READINGS IN

Philippine
History
Izzy Kay F. Castillo
Instructor I
 MODULE 1:

LEARNING
HISTORY
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
To understand the meaning of history as an academic
discipline and to be familiar with the underlying
philosophy and methodology of the discipline.
To examine and assess critically the value of
historical evidence and sources; and
To appreciate the importance of history in the social
and national life of the Philippines.
 Lesson 1:
Meanings and Relevance
of History
Introduction:
Many people think that history is merely a list of
names, dates, places, and 'important' events. However,
history, or the study of history, is more than just knowing
and memorizing facts; it is the study of the beliefs,
desires, practices, and institutions of human beings.
 Why study History?
Looking at the past means
looking at the roots of modern
institutions, ideas, values, and
problems. It teaches us to see the
world through different eyes—
appreciating the diversity of human
perceptions, beliefs, and cultures.
 History was derived from the
Greek word historia which means
“knowledge acquired through inquiry
or investigation”. As a discipline, it
existed for around 2, 400 years and
is as old as mathematics and
philosophy.
 It became the historian’s
duty to write about the
lives of important
individuals like monarchs,
heroes, saints, and
nobilities.
History was also focused on
writing wars, revolutions,
and other important
breakthroughs.
What counts as history?
Traditional historians lived with the mantra
“no document, no history”. It means that unless
a written document can prove a certain
historical event, then it cannot be considered as
a historical fact.
 History progressed and opened up to the
possibility of valid historical sources, which
were not limited to written documents, like
government records, chroniclers’ accounts, or
personal letters. Some were keener on passing
their history by word of mouth.
 A few examples are oral traditions in
the form of epics and songs, artifacts,
architecture, and memory. History thus
became more inclusive and started
collaborating with other disciplines as its
auxiliary disciplines.
The following are examples of epics, artifacts, and songs in the Philippines:

Biag ni Lam-ang Manunggul Burial Jar Kundiman

of the (Palawan)
Ilocano people
 Other Definitions of History:
History is defined as a documented record of man and his society.
(Gray, 1956, pp.1-3).
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 non-
fiction work.
History comes from social history which defines it as 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.
UNDERSTANDING HISTORY
Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart,
commonly known throughout
most of his career as Captain B.
H. Liddell Hart, was a British
soldier, military historian, and
military theorist. He wrote a
series of military histories that
proved influential among
strategists.

B. H. Liddell Hart
(1895-1970)
 Why don’t we learn from history?
(An excerpt from Lidell Hart, 1971)
What is the objective of history? One would simply
answer, quite simply - “truth”. It is a word and an idea
that has gone out of fashion. The object might be more
cautiously expressed thus: to find out what happened
while trying to find out why it happened. It seeks the
casual relations between events.
History has limitations as a guiding signpost;
although it can show us the right direction, it does not
give detailed information about the road conditions.
 Why don’t we learn from history?
(An excerpt from Lidell Hart, 1971)
But its negative value as a warning sign is more definite.
History can show us what to avoid, even if it does not
teach us what to do - by showing the most common
mistakes that mankind is apt to make and to repeat.
A second object lies in the practical value of
history. The knowledge gained from the study of true
history is the best of all education for practical life. The
study of history embraces every aspect of life. It lays
the foundation of education by showing how mankind
repeats its errors and what those errors are.
IMPORTANCE AND USES OF HISTORY
Given are the uses of history as summarized by Foray and
Salevouris (1988). Some of these are interestingly explained by
B.H. Lidedell Hart (1971).

A. History provides a source of personal and social identity.

B. History helps us understand the problems of the present.
C. History – good history – corrects misleading analogies and
“lessons” of the past.
 D. History can help one develop tolerance and open-
mindedness.
E. History helps us better understand all human behaviors
and all aspects of the human condition.
F. History provides the basic background for many
disciplines.
G. History can be a source of entertainment.
H. History, when studied, can teach many critical skills.
 Lesson 2:
Historical Sources
 Historical Sources
are the historian's most important
research tools. In general, they
can be classified between
primary and secondary sources.
The classification of sources
between these two categories
depends on the historical subject
being studied.
 Primary sources are those
sources produced at the same
time as the event, period, or
subject being studied.
Common Examples of Primary Sources:
Archival Documents Artifacts
Memorabilia Letters

Dr. Jose Rizal’s artworks and letter to his sister, Maria.

 Other common examples of
primary sources are census and
government records.
 On the other hand, secondary
sources are those sources, which
were produced by an author who
used primary sources to produce
the material.
In other words, secondary sources
are historical sources, which study a
certain historical subject.
A textbook is usually classified
as a secondary source, a tertiary
source even. However, this
classification is usual but not
automatic.
 Historians and students of history need to
thoroughly scrutinize 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 over centuries.
 External Criticism
is the practice of verifying the authenticity
of evidence by examining its physical
characteristics; consistency with the historical
characteristics of the time when it was
produced; of the time when it was produced
and the materials used for the evidence.
Things that will be examined when conducting
external criticism of a document:

the quality of the paper

the type of the ink; and
the language and words
used in the material
 Internal Criticism
is the examination of the truthfulness and
factuality of the evidence. This type of
criticism looks at the author of the source, its
context, the agenda behind its creation, the
knowledge that informed it, and its intended
purpose, among others.
 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 pieces of evidence; historical
deceptions and lies will be highly
probable.
Conclusion:
History, like another academic discipline, has come
a long way but still has a lot of remaining tasks to do. It is
the historian's job to seek the meaning of recovering
the past to let the people see the continuing relevance
of provenance, memory, remembering, and historical
understanding for both the present and the future.