 Definition of History

o The word "history" means the search for knowledge and truth, searching
to find out.
 "History is any integrated narrative or description of past events or
facts written in a spirit of critical inquiry for the whole truth"
o History is defined as "any integrated narrative or description of past
events or facts written in a spirit of critical inquiry for the whole truth".
o Encyclopedia Britannica defined history as "the discipline that studies the
chronological order of events (as affecting a nation or people), based on a
critical examination of source materials and usually presenting an
explanation of their causes.”
 Why Study History?
o Dizon et. al (2011) citing Perry (1999) enumerated the reasons why we
need to study history, these are
 To learn about our past. Studying history enables us to learn about
the lives of our ancestors, their struggles, and their achievements.
What we have and what we enjoy today are the products of their
innovation, hard work and sacrifices
 To understand the present. The traditions, system of government
cultural heritage, and many other things are products of the past.
Most of the things have historical original and not just products of
fads and crazes.
 To Appreciate our heritage from a broad perspective. Our belief
system, patriarch tradition, common values including our material
culture can be understood and appreciated well if we have a full
understanding of our past.
 To acquire background for critical thinking. The issues, situations,
and challenges that our country is presently facing can mostly be
attributed in the past, for these, are encountered before, history
provides us details to understand, predict and provide solutions to
these.
 Classification of Historical Sources
o Historical sources may be classified as primary or secondary (Fox, 1969).
A primary source is regarded as the source of the best evidence. This is
because the data come from the testimony of able eye and eyewitnesses
to past events. They consist of actual objects used in the past which you
can directly scrutinize or examine. The secondary source is information
supplied by a person who was not a direct observer or participant of the
event object or condition (Sevilla et al, 1992).
 The Distinction between Primary Sources and Secondary Sources
o The distinction between Primary Sources and Secondary Sources Primary
sources, the only solid bases of historical work are the original documents
ur remains, the first witnesses to a fact" (Good, cited by Good and Scates
1972). For instance, the stenographic notes of a court trial and the news
reporter's account of the trial are primary sources. All physical objects,
including photographs and cultural institutions and practices, are primary
sources themselves and all accounts written about them by those who had
actually seen and experienced are primary sources.
o All writings by people who have never experienced nor observed
personally the objects and have based their writings upon information
 gathered from those who have knowledge of the events are secondary
sources.
 Sources of Data from Primary and Secondary Sources
o Amante et. al (2008) citing Cooper (2003) identified sources of data from
primary and secondary sources.
o The primary sources are as follows:
 Individual persons.
 Organized groups or organizations such as associations,
fraternities, schools, business firms, churches, army, navy, air
force, government, lawmaking bodies, family, tribe, etc.
 Established practices such as marriage, religious rites, legal
system, economic system, democracy system, etc.
 Documents in their original forms such as the constitution, laws,
orders, proclamations, treaties, contracts, census and all kinds of
original records, letters, desires, etc.
 Living organisms such as animals, fowls, lower forms of living
organisms.
 Man-made material things such as buildings, machines, weapon,
artifacts, appliances, roads, bridges, dams, radio, television,
electricity, etc.
 Natural objects and phenomena such as rain, wind, typhoon, water,
earthquake, mountain, snow, etc.
o Secondary sources are as follows:
 Books including dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, etc.
 Articles published in a professional journal, magazine newspaper,
and other publications.
 Unpublished master's theses and dissertations, and other studies.
 Monographs, manuscripts, etc.
 All other second-hand sources.
 Verbal or written data.
 Internal and External Criticisms
o External Criticism – the genuineness of the documents a researcher used
in a historical study; where the authenticity of documents is established.
o Internal Criticism – looks at the content of the document to determine its
authenticity; where credibility is established.
 Auxiliary Sciences Determining Authenticity and Genuineness of a
Document
o Epigraphy – the study of inscriptions and the art of deciphering them
o Diplomatics – the science of charters and diplomas and includes
knowledge of the practices and of the forms used in them.
o Paleography – the study of writing
o Philology – determination of dates and its authenticity
o Archaeology – the scientific study of life and culture of the past,
especially ancient people.
o Anthropology – the study of humans, especially of the variety, physical
and cultural characteristics, distribution, customs, social relationships of
humanity
o Prehistory – the history before recorded history learned from archaeology
o Chemistry – analyze materials such as coins and medals to determine
their historical value