The treaty formally ended U.S. sovereignty over the Philippines and recognized the Republic of the Philippines as an independent nation.
Key Facts
- Signing date
- July 4, 1946
- Signed by (U.S.)
- High Commissioner Paul V. McNutt
- Signed by (Philippines)
- President Manuel Roxas
- U.S. Senate ratification
- July 31, 1946
- Philippines ratification
- September 30, 1946
- Entry into force
- October 22, 1946
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following decades of U.S. colonial rule, the United States had committed through the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934 to grant the Philippines independence after a transitional Commonwealth period. World War II delayed the process, but after liberation from Japanese occupation, both nations moved to fulfill the promise of Philippine self-governance.
On July 4, 1946, in Manila, U.S. High Commissioner Paul V. McNutt and Philippine President Manuel Roxas signed the Treaty of General Relations and Protocol. The treaty formally relinquished U.S. sovereignty and recognized the Republic of the Philippines as an independent state. It was subsequently ratified by the U.S. Senate on July 31 and by the Philippines on September 30, entering into force on October 22, 1946.
The treaty established the legal framework for relations between the United States and the newly sovereign Republic of the Philippines. It marked the formal end of nearly five decades of American colonial administration, making the Philippines one of the first Asian colonies to achieve independence following World War II, and set the foundation for continued diplomatic and consular ties between the two nations.
Political Outcome
The United States relinquished sovereignty over the Philippines; the Republic of the Philippines was recognized as an independent sovereign state.
Philippines under U.S. sovereignty as a Commonwealth territory
Philippines recognized as an independent sovereign republic