Meaning and Relevance of History

History is a brief summary or result based on a factual research and it also deals
with the sequence of important events. It deals with science that describe and examine
past event in the specific group of people. Significance of History Studying history is
really important especially in the Philippine setting. Studying Philippine History is
important because you have to understand and know the things that happened in the
past for you to appreciate the future and present situation of the country.
Studying history allows us to observe and understand how people and societies
behaved. For example, we are able to evaluate war, even when a nation is at peace, by
looking back at previous events. History provides us with the data that is used to create
laws, or theories about various aspects of society.
Primary Source
A primary source is a first-hand or contemporary account of an event or topic.
Primary sources are original materials, regardless of format. Letters, diaries, minutes,
photographs, artifacts, interviews, and sound or video recordings are examples of
primary sources created as a time or event is occurring.
Primary sources help students relate in a personal way to events of the past and
promote a deeper understanding of history as a series of human events. Because
primary sources are incomplete snippets of history, each one represents a mystery that
students can only explore further by finding new pieces of evidence.
Secondary Source
In contrast, a secondary source of information is one that was created later by
someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events or conditions
you're researching. For the purposes of a historical research project, secondary sources
are generally scholarly books and articles. Examples of a secondary source are:
Publications such as textbooks, magazine articles, book reviews, commentaries,
encyclopedias, almanacs.
External Criticism
External criticism, which is also known as lower criticism, is a tool used by
historians and exegetes to determine the validity of a document, particularly a document
with some sort of historical significance. It is the first of two stages of inquiry for it is
followed by internal criticism. This process is important regarding analyzing data,
because we have to question whether or not we can trust the data and use it as a
reference point.
Internal Criticism
Internal Criticism is the element of the historical process that is deterrence.
Minimizes the historicity of the evidence in the paper. Internal criticism is applied to
check the credibility of the document whether the contents given in it are believable or
not. ... Hence the historian has to scrutinize carefully the records that appear even as
authentic. Internal criticism involves a scientific examination of the relevance of the
data.
For example, if the document in question are Rizal's letters, you ask if the handwriting
was Rizal's.
Repositories of Primary Sources
Is a "listing of over 5000 websites describing holdings of manuscripts, archives,
rare books, historical photographs, and other primary sources for the research scholar."
Primary sources provide an unfiltered view of the past and in so doing offer personal,
unique, and more complex insight into the period being studied. Instead of viewing
history as a list of dates and facts, primary sources provide the original artifacts of
historical interpretation.
These are some of the repositories of primary sources in the Philippines
● Asia Pacific Research Center.
● Ateneo de Manila University. American Historical Collection.
● Ateneo de Manila University. Pardo de Tavera Room.
● De La Salle University. University Archives.
● Filipinas Heritage Library.
Published Documents and Unpublished Documents
Published documents include books, magazines, newspapers, government
documents, non-government reports, literature of all kinds, advertisements, maps,
pamphlets, posters, laws, and court decisions. Every document has a creator, and every
creator has a point of view, blind spots, and biases.
The Laguna Copperplate Inscription is Philippines' earliest known written
document. Found on a construction site in 1989 near Lumbang River along Laguna de
Bay, this important artifact found no home for a year with antique dealers shrugging off
its significance.
Unpublished primary sources are original documents and artifacts of all kinds
that were created by individuals but not published (that is, made public -issued in a
format that could be widely distributed) during the period you are studying.
Oral Traditions/Oral Histories
Oral tradition, is called orality, the first and still most widespread mode of human
communication. Far more than “just talking,” oral tradition refers to a dynamic and highly
diverse oral-aural medium for evolving, storing, and transmitting knowledge, art, and
ideas. Examples of oral traditions are: verbal, materials, custom, belief, motion, music
and song. Verbal or oral traditions rely on the spoken word: jokes, riddles, stories,
legends, rhymes, proverbs, language, and naming.
Oral histories are accounts given by a person of events earlier in their life. Often,
they are taken by family members, historians, archivists, or others who interview older
people in an attempt to document events and lives that might otherwise be forgotten.
Examples of Oral History

● After the Day of Infamy: "Man-on-the-Street" Interviews Following the Attack on

Pearl Harbor. ...
● Black Oral History Collection. ...
● Civil Rights History Project at the Library of Congress. ...
● Civil Rights in Mississippi Digital Archives.
Visual Documents and Artifacts
Visual resources include photographs, film, video, paintings, drawings, cartoons,
prints, designs, and three-dimensional art such as sculpture and architecture and can
be categorized as fine art or documentary record. Because visual documents capture
moments in time, they can provide evidence of changes over time. Even photographs
were created by photographers using film and cameras to create desired effects.
Artifacts are physical objects created and used by humans. Artifacts may include
such items as eating utensils, tools, clothing, and coins. When written records are
scarce, these items help researchers discover how people lived.
In addition, an artifact provides insight into the customs, preferences, styles,
special occasions, work, and play, of the culture in which it was created.