L1 Introduction Meaning and Relevance of History

What is History?
As a field of study, history is a study of man and his achievements from the beginning of written
records to the present

As a literary form of history is an effective presentation of the unfolding events. But as a type of
literature, history falls under nonfiction work

Socially, history is a record of events showing the evolution of man and his society from the earliest
and from the age of barbarism to what he is today. It is a summary of human accomplishment.

The word historiography is etymologically derived from the Greek word historia which means
past; and grapier which means to write (Rosales, 2020). In short history is the “art of writing”.

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.

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 b. Unpublished documents-personal in nature and may be difficult to find because of few copies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.

Importance of History
 Provides a source of personal and social identity.
 Helps us understand the problems of the present.
 (good history) corrects misleading analogies and “lessons” of the past.
 Help develop tolerance and open-mindedness.
 Help us better understand all human behaviors and all aspects of the human condition.
 Provides the basic background for many disciplines.
 A source of entertainment.
 Can teach many critical skills.

Course Code: GE 102

Instructor: Frances Deanna U. Rabang
Descriptive Title: Readings in the Philippine History
 Other methods also used for recording history are as follows:

a. Positivism – emphasizes the mantra “no document, no history”, where historian were
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.

Why Study History?

(Peter N. Stearns in 1998)

 1. History helps us understand people and societies. (It is a storehouse of information about
how people and societies behave)
 2. History helps us understand change and how the society we live in came to be. (We begin
to comprehend the factors that cause change; what elements of an institution or a society
persist despite change)
 3. History contributes to moral understanding. (Allows a student of history to test his or her own
moral sense, to hone it against some of the real complexities individuals have faced in difficult
settings)
 4. History provides identity. (Historical data include evidence about how families, groups,
institutions and whole countries were formed and about how they have evolved while
retaining cohesion)
 5. Studying History Is Essential for Good Citizenship. (It promote national identity and loyalty
through a history spiced by vivid stories and lessons in individual success and morality)

Course Code: GE 102

Instructor: Frances Deanna U. Rabang
Descriptive Title: Readings in the Philippine History
 L2 Historical Sources

Historical sources are proofs and origin of history. It may be a document, a picture, a
sound recording, a book, a cinema film, a television program or an object. Any sort of artifact
from the period in question that conveys information can qualify as a source.

Primary Sources
Those sources produced at the same time as the event, period, or
subject being studied.

Example: Commonwealth Constitution Convention of 1935. primary sources can include the
minutes of the convention, newspaper clippings Philippine Commission reports of the U.S.
Commissioners, records of the convention, the draft of the Constitution, and even
photographs of the event. Eyewitness accounts of convention delegates and their memoirs
can also be used as primary sources.

Other examples include: Archival documents, artifacts, memorabilia, letters, census, and
government records, among others are the most common examples of primary sources.

The use of primary sources is important because of the following reasons:

1. Direct contact with the original records and artifacts invites students to explore the content with
active and deeper analysis, and to respond thoughtfully;
2. Critical thinking is developed as students probe the context, purpose, meaning, bias, and
perspectives in their analysis of the past;
3. In the interaction with the various sources from the past, a learn-led inquiry is being fostered;
4. There is a realization that history is a reflection of various perspectives of those who interpret the
past events; and
5. It brings back to story to history allowing students to share the author’s perspectives.

Secondary
Sources which were produced by an author who used primary sources to
Sources produce the material. In other words, secondary sources are historical
sources which studied a certain historical subject.

Example: The Philippine Revolution of 1896, students can read Teodoro Agoncillo's Revolt of
the Masses: The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan published originally in 1956. The Philippine
Revolution happened in the last years of the nineteenth century while Agoncillo published his
work in 1956, which makes the Revolt of the Masses a secondary source.

Course Code: GE 102

Instructor: Frances Deanna U. Rabang
Descriptive Title: Readings in the Philippine History
Historians and students of history need to thoroughly scrutinize these historical sources to avoid deception and
to come up with the historical truth. The historian should be able to conduct an external and internal criticism
of the source, especially primary sources which can age in centuries.

Two Types of Criticism

 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.
o Examples of the things that will be examined when conducting external criticism of a
document include the quality of the paper, the type of the ink, and the language and
words used in the material, among others.
 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. Internal
criticism looks at the truthfulness and factuality of the evidence by looking at the author of the
source, its context, the agenda behind its creation, the knowledge which informed it, and its
intended purpose, among others.
o For example, Japanese reports and declarations during the period of the war should not
be taken as a historical fact hastily. Internal criticism entails that the historian acknowledge
and analyze how such reports can be manipulated to be used war propaganda.
Validating historical sources is important because the use of unverified, falsified, and
untruthful historical sources can lead to equally false conclusions. Without thorough
criticisms of historical evidences; historical deceptions and lies will be highly probable.

Course Code: GE 102

Instructor: Frances Deanna U. Rabang
Descriptive Title: Readings in the Philippine History