Basic Books.

5. Book by group or corporate author.

Philippine Christian University. (February 2009). Philippine Christian University student manual. Dasmariñas, Cavite.

6. Book with no author named (cited only by title).

The Chicago manual of style (14^th ed.). (1993). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

7. Signed article (with author) in a reference book. Cite the name of the article (e.g., “Freud, Sigmund” below) and the title of reference book.

Burnbam, J. C. (1996). Freud, Sigmund. In The encyclopedia of psychiatry, psychology, and psychoanalysis. New York: Holt.

8. Unsigned article (without author cited) in a reference book. Use the title of the article in place of the author.

Russia. (1994). The new encyclopaedia Britannica. (Vol. 10, pp. 253-255). Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica.

9. Unpublished thesis, dissertation, or research paper. Include the words "Unpublished undergraduate thesis" (or "graduate thesis" for master's degree or "doctoral dissertation" for the doctoral level, etc.) and the name of the school it was submitted to.

Arcibal, N. C. (April 2013). Housewives' exposure to Koreanovelas on GMA 7 and their perception on marriage. Unpublished undergraduate thesis. Cavite State University, Indang, Cavite.

10. Article from periodicals (newspapers, magazines, journals, etc.). The title of the article should be written in normal case, without quotation marks; followed by the title of the periodical. Give the exact date of the publication (daily, weekly, or monthly, as the case may be.) Note the date format as year-month-day. The place of publication and the publisher do not need to be cited.

Wyatt, E. (1999, December 3). A high school without a home. The New York Times, pp. B1, B7.

Bonner, J. T. (1999, March). The evolution of evolution. Natural History, 103(3), 20-21.

The numbers after the title of the periodical are the volume number (italicized) and the issue number (in parentheses), followed by the page numbers.

11. Online sources. If the article was written by a group or corporate author, see 5. above. If only the name of the website was cited, see 6. above. If only the article title was given, give the title of the article and the name of website as in 8. above. Give the retrieval date and the URL (web address).

Guerrero, G. T. (2014, July 24). How to use Instructional Minutes. Instructional Minutes. Retrieved: January 29, 2015 from: http://instructionalminutes.blogspot.com/how-to-use-instructional-minutes.html.

R E F E R E N C E

Troyka, L. Q. (2002). Simon & Schuster handbook for writers (6^th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

One Thousand and One Arabian Nights

The Shahyar and Scheherazade.

The One Thousand and One Nights, also called the Arabian Nights, is a collection of folk stories from all over the Middle East, India, and northern Africa. The “thousand and one nights” refer to the stories that Scheherazade would tell her husband, the Shahyar, king of Persia, every night. The king was shocked to discover that his brother's wife had been unfaithful and soon discovers that his own wife had also been unfaithful. The Shahyar has his wife executed. He bitterly makes up his mind that all women are evil and unfaithful. He then married a succession of virgins, which he would execute following morning so that they will not get an opportunity to be unfaithful. The Sharyar's vizier, whose job is it to supply the king with virgins, was running out of girls. Thus his own daughter, named Scheherazade, volunteered to marry the king. In order to avoid execution, Scheherazade would tell the Shahyar one story for every night for one thousand and one nights. She would often end her story unfinished, leaving the king in suspense. He would postpone her execution so in order to hear the conclusion. But every night, Scheherazade would begin with another story (or sometimes a story within a story) and again would not end it; thus, for every story she tells is another day that her life is spared. She goes on with this scheme for a thousand and one nights, until the king had a change of heart. (Read a narrative version of this story from ShortStories.com.)

Three of the most popular stories are stories are given below: Aladdin'sWonderful Lamp, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor.

ALADDIN'S WONDERFUL LAMP

Poster of the 1992 Disney animated film, Alladin.

The story of Aladdin and the lamp and the genie is well-known, but it was not part of the original One Thousand and One Nights. The story was added by Antoine Galland, a Frenchman who translated the Arabian Nights in the eighteenth century. According to his diary (dated March 25, 1709), Galland heard this story from Youhenna Diab, a Maronite scholar from Aleppo, Syria.

“Aladdin” is a story of a poor boy who was tricked by an evil magician into retrieving a magic lamp from a cave. Aladdin finds the lamp in the cave, but the magician traps him inside. Aladdin was freed by the genie in the lamp. Using the genie's powers, Aladdin marries the sultan's daughter and becomes rich. The magician tricks the princess into giving him the lamp but was killed by Aladdin and the princess; so they lived happily ever after.

Once there lived a poor widow and her son, Aladdin. One day, Aladdin’s uncle, Mustafa, came to visit them. He said, “Sister, why don’t you let Aladdin come and work for me?” They agreed and Mustafa took Aladdin along with him. They walked in the desert and came to a cave. The cave was full of riches and treasures but Mustafa was afraid to go inside. He wanted Aladdin to go in and get him the treasures instead. “Go inside,” commanded Mustafa, “and find me the jewels. You will also find a lamp. Bring it to me.”

Aladdin went inside and found more riches than he could ever imagine. He found a beautiful ring and wore it on his finger. He also collected as many gems as he could, but before he could come out of the cave, Mustafa said, “Quick! Just hand me all, the jewels and the lamp!” Aladdin refused. Angry at the refusal, his cruel uncle blocked the entrance of the cave and left.

Aladdin sat in the dark and cried. Then he saw the old lamp and decided to light it. While cleaning it, he rubbed the lamp and out came a genie! “Master, I shall grant you three wishes,” he said. Aladdin said, “Take me home!” In seconds, Aladdin was with his mother, counting the gems he had brought from the cave. Aladdin also brought the ring along with him and when he rubbed it, out came another genie! “Master, I shall grant you three wishes!” said the genie. “Make us rich and happy!” said Aladdin. And Aladdin and his mother lived happily.

One day, Aladdin saw the sultan’s daughter and fell in love with her. He went to the palace with gems and asked for her hand in marriage. The king agreed to this. After marriage, Aladdin showered the princess with all the riches and gave her a huge palace to live in. When the sultan died, Aladdin ruled the kingdom. He was just and kindhearted and everybody was happy under his rule.

Meanwhile, Mustafa came to know how Aladdin found the magic lamp and became rich. He wanted to take the lamp back. So, one day, when Aladdin was away, Mustafa came to the palace dressed as a trader. He cried out, “Get new lamps for old ones! New lamps for old!” Hearing this, the princess took out the magic lamp and gave it to him. She did not know that the old lamp was indeed magical. She bought a shiny new lamp instead. Mustafa gladly took the lamp and went away. He then commanded the genie, “Send Aladdin’s entire palace into the deserts in Africa!” And saying this, Mustafa, along with the princess in the palace, were sent to Africa. Aladdin, on coming back, found his wife and house missing. He searched for the palace for three long days. Finally, he rubbed his magic ring and asked the genie, “Please take me to my princess!” The genie agreed. When he met his wife, Aladdin and the princess decided to trick Mustafa.

One night, the princess said to Mustafa, “I don’t think Aladdin will ever find me here! I might as well live as your slave for I am certain he is dead now!” Mustafa was very happy and ordered for a feast. During the feast, the princess got Mustafa drunk and he fell into a deep sleep.

In the meantime, the princess took the magic lamp to Aladdin. Together, they asked the genie of the lamp to take the entire palace back to Aladdin’s kingdom. The genie then killed Mustafa and Aladdin and the princess lived happily ever after.

ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES

Poster of the 1944 Universal adventure film Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

“Ali Baba” is another story that is not part of the original One Thousand and One Nights but wa s only added by its French translator, Antoine Galland. It tells the story of Ali Baba, who discovers a thieves' hideout full of treasure. The story made the phrase “Open Sesame!” famous.

Ali Baba, a poor woodcutter was in the forest when he saw forty thieves stop in front of a cave.

The leader said “Open Sesame!” and before Ali Baba’s amazed eyes the sealed mouth of the cave magically opened and the men disappeared inside. To come out and close the entrance, the leader said “Close Sesame” and the cave sealed itself once more. Trembling with excitement Ali Baba waited till the thieves had left and then entered the cave after saying the magic words. To his delight he found lots of treasure.

Ali Baba told his brother Kasim about the wondrous cave. Kasim set off to get some treasure for himself too. Sadly, he forgot the words to leave the cave and the thieves killed him. Ali Baba discovered his brother’s body in the cave. With the help of a slave girl called Morgiana, he was able to take Kasim’s body back home and bury it.

Realising that someone else knew about their cave the thieves tracked Ali Baba down. The leader, disguised as an oil seller stayed with Ali Baba. He had brought along mules loaded with forty oil jars containing the other thieves. Clever Morgiana knew who the oil seller really was and poured boiling oil into the jars killing the other thieves. While dancing in front of the leader of the thieves Morgiana stabbed him. Ali Baba was saved and lived happily ever after.

THE SEVEN VOYAGES OF SINBAD THE SAILOR

Poster of the 1947 Technicolor fantasy film Sinbad the Sailor, which tells of the "eighth" voyage of Sinbad.

The story of Sinbad is part of the original One Thousand and One Nights, with each voyage told every night. It tells the story of the adventures of Sinbad, which sometimes resembles the adventures of Odysseus in The Odyssey. Sinbad's encounter with the giant monster in the third voyage was like that of Odysseus with Polyphemus. The adventure where the ship's crew was made to eat a drug-like herb so that they can be fattened is like the episode with the Lotus-Eaters (who gave Odysseus' men a drug so that they will forget about going home) and with Circe (a witch who turned Odysseus's crew into pigs).

Long time ago, during the reign of Caliph Harun al-Rashid of Baghdad, a poor porter named Hinbad, tired from a day of carrying other people's goods from the market, sat down to rest in front of the gate of a rich man's house. He began to complain to God on the injustices of this word: why there are people who can afford to life of ease while he must work hard and remain poor. He was heard by the owner of the house, named Sinbad. Sinbad invited the the poor porter inside and told him that he became rich “by fortune and fate” in the course of seven voyages. He then proceeds to tell Hinbad his adventures.

The first voyage. Sinbad squandered all of his father's inheritance to him, so he went out on a ship in order to regain his fortune. In his first journey he and his men landed on an island with trees which have been there “ever since the world began”. The island turned out to be a gigantic whale, which was awakened by a fire lit by Sinbad's sailors. As the whale dived into the depths, Sinbad's ship and men sailed without him. Sinbad was saved by a piece of wood sent by God and was washed ashore into another island. There he met one of the king's groomsmen and then rescued one of the king's mares from being drowned by an supernatural aquatic horse. The groomsman brought Sinbad to the king, who makes him into a trusted courier. One day, the ship Sinbad sailed in arrived at the island. Sinbad took all of his goods, which was still in the ship's hold, and gave them to the king. In return the king gave Sinbad many precious gifts, which he sold for a great profit. He then returns to Baghdad to life a life of ease. (Then Sindbad gives the porter a hundred gold coins and tells him to come back tomorrow for the continuation of his story.)

The second voyage. Sinbad became bored with his life of ease in Baghdad and decides to go again on an adventure at sea. Again, he was accidentally left behind by his shipmates; this time on an island inhabited by giant birds called rocs. He strapped himself on a roc, which flew him to a valley of giant snakes which can swallow elephants—these giant snakes are the roc's natural prey. The valley floor was filled with diamonds. To get the diamonds, merchants would throw huge chunks of meat into the valley. The rocs would then carry the meat with diamonds stuck on them to their nests. Then the merchants would retrieve the diamonds by driving away the rocs from their nests. So Sinbad strapped himself on a chunk of meat and was carried by a roc to its nest. He was then rescued by merchants returned to Baghdad with a fortune of diamonds.

The third voyage. Again restless for adventure, Sinbad and his men sailed to Basra (in Iraq). They were captured by a giant monster (who was similar to Polyphemus in The Odyssey). The giant proceeded to eat the crew, starting with their fat captain. Sinbad heated two heated two iron kebabs (which the giant had been using to roast the men) and used them to blind the monster. He and his men sailed away on a raft they made the day before. However, the monster's mate was able to kill Sinbad's men with rocks. Sinbad encounters further adventures, including an encounter with a giant python, and eventually returns to Baghdad.

The fourth voyage. Sinbad was against thirsty for adventure. As usual, he and his men were shipwrecked on an island. The naked savages of the island forced his men to eat an herb which robs people of reason in order to fatten them for cooking. Sinbad refused to eat the herb and escapes. He is rescued by some pepper gatherers and was taken back to their own island. Their king befriended Sinbad and gave him his own daughter as a wife. Sinbad's wife soon falls ill and dies. Then he finds out that the island has a peculiar custom: when a spouse dies, the surviving spouse is buried with them, together with fine clothes and costly jewelry. Sinbad was then buried in a cave with his dead wife, along with a jug of water and seven loaves of bread. It turns out that the cave was a communal tomb: every time a spouse dies, both the husband and wife are buried there. Every time a husband and wife were buried, Sinbad would kill the surviving spouse and take their rations. One day, a wild animal showed Sinbad a way out of the tomb and then he was rescued by a passing ship. He returned to Baghdad with riches he accumulated in the cave.

The fifth voyage. Once more Sinbad was bored with his life of ease and returned to sea. While passing by a desert island, the crew spotted a giant egg. The men went to shore to examine the egg, which they end up breaking and eating the chick inside. Sinbad recognized that it was a roc egg and urged the crew to escape. The parent rocs arrived and destroyed their ship by dropping boulders on it. Sinbad was shipwrecked and enslaved by the Old Man of the Sea. The Old Man would ride on his shoulders and wrap himself to his neck using his legs. To get out of this misery, Sinbad tricked the Old Man to drink some wine that he made. When the Old Man fell asleep, Sinbad killed him and escapes. On the way home, he passed by the City of Apes. The people of the city would escape on rafts to the sea in order to avoid the man-eating apes that ravage their city every night. Because of the apes, Sinbad was able to steal the treasure of the city and return to Baghdad.

The sixth voyage. Hungry for adventure, Sinbad set sail again but was shipwrecked again, this time on an island with steep cliffs. Sinbad's men eventually die off with starvation until he was left all alone. He then discovers an underground river in a cavern beneath the cliffs. He fell asleep and when he awoke he found that the river has taken him to city of King Serenib (in Ceylon, Sri Lanka), a land rich with treasure. He amazes the king with stories of Caliph Haroun al-Rashid of Baghdad. In return, King Serenib asks Sinbad to return to Baghdad and give the caliph presents on his behalf, including a cup carved from a single ruby and a bed made from the skin of a giant snake, upon which whoever sits would never get sick.

The seventh and final voyage. Sinbad sets out to sea for the last time, but as usual he gets shipwrecked. He constructs a raft and sails to a nearby city. The chief merchant gives his daughter to Sinbad as his wife and declares him his heir. The people of the city turn into birds once a month. Sinbad had one of the bird-people carry him until they see the angels praising God. Suddenly fire rains from the sky and nearly killed all of the bird-people. The bird-people blamed Sinbad for their misfortune and left him on a mountaintop. There he met two young men who claim to be servants of God and they gave him a golden staff. When he returned to the city, Sinbad discovered from his wife that the people of the city are actually demons (although she and her father were not). Upon her advice, Sinbad sells their possessions and returns to Baghdad with his wife. Sinbad resolves to live quietly and enjoy his riches, and to no longer go on adventures.

R E F E R E N C E S

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Thousand_and_One_Nights

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aladdin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Baba

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinbad_the_Sailor

http://shortstoriesshort.com/story/aladdin/

http://www.kidsgen.com/stories/arabian_tales/ali_baba_and_forty_thieves.htm

The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

From MisguidedChildren.com

About eighty years after the Declaration of Independence, the United States was plunged in a bloody Civil War. Eleven states in the South separated from the Union and declared themselves as the “Confederate States of America”. The issue at hand was slavery of the Negro people: The northern states were “free states” where slavery was not allowed. Meanwhile, the states in the South were “slave states” which saw slaves as an important part of the economy. The Civil War raged from 1861 to 1865, leaving hundreds of thousands dead. It was the bloodiest war fought on American soil, ahead of the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

In July 1863, more than 94,000 Union soldiers and 72,000 Confederate soldiers fought the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. By the time the battle ended between 46,000 to 51,000 died. The Union victory at Gettysburg was seen as the turning point of the Civil War.

On November 19, 1863, US President Abraham Lincoln dedicated a part of the field as a resting place to those who died in the battle. The President was invited to give a “few appropriate remarks” after a two-hour speech of orator Edward Everett. Lincoln's speech lasted only a few minutes, but it eventually became among the most-well known speeches in history. He began by referring to the Declaration of Independence: “Four score and seven years ago [eighty-seven years], our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation...”. He extolled the sacrifice of the soldiers at Gettysburg and exhorted the listeners to ensure the survival of a democratic country: “...that the government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Until today, the Gettysburg Address is considered as among the most well-known speeches in the world; memorized by millions and alluded to in countless speeches.

THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

A video clip from the movie Saving Lincoln (2013), directed by Salvador Litvak (via YouTube.com)

The Philippine Declaration of Independence by Ambrosio R. Bautista

 

The proclamation of Philippine Independence. (Image via ManilaDirectory.Net)

 

The Philippine Declaration of Independence (Spanish: Acta de la proclamación de independencia del pueblo Filipino, 'An Act of the Proclamation of the Independence of the Filipino People') was written by Ambrosio R. Bautista, “War Counselor and Special Delegate-Designate” of the revolutionary Philippine government. It was read by Bautista during the proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898. The event took place between four and five in the afternoon at the ancestral home of Aguinaldo in Kawit, Cavite; which featured the unfurling of the first Philippine flag (sewn in Hong Kong by Marcela Agoncillo, Lorenza Agoncillo, and Delfina Herboza) and the playing of the Marcha Filipina Magdalo (composed by Prof. Julian Felipe) by the San Francisco de Malabon Marching Band. This would eventually become the Philippine National Anthem, the Lupang Hinirang (lyrics composed by Prof. Jose I. Palma).

The making of the Philippine flag by Fernando Amorsolo.

Emilio Aguinaldo, leader of the Philippine revolutionary forces, was in exile in Hong Kong after signing the Pact of Biak-na-Bato with Spain in December 1897. Because of the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in December 1897, the Asiatic Squadron of the US Navy, under the command of Commondore George Dewey, abroad the USS Olympia, sailed into Manila Bay and defeated the Spanish navy in the Battle of Manila Bay. Aguinaldo returned home abroad the USS McCullogh in May 1898.

The document declares the independence of the Filipino people from Spain. It lists down the abuses of the Spanish colonial regime starting from the time of the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in 1531. Unfortunately, the Declaration was recognized by neither the United States nor Spain because Spain had ceded the Philippines to the United States through the Treaty of Paris.The Philippines would be a colony of the United States and of Japan, and was eventually granted independence on July 4, 1946.

The Declaration is now housed in the National Library of the Philippines. It is not on public display but can be seen upon request. During the Philippine-American War, about 400,000 documents were seized and sent to the US. These were returned in 1958. Sometime in the 1980's or the 1990's the Declaration was stolen from the National Library, but was returned by a professor from the University of the Philippines in 1994.

 AN ACT OF THE PROCLAMATION OF THE INDEPENDENCE

OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE

Translation by Sulpicio Guevara

In the town of Cavite-Viejo, Province of Cavite, this 12th day of June 1898:

BEFORE ME, Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, War Counsellor and Special Delegate designated to proclaim and solemnize this Declaration of Independence by the Dictatorial Government of the Philippines, pursuant to, and by virtue of, a Decree issued by the Engregious Dictator Don Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy,

The undersigned assemblage of military chiefs and others of the army who could not attend, as well as the representatives of the various towns,

Taking into account the fact that the people of this country are already tired of bearing the ominous joke of Spanish domination,

Because of arbitrary arrests and abuses of the Civil Guards [Guardia Civil] who cause deaths in connivance with and even under the express orders of their superior officers who at times would order the shooting of those placed under arrest under the pretext that they attempted to escape in violation of known Rules and Regulations, which abuses were left unpunished, and because of unjust deportations of illustrious Filipinos, especially those decreed by General Blanco at the instigation of the Archbishop and friars interested in keeping them in ignorance for egoistic and selfish ends, which deportations were carried out through processes more execrable than those of the Inquisition which every civilized nation repudiates as a trial without hearing.

Had resolved to start a revolution in August 1896 in order to regain the independence and sovereignty of which the people had been deprived by Spain through Governor Miguel Lopez de Legazpi who, continuing the course followed by his predecessor Ferdinand Magellan who landed on the shores of Cebu and occupied said Island by means of a Pact of Friendship with Chief Tupas, although he was killed in the battle that took place in said shores to which battle he was provoked by Chief Kalipulako of Mactan who suspected his evil designs, landed on the Island of Bohol by entering also into a Blood Compact with its Chief Sikatuna, with the purpose of later taking by force the Island of Cebu, and because his successor Tupas did not allow him to occupy it, he went to Manila, the capital, winning likewise the friendship of its Chiefs Soliman and Lakandula, later taking possession of the city and the whole Archipelago in the name of Spain by virtue of an order of King Philip II, and with these historical precedents and because in international law the prescription established by law to legalize the vicious acquisition of private property is not recognized, the legitimacy of such revolution can not be put in doubt which was calmed but not complete stifled by the pacification proposed by Don Pedro A. Paterno with Don Emilio Aguinaldo as President of the Republic established in Biak-na-Bato and accepted by Governor-General Don Fernando Primo De Rivera under terms, both written and oral, among them being a general amnesty for all deported and convicted persons; that by reason of the non-fulfillment of some of the terms, after the destruction of the plaza of Cavite, Don Emilio Aguinaldo returned in order to initiate a new revolution and no sooner had he given the order to rise on the 31st of last month when several towns anticipating the revolution, rose in revolt on the 28th , such that a Spanish contingent of 178 men, between Imus Cavite-Viejo, under the command of major of the Marine Infantry capitulated , the revolutionary movement spreading like wild fire to other towns of Cavite and the other provinces of Bataan, Pampanga, Batangas, Bulacan, Laguna, and Morong, some of them with seaports and such was the success of the victory of our arms, truly marvelous and without equal in the history of colonial revolutions that in the first mentioned province only the Detachments in Naic and Indang remained to surrender; in the second all Detachments had been wiped out; in the third the resistance of the Spanish forces was localized in the town of San Fernando where the greater part of them are concentrated, the remainder in Macabebe, Sexmoan, and Guagua; in the fourth, in the town of Lipa; in the fifth, in the capital and in Calumpit; and in last two remaining provinces, only in there respective capitals, and the city of Manila will soon be besieged by our forces as well as the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pangasinan, La Union, Zambales, and some others in the Visayas where the revolution at the time of the pacification and others even before, so that the independence of our country and the revindication of our sovereignty is assured.

And having as witness to the rectitude of our intentions the Supreme Judge of the Universe, and under the protection of our Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, The United States of America, we do hereby proclaim and declare solemnly in the name by authority of the people of these Philippine Islands,

That they are and have the right to be free and independent; that they have ceased to have allegiance to the Crown of Spain; that all political ties between them are should be completely severed and annulled; and that, like other free and independent States, they enjoy the full power to make War and Peace, conclude commercial treaties, enter into alliances, regulate commerce, and do all other acts and things which and Independent State Has right to do,

And imbued with firm confidence in Divine Providence, we hereby mutually bind ourselves to support this Declaration with our lives, our fortunes, and with our sacred possession, our Honor.

We recognize, approve, and ratify, with all the orders emanating from the same, the Dictatorship established by Don Emilio Aguinaldo whom we reverse as the Supreme Head of this Nation, which today begins to have a life of its own, in the conviction that he has been the instrument chosen by God, inspite of his humble origin, to effectuate the redemption of this unfortunate country as foretold by Dr. Don Jose Rizal in his magnificent verses which he composed in his prison cell prior to his execution, liberating it from the Yoke of Spanish domination,

And in punishment for the impunity with which the Government sanctioned the commission of abuses by its officials, and for the unjust execution of Rizal and others who were sacrificed in order to please the insatiable friars in their hydropical thirst for vengeance against and extermination of all those who oppose their Machiavellian ends, trampling upon the Penal Code of these Islands, and of those suspected persons arrested by the Chiefs of Detachments at the instigation of the friars, without any form nor semblance of trial and without any spiritual aid of our sacred Religion; and likewise, and for the same ends, eminent Filipino priest, Doctor Don Jose Burgos, Don Mariano Gomez, and Don Jacinto Zamora were hanged whose innocent blood was shed due to the intrigues of these so-called Religious corporations which made the authorities to believe that the military uprising at the fort of San Felipe in Cavite on the night of January 21, 1872 was instigated by those Filipino martyrs, thereby impeding the execution of the decree- sentence issued by the Council of State in the appeal in the administrative case interposed by the secular clergy against the Royal Orders that directed that the parishes under them within the jurisdiction of this Bishopric be turned over to the Recollects in exchange for those controlled by them in Mindanao which were to be transferred to the Jesuits, thus revoking them completely and ordering the return of those parishes, all of which proceedings are on file with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to which they are sent last month of the year of the issuance of the proper Royal Degree which, in turn, caused the grow of the tree of the liberty in our dear land that grow more and more through the iniquitous measures of oppressions, until the last drop of our chalice of suffering having been drained, the first spark of revolution broke out in Caloocan, spread out to Santa Mesa and continued its course to the adjoining regions of the province were the unequaled heroism of its inhabitants fought a one sided battle against superior forces of General Blanco and General Polavieja for a period of 3 months, without proper arms nor ammunition, except bolos, pointed bamboos, and arrows.

Moreover, we confer upon our famous Dictator Don Emilio Aguinaldo all the powers necessary to enable him to discharge the duties of Government, including the prerogatives of granting pardon and amnesty,

And lastly, it was results unanimously that this Nation, already free and independent as of this day, must used the same flag which up to now is being used, whose designed and colored are found described in the attached drawing, the white triangle signifying the distinctive emblem of the famous Society of the "Katipunan" which by means of its blood compact inspired the masses to rise in revolution; the tree stars, signifying the three principal Islands of these Archipelago - Luzon, Mindanao, and Panay where the revolutionary movement started; the sun representing the gigantic step made by the son of the country along the path of Progress and Civilization; the eight rays, signifying the eight provinces - Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Laguna, and Batangas - which declares themselves in a state of war as soon as the first revolt was initiated; and the colors of Blue, Red, and White, commemorating the flag of the United States of America, as a manifestation of our profound gratitude towards this Great Nation for its disinterested protection which it lent us and continues lending us.

And holding up this flag of ours, I present it to the gentlemen here assembled:

Don Segundo Arellano

Don Tiburcio del Rosario

Don Sergio Matias

Don Agapito Zialcita

Don Flaviano Alonzo

Don Mariano Legazpi

Don José Turiano Santiago y Acosta

Don Aurelio Tolentino

Don Felix Ferrer

Don Felipe Buencamino

Don Fernando Canon Faustino

Don Anastacio Pinzun

Don Timoteo Bernabe

Don Flaviano Rodriguez

Don Gavino Masancay

Don Narciso Mayuga

Don Gregorio Villa

Don Luis Perez Tagle

Don Canuto Celestino

Don Marcos Jocson

Don Martin de los Reyes

Don Ciriaco Bausa

Don Manuel Santos

Don Mariano Toribio

Don Gabriel Reyes

Don Hugo Lim

Don Emiliano Lim

Don Fausto Tinorio

Don Rosendo Simon

Don Leon Tanjanque

Don Gregorio Bonifacio

Don Manuel Salafranca

Don Simon Villareal

Don Calixto Lara

Don Buenaventura Toribio

Don Zacarias Fajardo

Don Florencio Manalo

Don Ramon Gana

Don Marcelino Gomez

Don Valentin Polintan

Don Felix Polintan

Don Evaristo Dimalanta

Don Gregorio Alvarez

Don Sabas de Guzman

Don Esteban Francisco

Don Guido Yaptinchay

Don Mariano Rianzares Bautista

Don Francisco Arambulo

Don Antonio Gonzales

Don Juan Arevalo

Don Ramon Delfino

Don Honorio Tiongco

Don Francisco del Rosario

Don Epifanio Saguil

Don Ladislao Afable José

Don Sixto Roldan

Don Luis de Lara

Don Marcelo Basa

Don José Medina

Don Epifanio Crisia

Don Pastor Lopez de Leon

Don Mariano de los Santos

Don Santiago Garcia

Don Claudio Tria Tirona

Don Estanislao Tria Tirona Don Daniel Tria Tirona

Don Andrés Tria Tirona

Don Carlos Tria Tirona

Don Sulpicio P. Antony

Don Epitacio Asunción

Don Catalino Ramon

Don Juan Bordador

Don José del Rosario

Don Proceso Pulido

Don José Maria del Rosario

Don Ramon Magcamco

Don Antonio Calingo

Don Pedro Mendiola

Don Estanislao Calingo

Don Numeriano Castillo

Don Federico Tomacruz

Don Teodoro Yatco

Don Ladislao Diwa,

 Who solemnly swear to recognize and defend it unto the last drop of their blood.

In witness thereof, I certify that this Act of Declaration of Independence was signed by me and by all those here assembled including the only foreigner [extranjero] who attended those proceedings, a citizen of the U.S.A., Mr. L.M. Johnson, a Colonel of Artillery.

Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista
War Counselor and Special Delegate-Designate  

 What is believed to be the original Philippine flag, used in the proclamation of independence.