GALE, PRESTINE Y.

DMD-1

According to The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica HISTORY is the discipline that studies the
chronological record of events (as affecting a nation or people), based on a critical examination of source
materials and usually presenting an explanation of their causes.

BACKGROUND OF THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY

The Philippines is named after King Philip II of Spain (1556-1598) and it was a Spanish colony for over
300 years.Today the Philippines is an archipelago of 7,000 islands. However it is believed that during the
last ice age they were joined to mainland Asia by a land bridge, enabling human beings to walk from
there.The first people in the Philippines were hunter-gatherers. However between 3,000 BC and 2,000 BC
people learned to farm. They grew rice and domesticated animals. From the 10th AD century Filipinos
traded with China and by the 12th Century AD Arab merchants reached the Philippines and they
introduced Islam.Then in 1521 Ferdinand Magellan sailed across the Pacific. He landed in the Philippines
and claimed them for Spain. Magellan baptized a chief called Humabon and hoped to make him a puppet
ruler on behalf of the Spanish crown. Magellan demanded that other chiefs submit to Humabon but one
chief named Lapu Lapu refused. Magellan led a force to crush him. However the Spanish soldiers were
scattered and Magellan was killed.The Spaniards did not gain a foothold in the Philippines until 1565
when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi led an expedition, which built a fort in Cebu. Later, in 1571 the Spaniards
landed in Luzon. Here they built the city of Intramuros (later called Manila), which became the capital of
the Philippines. Spanish conquistadors marched inland and conquered Luzon. They created a feudal
system. Spaniards owned vast estates worked by Filipinos.Along with conquistadors went friars who
converted the Filipinos to Catholicism. The friars also built schools and universities.The Spanish colony
in the Philippines brought prosperity - for the upper class anyway! Each year the Chinese exported goods
such as silk, porcelain and lacquer to the Philippines. From there they were re-exported to Mexico.The
years passed uneventfully in the Philippines until in 1762 the British captured Manila. They held it for
two years but they handed it back in 1764 under the terms of the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1763.

BIRTH OF THE PH HISTORY

On June 12, between four and five in the afternoon, Aguinaldo, in the presence of a huge crowd,
proclaimed the independence of the Philippines at Cavite el Viejo (Kawit). For the first time, the
Philippine National Flag, made in Hongkong by Mrs. Marcela Agoncillo, assisted by Lorenza Agoncillo
and Delfina Herboza, was officially hoisted and the Philippine National March played in public. The Act
of the Declaration of Independence was prepared by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, who also read it. A
passage in the Declaration reminds one of another passage in the American Declaration of Independence.
The Philippine Declaration was signed by ninety-eight persons, among them an American army officer
who witnessed the proclamation. The proclamation of Philippine independence was, however,
promulgated on August 1 when many towns has already been organized under the riles laid down by the
Dictatorial Government.
IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING HISTORY

History is important in education and should be studied for several reasons. First of all, if you take a
moment to think about it, the past has value to our society. It helps to show how we’ve gotten to where we
are now, and understand why our country is not progressing for many decades now.

Our view of history shapes the way we view the present, and therefore it could be easier for new
generations to preserve history and pass it on into the future generations to know what has really
happened in the past. Just by doing this, as a result, it dictates what we should do.

Philippine youths should be aware of their own respective culture to know the history of their own
country. Therefore, the country’s history should be kept in mind by educating the youths about this
awareness so it will then keep fresh in their minds at all times. Maybe this will help Filipino people why
they keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again.

I strongly believe that we must show every child in the Philippines what they need to learn and know
about their own country’s history, so that our children and our children’s children can live by the truth. I
think it’s definitely crucial for Philippines youth to have a good understanding of our history.

To understand the importance of being truthful to others, especially young ones, there is no doubt that our
future leaders will become competent and honest to its people. If we want to help make sure our country
a better place to live, strengthen growth and confidence, we need to create a better honest society. We do
need to do all of that, it’s vital to the future of our country.