Readings in

Philippine
History

JOMARI C. CABUSAO
Course Instructor, TAU-CED
I. Introduction to
History
A. Etymology and Definition
– History (from the Greek word Historie or Historia
which means “learning, inquiry and or
investigation”) is a branch of the Social Sciences
that deals with the systematic study of significant
past, a branch of knowledge that records and
explains past events and which concerns people
and human nature.
– Being a branch of the social sciences, History centers on the study of people and the
society.
– Which is why, the people are considered as the focal point in the study of history.
– The definition emphasizes that it is a “systematic” study.
– This means that history as a discipline follows a methodology in order to establish and be
able to validate facts and evidences.
– The definition mentions of “significant” past as the subject matter of history.
– By “significant past” it entails that only past events which has affected the political,
cultural, social and economic aspects of the society or of the lives of the people, are
considered part of history.
– It does not follow that everything that happened in the past is considered part of
Philippine History i.e On June 14, 2001.
B. Historiography
– Historiography on the other hand refers to the study of
history itself. Historiography analyzes who is the
history writer, the motives of the writer, the sources of
the writer, theories applied and other historical
methods.
– It also analyzes the context when the history was
written.
C. Elements of History
1. The Historian. This refers to the person writing the history.
2. Place. The location where the history was written
3. Period. Refers to the context of the time when the history
was written.
4. Sources. Refers to the basis of claims or analysis of the
historian such as documents, written or oral accounts.
D. Nature of History
as an academic
discipline
A. History has no subject matter
of its own.
– Of course, the subject matter of history covers all
the persons and all events that have happened in
the past.
– It is actually very broad since it does cover
everything that has happened in the society
including all aspects from political, economic
social, culture etc.
B. History synthesizes
knowledge from other fields.
– Since it covers all phenomena, History as a branch
of the Social Sciences analyzes the relations of
different events, their cause and effects using also
the knowledge used in other fields of the Social
Sciences such as Anthropology, Sociology
Economics etc.
C. History illuminate’s pieces of
the past.

– History provides for explanations of things

that happened in the past.
– By looking at relationships of different events
and phenomena, it provides explanations for
seemingly unexplainable gaps.
D. History is constantly
changing.
– Since claims to historical facts are based on personal accounts,
documents and artifacts, a historian makes an analysis based only
on available sources of data.
– The historian cannot conclude something which is baseless.
– Unlike other Social Sciences which can gather actual and real
time data or conduct experiments to test their hypothesis,
historians have to rely on what is available.
– Therefore, when new data are discovered, previous historical
accounts can be changed.
E. History sheds light to truth.
– Since a historian constantly write about previous
phenomena using historical sources as basis, all claims
therefore supports only the truth base on the data
available.
– This however does not preclude the fact that a historian
uses also unwritten sources such as oral accounts and
traditions.
 E. Importance of
the study of history
– The study of History is important because it provides us with the
capacity to analyze previous events and phenomena which therefore
will provide us with proper basis on how to view the present and the
future.
– This being the case history will provide is with a strong basis for
providing answers for problems that pervades at present.
– A lot of people in our modern day society would say that history is no
longer important.
– That the study of history is out dated already.
According to E. Kent Rogers
we study History because of the following:

1. “to know more 2. “to learn about

about the roots of our human nature by
current culture”. looking at trends that
repeat through
history”
F. History in Relation
with other Social
Sciences
Archaeology
– is scientific study of material remains of past human life and
activities as stated by Merriam and Webster.
– Archaeologists usually excavates the earth in search of
artifacts.
– Through investigations of artifacts such as pottery, weapons,
jewelry etc, the historian can draw important analysis and
interpretation from them and make a description of the lives
and culture of the people that owned the artifacts.
Anthropology
– is the study of human beings and their ancestors through
time and space and in relation to physical character,
environmental and social relations, and culture. (Merriam
and Webster.)
– The cultural analysis of ancestors of man will also provide
for sources of historical data that the Historian can make
use in writing history.
II. Sources of
History
– Historians study the sources that the past has left behind.
– No statement about the past can carry conviction unless it can
be supported by reference to the historical sources, the
evidence upon which historians base their ideas and
interpretations.
– Historians inevitably spend a lot of time reading each other’s
writings, but the real historical work is done – and the real
enjoyment is to be had – in studying the sources, the actual
‘stuff’ of history. (University of Cambridge website)
“Sources”/ “Batis”/ “Sanggunian”
– ” refers to the basis of claims or analysis of the
historian.
– They serve as the evidences utilized in the study of
history.
In history, sources are classified
mainly into :

1. Primary Sources
2. Secondary
Sources
Take Note:
– Primary and secondary sources form the cornerstones of
historical research.
– A modern-day work of history is essentially a description
and interpretation of primary sources, along with
commentary of secondary sources, both using them in
reference to the subject matter at hand, and agreeing and
disagreeing with them.
A. Primary Sources
– A primary source provides direct or first hand evidence about an
event, object, person, or work of art.
– These are the evidences by eyewitnesses or created by people who
experienced the said event or phenomena.
– The historian’s responsibility is to organize the primary sources into
a coherent account to become secondary source.
– In effect, a primary source is direct source of historical information
dating from the period in question
B. Secondary Sources

– Secondary sources, on the other hand, are interpretations of history.

– They describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyze, evaluate,
summarize, and process primary sources.
– These are the products of people or writers who were not part of the event
or phenomena.
– One can consider them as history books, although this is a bit misleading,
as secondary sources can include articles, movies, audio recordings, or any
other source of media that interprets history.
C. Tertiary Sources

– Others cite another classification, the Tertiary Sources.

– Tertiary sources contain information that has been compiled
from primary and secondary sources.
– Tertiary sources include almanacs, chronologies, dictionaries
and encyclopedias, directories, guidebooks, indexes, abstracts,
manuals, and textbooks.
D. Types of historical sources

– Historians can get this sources, primary or secondary, from the

following:
– Archival Material Manuscripts and archives are primary sources,
including business and personal correspondence, diaries and
journals, legal and financial documents, photographs, maps,
architectural drawings, objects, oral histories, computer tapes, and
video and audio cassettes.
– Some archival materials are published and available in print or
online.
1. Government Documents

– Government documents provide evidence of activities, functions, and

policies at all government levels.
– For research that relates to the workings of government,
government documents are primary sources.
– These documents include hearings and debates of legislative bodies;
the official text of laws, regulations and treaties; records of
government expenditures and finances; and statistical compilations
of economic, demographic, and scientific data.
2. Serials

– Journals, magazines, and newspapers are serial publications that

are published on an ongoing basis.
– Many scholarly journals in the sciences and social sciences include
primary source articles where the authors report on research they
have undertaken.
– Consequently, these papers may use the first person ("We
observed…"). These articles usually follow a standard format with
sections like "Methods," "Results," and "Conclusion."
3. Books

– Most books are secondary sources, where authors reference primary

source materials and add their own analysis.
– “The First Filipino” by Leon Ma. Guerrero is a biography of Jose Rizal.
– If you are researching Jose Rizal, this book would be a secondary source
because the author is offering his views about the hero.
– Books can also function as primary sources. For example, Jose Rizal’s own
letters and essays would be primary sources.
3. Visual and Audio Materials

– Visual materials such as maps, photographs, prints, graphic arts, and

original art forms can provide insights into how people viewed and/or were
viewed the world in which they existed.
– Films, videos, TV programs, and digital recordings can be primary sources.
– Documentaries, feature films, and TV news broadcasts can provide insights
into the fantasies, biases, political attitudes, and material culture of the
times in which they were created.
– Radio broadcast recordings, oral histories, and the recorded music of a
particular era can also serve as primary source material.
III. Historical Criticism
– The historian’s role in writing history, to reiterate, is to provide meanings
to facts that he gathered from primary sources (facts from manuscripts,
documents) or those that have been gathered by archaeologists or
anthropologists (artifacts).
– He/She can only make conclusions and generalizations based on them.
– It is therefore his duty to check on the authenticity of the sources that are
presented to him to be used as basis in writing history.
– Sources have to undergo doubting and therefore should be critically
tested for validity.
There are two kinds of criticisms
that a historian can use in the
process; these are

1. External Criticisms
2. Internal Criticisms
A. External Criticism
– The ‘External Criticism’ covers the physical examinations of
sources like documents, manuscripts, books, pamphlets,
maps, inscriptions and monuments.
– In original documents it includes looking at the paper and
ink used whether or not it is within the same circa as the
content of the work.
Following are the elements that have to
be taken into consideration in doing
validation:
I. Authorship.
– The name of the author of the document usually provides
credence in the establishment of validity of a certain
document.
– The author’s name in itself can provided for the test of
authenticity.
– In cases of anonymous writings when the exact name of the author is
not known then the office that holds the record should also be taken
into consideration.
II. Date and place of publication
– The date of the document including the time and place of publication
should be properly analyzed in order to establish its authenticity.
– Modern day documents and publication have their date and place of
publication usually printed at the back of the title page.
– However, for manuscripts there are usually no date and place of
publications indicated. In such cases, the historian should look for
dates mentioned within the manuscript or cross check with other
records.
III. Textual errors
– The historian should always be in the lookout for errors
in the text of documents and manuscripts.
– There are two kinds of errors in documents
1. unintentional or
2. intentional.
IV. Meanings of words used.

– The meaning of words used usually changes from

generation to generation, therefore the historian has to
interpret the words used based on the time when the
document was made.
– Also, there are instances when words mean differently in
different places.
B. Internal Criticism

– Positive criticism refers to understanding of both literal

and real meaning of words.
– A historian therefore must be able to analyze and interpret
the contents of documents in their real meaning.
– Document contains the idea of the person who wrote or
made the evidences, therefore they should be understood
within that context.