St.

Nicolas College BS IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

of Business and MARKETING MANAGEMENT
Technology READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY

Objectives:
 To be able to understand the meaning of
history as an academic discipline and to be
familiar with the underlying philosophy and
methodology of the discipline.
 To apply the knowledge in historical
methodology and philosophy in assessing
and analyzing existing historical narratives.
 To examine and assess critically the value
of historical evidences and sources.
 To appreciate the importance of history in
the social and national life of the
Philippines.

I. Definition and Etymology of History

The origin of the word History is associated with the Greek word “historia” which means
“information” or “an enquiry designed to elicit truth”. History has been defined differently by
different scholars.

Following are the definitions indicating the meaning and scope of history:

 Burckhardt: “History is the record of what one age finds worthy of note in another.”

 Henry Johnson: “History, in its broadest sense, is everything that ever happened.”

 Smith, V.S.: “The value and interest of history depend largely on the degree in which
the present is illuminated by the past.”

 Rapson: “History is a connected account of the course of events or progress of ideas.”

 NCERT: “History is the scientific study of past happenings in all their aspects, in the life
of a social group, in the light of present happenings.”

 Jawaharlal Nehru: “History is the story of Man’s struggle through the ages against
Nature and the elements; against wild beasts and the jungle and some of his own kind
who have tried to keep him down and to exploit him for their own benefit.”

Today, modern history has gone beyond the traditional status of an antiquarian and leisure
time pursuit to a very useful and indispensable part of a man’s education.
 It is more scientific and more comprehensive.
 It has expanded in all directions both vertically and horizontally.
 It has become broad-based and attractive.
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of Business and MARKETING MANAGEMENT
Technology READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

 According to modern concept, history does not contain only the history of kings and
queens, battles and generals, but the history of the common man-his house and
clothing, his fields and their cultivation, his continued efforts to protect his home and
hearth, and to obtain a just government, his aspirations, achievements,
disappointments, defeats and failures.
 It is not only the individual but the communities and the societies are the subject of
study of history.

Study of history deepens our understanding of the potentialities and limitations of the present.
It has thus become a future-oriented study related to contemporary problems.

For all these reasons, history has assumed the role of a human science.

II. Elements of history

P-olitics, what government influenced society

E-conomics, where money dominates and effects people. Most social classes are based on money and
money is usually what causes conflict in history.

R-eligion, a total impact on Europe during the 15th century. Religion is important as it affects one’s beliefs
and thoughts.

S-ocial, how the upper class, middle class and poor class communicate; and how they interact with each
other.

I- ntelligence and knowledge that has progress in history.

A-rt, paintings and pictures produced throughout the course of time.

III. History as a Social Science

History as a social science and its relation to other fields of disciplines as a social science, history has been
known as the study of the past. It is unique because it can be almost effortlessly connected to other
academic disciplines.
A. History and Political Science

A historian is not merely concerned with the tracing of the history of the political process by a narration
of the episodes. But he has to learn the nature of fundamental political principles and basic forms of
political institution.

History is very helpful to politics because the political aspects is a part of the whole range of activity
recorded by historian and knowledge of history would enable the politicians to know the politics better
and play their role effectively.

B. History and Economics

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of Business and MARKETING MANAGEMENT
Technology READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

History is closely related to economics as the activities of man in society are very closely related with the
economic matters. Thus, the historian of any period must possess at least a rudimentary knowledge of
the economics. In fact, the economic history of any period is an important branch of history and its
understanding is absolutely essential for the proper understanding of history of any period.

C. History and Sociology

Both history and sociology are concerned with the study of man in society and differed only with regard
to their approach. Max Weber acknowledges the initial dependence of sociology upon history. Although,
history too benefits from the interaction.

D. History and Psychology

A historian must have to show some psychological insights while making an analysis of the motive and
actions of men and societies. Historian work would be mere fiction unless her uses the discoveries of
modern psychology. The personal life and the environment of a historian has a direct bearing in his
decision and often import a bias to his account and renders the much-desired objectivity impossible.

E. History and Geography

It would be impossible to study certain branches of history without rudimentary knowledge of

geography. Geology is one of the eyes of history, the other eye being chronology. Time and space
factors give history its correct perspective.

IV. Sources of Historical Data

a. Published documents-created for large audiences and were distributed widely. (i.e. books,
magazines, newspapers, government documents, pamphlets, posters, laws and court decisions)

b. Unpublished documents-personal in nature and may be difficult to find because of few copies
existing. (i.e. diaries, journals, school report cards and business ledgers)

c. Oral traditions/oral histories-provide another way to learn about the past from people with
firsthand knowledge of historical events.

d. Visual documents and articles- include photographs, films, paintings and other types of works.
Visual documents usually capture moments in time.

V. Distinction of primary and secondary sources

Primary sources are those sources produced at the same time as the event, period, or subject
being studied. It contains original information that is not derived from interpretation, summarizing
or analyzing someone else’s work. Furthermore, they are first-hand and not interpreted by anyone
else, they offer a personal point of view, and are created by a witness of, or participants in, an
event. Examples of these are diaries, letters and official records.

On the other hand, secondary sources are those sources, which were produced by an author who
used primary sources to produce the material. In other words, secondary sources are historical
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of Business and MARKETING MANAGEMENT
Technology READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

sources, which studied a certain historical subject. Examples are biography of a famous person or a
documentary about a historic event, book that provides an introduction to a theorist’s work or
critiques; or an article that reviews research in a particular area and provides a summary of the
key findings.

VI. Historiography/ historical method (Internal and External)

History and historiography are two different things. History is a discipline that focuses on studying
the past; while historiography or historical method is the history itself.

To make it clearer, historiography lets the students have a better understanding of history. They do
not only get to learn historical facts, but they are also provided with the understanding of the facts’
and historians’ contexts. The methods employed by the historian and the theory and perspective,
which guided him, will also, be analyzed.

Essentially, historiography comprises the techniques and guidelines by which historians use
primary sources and other evidence to research and then to write histories in the form of accounts
of the past. The question of the nature, and even the possibility, of a sound historical method is
raised.

The following are some procedures for people who wanted to employ historiography, as proposed by
Bernheim (1889) and Langlois & Seignobos (1898):

 If the sources all agree about an event, historians consider the event proved.
 However, majority does no rule; even if most sources relate events in one way, that version
will not prevail unless it passes the test of critical textual analysis.
 The source whose account can be confirmed by reference to outside authorities in some of
its parts can be trusted in its entirety if it is impossible similarly to confirm the entire text.
 When two sources disagree on a particular point, the historian will prefer the source with
most “authority”-that is the source created by the eyewitness.
 Eyewitnesses are, in general, to be preferred especially in circumstances where the ordinary
observer could have accurately reported what transpired and, more specifically, when they
deal facts known by most contemporaries.
 If two independently created sources agree on a matter, the reliability of each is measurably
enhanced.
 When two sources disagree and there is no other means of evaluation, then historians take
the source which seems to accord best with common sense.

Aside from these procedures, historiography also involves the employment of internal and external
criticisms. External criticism is the practice of verifying the authenticity of evidence by examining
its physical characteristics; consistency with the historical characteristic of the time when it was
produced; and the materials used for the evidence. Examples of the things that will be examined
when conducting external criticism of a document include the quality of the paper, the type of ink
and the language and words used in the material, among others.
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of Business and MARKETING MANAGEMENT
Technology READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

Internal criticism, on the other hand, is the examination of the truthfulness of the evidence. It
looks at the content of the source and examines the circumstance of its production.

Other methods also used are as follows:

a. Positivism – emphasizes the mantra “no document, no history”, where historian was
required to show written primary documents in order to write a particular historical
narrative.
b. Postcolonialism - emerged in the twentieth century when formerly colonized nations
grappled with the idea of creating their identities and understanding their societies against
the shadows of their colonial past.
c. Annales School of Thought – challenged the canons of history, stating that history should
not only be concerned of states and monarchs.
d. “Pantayong pananaw” (for us-from us perspective) – highlights the importance of facilitating
an internal conversation and discourse among Filipinos about our own history, using the
language that is understood by everyone.

VII. Importance of Studying History

In 1998, an article entitled "Why Study History?", Peter Stearns made the following observations:

“People live in the present. They plan for and worry about the future. History, however, is the study of the
past. Given all the demands that press in from living in the present and anticipating what is yet to come,
why bother with what has been? Given all the desirable and available branches of knowledge, why insist—
as most American [and, in this case, British] educational programs do—on a good bit of history? And why
urge many students to study even more history than they are required to?”

He also added the following importance of history:

a. History helps us understand people and societies.

b. History helps us understand change and how the society we live in came to be.
c. History contributes to moral understanding.
d. History provides identity.
e. Studying history is essential for good citizenship

Whilst, according to Pallavi Talekau,Dr. Jyotrimayee Nayak and Dr.S.Harichandan, the following are the
other importance/values of history:

a. Disciplinary value: History is quite fruitful for mental training. It trains the mental faculties such
as critical thinking, memory and imagination. It quickens and deepens understanding, gives an
insight into the working of social, political, economic, and religious problems.

b. Informative value: History is a wonderful treasure-house of information and can offer guidance
for the solution to all human problems pertaining to science and art, language and literature, social
and political life, philosophical speculation and economic development. History shows us the roots
without uprooting the tree. A mere emotional attachment to our past can do us little good, unless it
 St. Nicolas College BS IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
of Business and MARKETING MANAGEMENT
Technology READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

is accompanied with a sober, matured and rational assessment of the values involved. History is a
path finder of man’s future.

c. Cultural and social values: It is essential that one should understand the importance of his/her
own cultural and social values. We should also develop attachment towards our cultural heritage.
History makes us able to understand our present culture. It expounds the culture of the present
time by describing the past. It explains the origin of existing state of things, our customs, our
usages, our institutions. It enables us to understand that the transformations in human history
were brought about by change of habits and of innovation. One of the main motives of history
teaching has been to convey to the pupils the rich heritage of the mankind. It develops an
understanding of the different forces which have shaped the destiny of man and paved the way for
his development in society.

d. Political values: History is regarded to be the past politics. According to T.S. Seeley, “The
historian is a politician of the political group or organization, the state being his study. To lecture
on political science is to lecture on history.” History stands as a beacon of hope when some nation
is overcast with dark clouds. History is extremely necessary for completing the political and social
sciences which are still in the making. History supplements them by a study of the development of
these phenomena in time.

e. Nationalistic value: History teaching renders an effective service in imbibing the young minds
with a sense of patriotism. It is through history alone that an Indian child comes to know of the
various deeds performed by such patriots as great lives and deeds, the child can easily be inspired
to emulate them. A proper teaching of history can prepare the way for sober nationalism.

f. Internationalistic value: History shows the dependence and interdependence of nations which is
the root of internationalism. The domain of history is very extensive and wide. Through a survey of
world history, the young learners will come to realize that although different peoples had and still
have different customs, habits, laws, and institutions; they have been striving towards the same
end. The realization of essential unity of human race is the first step towards fostering universal
understanding based on the virtues of tolerance, kindliness, love, sympathy, and goodwill.

g. Educational value: History has unique value and importance because it is the only school subject
which is directly and entirely concerned with the behavior and action of human beings. The
imagination of the children is developed through the teaching of history. It is logical to treat history
as a temporal canvas against which the facts learned in other subjects can be arranged. History is
a veritable mine of stories-stories can illustrate even subject of curriculum- the only condition is
that the teacher should know enough stories and should know how to narrate them.

h. Intellectual value: A large number of intellectual values accrue from the teaching of history. It
sharpens memory, develops the power of reasoning, judgment and imagination. It cultivates the
qualities of reading, analyzing, criticizing, and arriving at conclusions. In historical writings our past
is alive and treasured in the form of chronicles, biographies, stories and other forms of literary
tradition. Once the pupils’ curiosity is aroused and interest awakened, he can easily browse the
vast pastures of historical knowledge.
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of Business and MARKETING MANAGEMENT
Technology READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

i. Ethical value: History is important in the curriculum because it helps in the teaching of morality.
Through it a child comes close to the valuable thoughts of saints, reformers, leaders, important
persons and sages. The children get inspired by the life stories of these great leaders. There are
other arguments that go against this notion that history gives ethical teaching.

j. Vocational value: History has its vocational value. There are several openings for persons well
qualified in the subject. They can get jobs of teachers, librarians, archivists, curators of museums,
secretaries of institutions, social service workers, and political journalists etc.

II. Activity/Quiz:

Written activity: Comparative analysis on primary and secondary sources

Objective: To be able to know how to evaluate primary sources for their credibility, authenticity and
provenance.

Instruction: Students will write a comparative analysis of primary and secondary sources.

Scoring Rubric:
Content/Relevance – 12
Structure/Form - 8
Syntax - 5
Clarity of Ideas - 5
Total: 30