MEANING AND

RELEVANCE OF
HISTORY
INSTRUCTOR: VENUS RHEA B. BIACO
SOURCES: READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY, DR. MARIANO ARIOLA AND ROWENA PARAJAS
READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY , RONALD CORPUS AND CLAUDIO TABOTABO
READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY , JOHN LEE CANDELARIA AND VERONICA ALPORHA
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson the students should be able to:
1. Determine the meaning and relevance of history;
2. Illustrate the distinction of primary and secondary sources;
3. Differentiate internal and external criticism; and
4. Describe the repositories of primary sources.
Why do we need to study Readings in
Philippine History?
MEANING OF HISTORY
• History is derived from the Greek term “historia” which means “inquiry or research.”
• This the term history refers to accounts or inquiries of events that happened in the past and are
narrated in a chronological order.
• Series of happenings
WHY DO WE STUDY HISTORY?
1. To learn about our past
2. To understand the present
3. To appreciate our heritage in a broad perspective
4. To acquire a background for critical thinking
IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY:
• 1. History preserves the cultural values of a nation
• 2. Help the person or the government avoid pitfalls of the present by knowing the
rise and fall of the rulers, government and empires.
• 3. Makes a person’s life richer and fuller by giving meaning to the books he
reads.
• 4. Enables a person to grasp his relationship with the past.
RELATIONSHIP OF HISTORY WITH OTHER
SOCIAL SCIENCES:
1. History and Political Science
2. History and Economics
3. History and Sociology
4. History and Ethics
CLASSIFICATION OF HISTORICAL
SOURCES:
1. Primary Source
• is regarded as the source of the best evidence.
• These are firsthand evidences regarding an object, person, or work of
art.
• They include historical and legal documents, eyewitness accounts,
results, experiments, statistical data, pieces of creative writing, audio,
video recordings, speeches and art objects.
Examples include:
• a. Artifacts
• b. Audio recordings
• c. Diaries
• d. Internet communications on emails
• e. Interviews
• f. Letters
• g. Newspaper articles written at the time
• h. Original Documents
• i. Photographs
• j. Proceedings of meetings, conferences and symposia
• k. Records of organizations and government agencies
• l. Speeches
• m. Survey Research
• n. Video Recordings
• o. Work of art, architecture, literature and music
2. Secondary Sources
• are analysis or restatements of primary sources.
• They often describe or explain primary sources.
• Are information supplied by a person who was not a direct observer or
participant of the event, object or condition. Digested information or
information derived from primary sources.
 
• Examples include:
• a. Dictionaries, Encyclopedias
• b. Textbooks
• c. websites
• d. Bibliographies
•  
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CRITICISM

• External Criticism
• refers to the genuineness of the document a researcher used in a historical study. It asks if the
evidence under consideration is authentic.
• Questions that illustrate external criticism include:
• a. Who was the author?
• b. What was his/her qualifications, personality, and position?
• c. How soon after the events was document written?
• d. How was the document written and is it related to other documents?
• Internal Criticism
• is textual criticism, it involves factor such as competence, good
faith, position and bias of the author.
• It looks at the content of the document to determine its
authenticity. Has to do with what the document says.
REPOSITORIES OF PRIMARY SOURCES

• 1. Library-is a collection of sources of information and similar resources, made accessible to a

defined community for reference of borrowing.
• 2. Archive- is an accumulation of historical records or the physical place they are located.
• 3. Museum- is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural,
historical or scientific importance.
• 4. Historical society- is an organization dedicated to preserving, collecting, researching, and interpreting
historical information of items.
• 5. Special collections- are libraries or library units that house materials requiring specialized security and
user services
ROLE OF THE HISTORIAN

• 1. To look for available historical sources and select the most relevant and meaningful for
history for the subject matter we are studying.
• 2. To organize the past that is being created so that it can offer lessons for nations,
societies and civilization.