HISTORY
better life.
- Historia/ inquiry or knowledge
- Interpretation and imaginative study of
surviving records of the past, either written, or
unwritten in order to determine the meaning
and story of human existence.
Basic question in History
1. What
2. When
3. Who
4. Where
5. How- for the highschool
6. Why- for the college
USES OF HISTORY
1. Bridging the gap between the present and past
2. Explaining causes of things and events
3. Projecting the future
4. Promoting nationalism and patriotism
LESSON 1: MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY
“History is written by every generation. Every
generation writes its own history using the same
sources. The interpretations vary according to time” –
Teodoro A. Agoncillo
For the Greeks, history is (Iotopia) - “learning”
According to Aristotle: Defined history as a systematic
account of a set of natural phenomena, whether or not
a chronological ordering was a factor in the history.
For the Romans, history is (Scientia)– Non-
chronological, systematic accounts of natural
phenomena.
History- refers to the accounts of phenomena in
chronological order.
For the Germans, history is (Geschichte) – Derived from
the word, “geschehen”, meaning “to happen”.
History is commonly defined as “the past of mankind”.
Constantino (2010) defined history as the recorded
struggle of people for ever-increasing freedom and
newer and higher realization of the human person. Not
a plain narrative/chronology of events, nor about
heroes and great men, but of people’s effort to attain a
HOW WOULD YOU KNOW IF IT’S PART OF THE PAST?
Historical Method
Louis R. Gottschalk (1969) defined historical
method as the process of critically examining and
analyzing the records and survivals of the past.
Historical method is considered as the agreed
ground rules for researching and writing academic
research or professional history.
Historian- analyzes records of the past
Historiography- imaginative reconstruction of the past
from the data derived.
Historians are like detectives who gather information or
evidence to put together the story of the past.
They gather evidence from different sources, such as
archaeological digs, manuscripts, etc.
Take note:
Etc- Et (and) cetera (so on) NB- Nota bene (mark well)
e.g – exempli gratia (for example)
Et al- Et (and) alia (others)
CORE PROTOCOLS IN HANDLING SOURCES
1. Base their accounts on source materials
2. Locate and organize the relevant sources on
which they will base their report.
3. Verify sources – to date them, to determine
their place of origin, and to identify their
intended function
Further, the methods of historical analysis
comprise:
- the selection of subject;
- the collection of sources;
- the examination of genuineness; and
- the extraction from sources (Gottschalk, 1969).
WHAT ARE SOURCES? WHERE DO I GET THEM
Historical Sources
 Sources are:
1. Object from the past or testimony concerning
the past (Howell, 24001)
2. Tangible remains of the past (Brundage, 2001)
3. Artifacts
Historical Sources: PRIMARY AND NON-WRITTEN
being used by the historians must be settled as to its
form and content.
TWO TYPLES OF CRITICISM
1. Problem of Authenticity or External Criticism- is
not rare in historical sources or documents.
A test of authenticity must be given:

Written- published materials, manuscripts (handwritten

or type-recorded), archives, memoirs, and diaries.

Non- Written – oral history, artifacts, ruins, fossils,

artwork, video recordings, audio recordings.

Kinds of Historical Sources: PRIMARY AND SECONDARY

Primary – source which come directly from the past,

gives first-hand information. 2. Problem of Credibility or Internal Criticism-
focuses on the relevant particulars within the
Examples: Human Fossils/ Artifacts, Royal document rather than the document as a
Decrees/ Laws, Chronicles/ Journals/ Diaries, Maps/ whole.
Memoirs, Personal accounts/ Newspaper, Magazines/
Legislative Journals, Court Records/ Letters, Speeches
and Blogs, Online database/ Documentaries, Recorded
Interviews (Audio, video, and pictures).

Repositories: National Archives of the

Philippines, National Historical Commission of the
Philippines, National Museum of the Philippines, UP
Main Library, ADMU Rizal Library, DLSU Library, UST
Library, Library of Congress, National Archives and MAJOR COMPONENTS TO EFFECTIVE HISTORICAL
Records Administration, Archivo General de Indias, THINKING
American Historical Collection, Lopez Memorial
Museum, Ayala Museum 1. Historical Significance
2. Primary Source Evidence
Secondary – Evidences that come from a later date, 3. Continuity and Change
written after the event. Interprets and analyzes primary 4. Cause and Consequence
sources. 5. Historical Perspectives
6. Ethical Dimensions
Examples: Quotes, Textbooks, compilations,
scholarly journal articles, biographies/ auto-biographies,
criticisms/analysis on literary works, commentaries
(election events, people), play analysis, poem, novel or
short story, political commentary examining an election.

HISTORICAL CRITICISM

Historians are not allowed to imagine things

and to maketheir conclusions based on their
imaginations. For specific purpose, the essential matters
on the authenticity and the credibility of the sources