MODULE

READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

(PRIME Project XI)

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:

1. All your answers must be written on the ANSWER SHEET (long bond paper). Use
another long bond paper for PROJECT.
2. At the end of the Prelim Period, only the ANSWER SHEET should be submitted to the
instructor.

Introduction t o History

Hooray to a new academic year! The journey in this

pandemic has been tough yet you made
it.The fortuitous spread of Covid 19
leaves a prolonged period of
uncertainty and unrest for us but it will never hinder
our desire to learn. I would like to welcome you to
Module 1: Introduction to History. This module Definition and Subject Matter
comprises of three lessons that will surely deepen
your connection the past. It will help you realize how
Questions and Issues in History
important it is, and the effect of our history in our
current situation.
Types of Historical Sources

a. Describe the meaning of history

b. Explain the roles of Historians in History
c. Differentiate History and Historiography
d. Differentiate Positivism and Post Colonialism
 1
LESSON
“I knew my affection for the Philippines
was equally as telling: a democracy on
paper, apparently well ordered, regularly
subverted by irrational chaos. A place
where I'd felt instantly at home.”
― Alex Garland, The Beach

TIME FRAME

QUIZ No. 1 A (8 points). Write your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.

QUIZ No. 1 B Answer the following questions. Write your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.

1. In your own words, define history. (5 points)

2. Why do we need to study history? (3 points)

AB S TR AC T I ON
History is defined as everything that has been
recorded or occurred from the beginning of
of time to the last instant. It was derived from
the Greek word “historia” which means
which means “knowledge acquired through
inquiring or investigation”. This term was then
then adapted to classical Latin where it acquired
a new definition “historia”, known as the account
of the part of a person or a group of
people through written documents and
historical events evidence.
Now you might ask about “What
count as history?” Traditional historians
lived with the mantra of “No Document”
means no history”. It means that unless
written or recorded documents can prove a
historical event, then it can’t be considered as a
historical fact. However, a mere collection of
events is not history. It is just called chronology
and it is not different from a logbook of
activities kept by a security guard. To be
considered as history, there should be
documentary records of the events that
can be traced to the development, the
rise and fall, or the rebirth of a person,
society, and a community or a country.
Therefore, history is not merely
chronology or the list of events that occur,
but history shows a pattern in how humans
and society have evolved from the
primitive form to the present, or a record
of the various challenges through time.
There are many advantages to
studying History. It allows us to better
understand our current situation.
Among the Earth’s creatures, only
humans are capable of deriving the
deeper meaning of history. We are the only
creature who can have a profound understanding
and can record and learn from it. We use history
universally. We applied it to almost any profession:
medicine, law, economy, engineering, and
architecture, and even in the aspect of our daily
living, we make use of history.
Thus, knowing our history therefore
makes our life more manageable. By
studying it, we will be able to know what to do on
inputs from the past. Just like in the words of
President Woodrow Wilso: “We need to call on our
experience to aid us on how to deal with present
events. Without history, our society can be like
trees without roots which can be washed away in
the next flood or storm”. Therefore, forgetting our
history will be our worst enemy that we will face in
our lives, We will forget our own identity and we
will be prey to the outside pressures and lose our
lose our anchor of morality.
An exact and accurate account of the
past is very impossible for a very simple
reason that we can’t go back to the past.
We cannot pass directly to the past as our
subject matter, but we can access it
through its representation like historical
sources and evidence.
Moreover, it is the job of the historian to
give meaning to facts and organize them
into a timeline, establish causes, and write
history. However, the historian is not a
blank paper who mechanically interprets
and analyzes present historical facts. He is
a person of his own who is influenced by
his context, environment, ideology,
education, and influences, among others.
In that sense, his interpretation of the
historical fact is affected by his context
and circumstances. His subjectivity will
inevitably influence the process of his
historical research: the methodology that
he will use, the facts that he shall select
and deem relevant his interpretation, and
even the form of his writings.
QUIZ 2 A

: Write TRUE if the statementis correct, but if not, write FALSE. Write your answers on the ANSWER
SHEET.

1. A simple record or collection of events is contemplated as history.

2. Engineers, Lawyers, Doctors and other professions are governed by history.
3. A record of events showing the evolution of mhuman and society from the earliest and from the age of
barbarism to present is history.
4. The study of History enables human to improve the present condition as an individual, as member of
society, church and state.
5. Traditional historians lived with the mantra of “No document, means no history”.

Answer the following briefly. Write your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.

1. How does history affect the present and the future? (3 points)
2. Define the roles of the historians in History. (3 points)
 LESSON
“It is easier to build from scratch
than to dismantle the rotten and
2
rebuild upon its rubbles.”
― Rodrigo Roa Duterte

TIME FRAME

In this lesson, challenge yourself to:

a. Differentiate History and Historiography

b. Distinguish Positivism and Post Colonialism

1. School of that requires empirical and observable evidence

2. History that depicts the Americans as heroes and Japanese as oppressors
3. Focuses on the history of history itself
4. Study of past events
5. A reaction and an alternative to the colonial history
ABSTRACTION In the discipline of history, the mantra “no
document, no history” stems from this very
same truth, where historians were required
This dynamism of history inevitably to show written primary documents in order
produced various perspectives on the to write a particular historical narrative.
discipline regarding different questions Positive historians are also expected to be
like: What is history? Why study history?
objective and impartial not just in their
And history for whom? In which the only
arguments but also on their conduct of
thing that could answer it is utilizing
historiography. historical research.
When the ilustrados, like Jose Rizal, Isabelo
In simple terms, historiography is de los Reyes, and Pedro Paterno wrote
the history of history. History and history, they intended it for the Spaniards so
historiography should not be confused that they would realize the Filipinos are
with each other. History is the study of people of their own intellect and culture.
the past, the events that happened in Likewise, when American Historians depicted
the past, and the causes of such the Filipino as uncivilized in their publication,
events. it was intended for fellow
Americans to justify the means of
On the other hand, undermining the Philippine sovereignty.
historiography focuses on the study of Thus, as a narrative, any history that has
history itself (i.e., How was a certain been taught and written is always intended
historical text was written? Who wrote for a certain group of audience
it? What was the context of its
publication? What particular historical Post colonialism is a school of thought that
method was employed? What were the
emerged in the early twentieth century
sources used?).
when formerly colonized nations grappled
Thus, historiography lets you have with the idea of creating their identities and
a better understanding of history. You understanding their societies against the
do not only learn historical facts, but shadows of their colonial past. Post colonial
you are also provided with an history looks at two things in writing history:
understanding of the facts and the first, to tell the history of nation that will
historian’s contexts. The methods highlight their identity free from that colonial
employed by the historian and the discourse and knowledge, and second, to
theory and perspective, which guided criticize the methods, effects, and idea of
him will also be analyzed. With the help colonialism. Post colonial history is therefore a
of historiography, you will now reaction, and an alternative to the colonial
understand deeper what is in history. history that colonial powers created and
taught to their subjects.
One of the problem confronted by history is
the accusation that the history was always
is the school of thought that written by victors. For instance, the history of
emerged between the eighteenth and World War II in the Philippines always
nineteenth century. This thought depicts the United States as heroes and the
requires empirical and observable Japanese as the oppressors. However, a
evidence before one can claim that a more thorough historical investigation will
particular knowledge is true. Positivism reveal more nuanced account of the
also entails an objective means of history of that period instead of a simplified
arriving at a conclusion.
narrative as a story of hero versus villain.
Thus, it connotes that the narrative of the
past is always written from the bias of the
powerful and the more dominant player.
 3

TAKE THE CHALLENGE

a. Develop critical and analytical skills in assessing and defining

Historical Sources
ABSTRACTION

In the study of history, sources are always

important. Sources are where the information come
from. In a technical sense, the source of information
the document. A document is a written material that says
about a historical event. The document can be a narration,
a copy of speech, a letter, a receipt, a report, an
eyewitness account or a book.
There are basically two types of historical
sources. The first type is called the PRIMARY
and the second one is the
SOURCE.
– these are materials which
directly point or discusses the subject matter. These
sources are considered more authoritative than secondary
source materials because they contain information that
discuss the subject matter.
Examples:
- Textbooks
- Encyclopedia entries
- Magazine articles about a topic
-Teacher’s Reports on student behavior as reported to
to school counselors
- Reports from a person talking about the subject matter
There is another source which can be considered a
a tertiary source. These are called general references.
General Reference helps point out to the reader the
primary or secondary source. One example of tertiary
source is the information found in the catalogue about
a book or document. Abstract of books, theses, and
dissertations are also considered as general references

Examples:
- Autobiographies
- Speeches
- Essays by person expressing his own view
- Receipts
- Letter
- Editorials
- Transcript of Records
- Eyewitness Accounts
- Reports
- Diaries and Journals

– the second type of historical

sources is the secondary source. These are made by
individuals who were not direct participants to the event
or people who got the information from somebody else
or from the primary sources. Digest information or
information derived from primary sources are
considered secondary sources.
MODULE ASSESSMENT (PRELIM)

Write A, if the material is a PRIMARY SOURCE, B, if SECONDARY SOURCE, and C, if GENERAL REFERENCE.

1. Autobiography 11. Theses and Dissertations

2. Census 12. Synopsis of a Speech
3. Magazine Article 13. Receipts
4. Workbook 14. Microfilm of government report
5. Blog Article 15. Abstract of Books
6. Official Gazette 16. Encyclopedia Article
7. Wikipedia Article 17. CD of interview
8. Textbooks 18. Teacher’s reports on students
9. Card Catalogue 19. Letter to the Editor
10. Digest of Reports 20. Laws, Ordinances and Decrees

Write if the statement is true. Otherwise, write

1. History is the study of the past.

2. Historical Sources that were not written should not be used in writing history.
3. The subject of historiography is history itself.
4. History has no use for the present, thus the saying “past is past” is true.
5. History is limited to the story of a hero versus villain.
6. Only primary sources may be used in writing history.
7. There are three types of sources; Primary, Secondary, tertiary sources.
8. External criticism is done by examining the physical characteristics of a source.
9. Internal criticism is done by looking at a source’s quality if paper and type of ink, among others.
10. The historians are the only source of history.

1. Explain the definition and importance of the study of history. (5 points)

2. Why do we need to study Readings in Philippine History? (5 points)

PROJECT: Give any one of the following: autobiography, speech, editorial. Give the complete details, e.g. date written,
writer, soure, etc. What can you say about this piece of primary source?

Submit a short magazine article. Give the following information: source, date, author/writer. What is the
article all about? Is it relevant? Why is a magazine article considered a secondary source of information?