Who wrote it?

What was the context of

INTRODUCTION TO publication?
HISTORY What particular historical method was employed?
What were the sources used? This question can be
answered by historiography.
I. History
Let’s the students have a better
“HISTORIA” Greek word which means
understanding of history. They do not only get to
“knowledge acquired through inquiry or interview”
learn historical facts, but they are also provided
with the understanding of the facts and the
- Account of the past of a person or a group of
historian's contexts.
people through written documents and historical
events
The importance:
For someone who studies history, it teaches the
“No document, no history” – traditional
student to be critical in the lessons of history
historian mantra. Unless a written document can
presented to him.
prove certain historical event, then it cannot
be considered as historical event.
History’s objective is the past, the events
that happened in the past, and the causes of such
Definition:
events.
- Study of the past
- could be define as happening or a series
Roles of History
of happenings; It is a record of the past made
available for the present. It is also a field of study
which traces man's development  States use history to unite a nation
- everything that has been recorded or occurred  Lessons from the past can
from the beginning of time to the last instant be used to make sense of the present
- documented record of man and his society  Learning of past mistakes can
- a study of man and his achievements from help people to not repeat them
the beginning of written records to the present. It
can be defined as everything that has happened or II. Issue of History: accusation that the history is
occurred from the beginning of the time to the last always written by victors (winners).
instant
- in social history, it a record of events showing the This connotes that the narrative of the past is always
evolution of man and his society from the earliest written from the bias of the powerful and
and from the age of barbarism to what he is today. the more dominant player.
- records the past showing man's development
and improvement throughout the ages. It also shows For instance, the history of the Second World War
how man met his various challenges through time in the Philippines always depicts the United
States as the hero and the Imperial Japanese
Question: Does a mere record or collection of Army as the oppressors. Filipinos who
events is also History? collaborated with the Japanese were lumped
in the category of traitors or collaborators.
Answer: No. This is just called chronology and is However, a mere thorough historical
not different from a logbook of activities kept by investigation will reveal a more nuanced
security guard. (delicate) account of the history of that
period instead of a simplified narrative as a
To be considered as History, it must be a story of hero versus villain
documented record of events that traces the
development, rise and fall or rebirth of a III. History and Historian
persons, society, community or country
Historian is a person of his own who is influenced
by his own context, environment, ideology,
History vs. Historiography
education and influences, among others.
Historiography
“Facts cannot speak for themselves” historian's job
- It is the history of the history
is not just to seek historical evidences and facts but
- The objective is history itself
also to interpret these facts. It is the job of the
historian to give meaning to these facts and
For example, how was a certain historical text
organize them into timeline, establish causes,
written?
and write history. In that sense, his
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interpretation of the historical facts 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.
Thus, in one way or another, History is
always Subjective. Historical research requires
rigor. Despite the facts that historians cannot
ascertain absolute objectivity, the Study of
History remains scientific because the rigor of
research and methodology that historian
employ. Historical methodology comprises certain
technique and rules that historian follows in
order to properly utilize sources and historical
evidences in writing history.
HISTORICAL METHODOLOGY:
Certain rules apply in cases of conflicting accounts
in different sources, and how to properly treat
eyewitness accounts and oral sources as valid
historical evidence. In doing so, historical claims
done by historians and the arguments that they
forward in their historical writings, while they may
be influence by historian inclinations, can still be
validated by using reliable evidence methodology.
For example, if a historian chooses to use oral
account as his data in studying ethnic history of the
Ifugao in the Cordillera during the American
occupation, he needs to validate the claims of his
informant through comparing and corroborating
it with written sources. While bias is
inevitable, the historian can balance this out by
relying to evidence that back up his claim. In this
sense, the historian need not let his bias blind his
judgment and such bias are only acceptable if he
maintains his rigor as a researcher.
IV. Sources of History
The Study of History is a relentless search for the
truth. This truth is about the event of the
past which are contained in their sources. In
the study of history sources are always
important. Sources are where the information
comes from. In a technical sense the source of
historical information is the document.
A document is a written material that says about
a historical event. The document can be
narration, a copy of speech, a letter, a
receipt, an eyewitness account or a book. These
are only some of the sources of history.
UNWRITTEN SOURCES BUT CAN BE
AUTHORITATIVE
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Some sources are not written but can
authoritative. These are relics, memorabilia,
pictures, drawings, sketches, fossils and remains.
There are sources who are living individuals. They
are called eyewitnesses if they were present when
the event happened. When use in historical
research they are referred to as respondents or
informants. In the terminology of Philippine
Historiography, historical sources are called
Batis.
In Philippine Historiography, it means the
source of Historical information. Since this is
the originator of the information, it is considered
an authoritative source as a primary source of
historical information.
V. TYPES OF HISTORICAL SOURCES
There are basically two Types of Historical
Sources:
1. The first type is called Primary Source - primary
sources are materials which directly point or discuss
the subject matter. Examples of Primary Source are:
• Autobiographies
• Speeches
• Essay by person expressing his own view
• Receipts
• Letters of the editor expressing the writer's view
• Laws, ordinances, letters of Instructions.
Decrees
• Newspaper articles reporting directly about the
event
• Diaries and journals
• Reports, Letters, Editorials, Transcript of
Records
• Eyewitness accounts
2. Secondary Sources are made by individuals who
were not direct participants to the event or people
who got the information from somebody else
or from primary source. Digested information
or information derived from primary sources
is considered secondary sources. Considered
secondary sources are:
• Textbooks
• Encyclopedia entries
• Magazine articles about a topic
• Teachers' report on student behavior as
reported too school counselors
• Reports from a person talking about the
subject matter.
3. There is another source (considered to be
Tertiary source) and these are called General
references. It helps point to the reader to a
primary or secondary source.
• One example of a tertiary source is the
information found in the Card Catalogue
about a book or document.
• Abstract of books, theses and dissertation are also
general references and therefore considered
general references.
• Incomplete information in the Internet is
called stubs are also considered general
reference.
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCE:
1. Primary source materials are considered
more authoritative than secondary source materials
because they contain information that directly
discusses the subject matter.
2. A primary source materials becomes even
more important when its origin is closer to the
historical event and the information contained
therein can be considered as pure and untainted.
3. Another factor that makes primary
materials authoritative and credible is when it is
made by person who was actual eyewitnesses to the
event or was to principal participants.
CONTEMPORARY SOURCE MATERIALS
Historical sources can be classified according to
age. Contemporary source materials are documents
which are of recent vintage or origin. It concerns
events that are current or very recent. The
recentness of source document can be from the
present to up to 35 to 49 years. Often contemporary
documents are stored in the records sections of
offices or in the private cabinets. Access to
such documents can be authorized by the concerned
individuals or by a court. Books which are of
recent publication and books that have been either
reprinted or republished as updated editions, on the
other hand are placed on the shelves of libraries for
circulation. Included here are textbooks, coffee
table books and manuals which are products of
specialized research. Other examples of
contemporary source materials are brochure and
souvenir programs of fiestas and other events.
Some libraries like the National Library of
the Philippines keep a special section which
the brochures and souvenir programs were
stored in special boxes called vertical files.
Newspaper & magazines are maintained in a
special section of large libraries; the
important role of Newspapers is that they
report the events as they happened. Magazines
on the other hand discuss topics & event in a
more detailed manner. Magazines &
Newspapers contained eyewitness accounts which
make them primary source materials.
APPRECIATING HISTORICAL SOURCES
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There are two processes that will help a person
analyze the importance of historical information in
a document.
1. The first process is called External criticism.
2. The second process is known as internal
criticism.
EXTERNAL CRITICISM
- Examines if the document is genuine. It
studies who made the document and when
did he do it. Was the author living when
he made the document? What accounts
for his preservations? i.e., why did it remain
as if it is still just newly-written when it was
created a century ago?
Many documents have been proven as forgeries.
The best example of forgery in Philippine
History is the code of Kalantiaw Code which
was proven to be a 20th century hoax.
Other question in using external criticism would be:
For what purpose was the document written? A
document written several decades after the
historical events may raise some doubts. It also
raises question of validity and reliability.
One such example would be the different versions
of the Cry of Balintawak or Pugadlawin.
Some accounts were written up to 70 years after the
event. It is concerned with determining the
nature or authenticity of the document itself,
Internal Criticism according to Frankel and
Wallen (2010, p. 539) is concerned with what
the document says.
INTERNAL CRITICISM:
- Once the reader is convinced that the
document is genuine, he may proceed to
the second process called Internal
Criticism. It is the method of
determining whether the contents of
historical information are accurate.
QUESTIONS RAISED IN INTERNAL
CRITICISM:
Is it likely that what author says happen
really did happen? What if it is just a hyperbole? A
metaphor? A simile? Would people at the time were
behaved as they were portrayed? Are the data
presented reasonable? Was the author competent to
describe the event? Are the events reasonable as it
happened? Is the document suffering from
hindsight? Does the language of the
document show any sign of bias? Does another
version of the document exist? Etc.
Illustrations…

A hyperbole is an exaggeration. An example of

historical hyperbole would be an account that
there were million Persian faced by three hundred
Spartans warriors led King Leonidas at the Battle of
Thermopylae.
A metaphor i.e., "The natives fighting the
British died like beasts, gnawing at the
bayonets" (from the diary of Sir William Draper,
1762).
A simile, the sand here has a color of bran
(Apolinario Mabini, letters describing the beach of
Guam, 1901).
Is the document suffering from hindsight?
Hindsight is a historical error in which the past is
judged from the standards or perspectives of the
present. For example, the height of Rizal was
said to be 4 feet, eleven inches. The height is short
for present standards but it was rather average if
true by 19th century standards.

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