Across the U.S., celebrations are underway marking 250 years since the country declared independence and launched a fight to break free from British rule.

But this Fourth of July also marks 80 years since the U.S. granted independence to a colony of its own: the Philippines.

In 1946, the U.S. signed an agreement freeing the Philippines from U.S. rule. It was called the Treaty of Manila. The decades leading up to it, and the ones that followed, would reshape the world — and San Diego. Our county is now home to one of the largest Filipino communities in the nation.

In this special series, we look back at how decades of U.S. immigration policy has shaped the Filipino diaspora, how generations of families put down roots in San Diego and what it means to celebrate independence this year.