Meaning and

Relevance of
History
“In order to know the
destiny of the people,
it is necessary to open
the book of its past”.
-Dr. Jose Rizal
 HISTORY
The origin of the word “History” is associated with the Greek word
“HISTORIA”

Which means “Information” , or Inquiry; knowledge acquired by

investigation.”

- It is an inquiry into what happened in the past, when it happened, and

how it happened.

- History means to understand the past and the present.

It is the story of the past and a form of collective memory.

History is the story of who we are, where we come from,

and can potentially reveal where we are headed.

 HISTORY
On the other side, events occurring before
written record are considered prehistoric;
an umbrella term that relates to past events
as well as the memory, discovery,
collection, organization, presentation and
interpretation of information about these
events.
Hence, scholars who write about history are
called HISTORIAN.
There are theories constructed by
historians in investigating history;

a). Factual History

b). Speculative History
 Factual History
Presents readers the plain and basic
information, the events that took place(what),
the time and date with which the event
happened(when), the place with which the
event took place, and the people that were
involved(who).
 Speculative History
It goes beyond facts because it is concerned
about the reasons for which events
happened(why), and the way they
happened(how).
It tries to speculate on the cause and effect of
an event.
Relevance of
History
What is History for?
● It provides SOLUTIONS to the
problems of the present and GOOD
IDEAS for us to be guided.
 What is History for?

-It teaches us that things can CHANGE.

What is History for?
● It teaches us to have COURAGE.
What is History for?

-History is also a tool for us to

APPRECIATE the advantages we have
today.
DISTINCTION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

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DISTINCTION OF
PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY
SOURCES
What is Source?
Sources are artifacts that
have been left by the past.

They exist as relics, what

me might call “remains,” or
as the testimonies of
witnesses of the pass

- Howell and Prevenier

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DISTINCTION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

PRIMARY SOURCES

“The testimony of an
eyewitness, or of a witness
by any other of the senses,
or a mechanical device like
the dictaphone – that is, of
one who or that which was
present at the events of
which he or it tells.”
- Gottschalk (1950)

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MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

EXAMPLE OF
PRIMARY SOURCES

DIARIES VISUAL
AUDIO SOURCE
RECORDING 
ARTIFACTS
LETTERS

MARRIAGE
CONTRACT 
BERTCERTIFICATE

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DISTINCTION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

SECONDARY
SOURCES

“The testimony of
anyone who is not an
eyewitness – that is,
of one who was not
present at the events
of which he tells.”
- Gottschalk (1950)

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DISTINCTION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

SECONDARY SOURCES

BIBLIOGRAPHIES  VISUAL
DOCUMENTARIES
SOURCE
TEXTBOOKS
MAGAZINES
DICTIONARY 
ANNOTATION
JOURNAL
ARTICLES

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DISTINCTION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

ALWAYS REMEMBER

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DISTINCTION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

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DISTINCTION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

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INTERNAL
AND
EXTERNAL
CRITICISM
External criticism

• also known as lower criticism.

•  A tool used by historians and exegetes to determine the validity
of a document, particularly a document with some sort of
historical significance.
• Process of verifying the authenticity of the source by examining
its physical characteristics.
 Internal Criticism

• Sometimes called a “higher criticism”

• Internal criticism is conducting by establishing that the source can really prove
what represent
• Examination of the truthfulness and factuality of the evidence. It looks at the
content of the source and examines the circumstances of its production.
Any source material collected should be subjected to both external
and internal criticism. The authenticity of the evidence is
determined by external criticism, whereas credibility is established
by internal criticism.
Internal and External Criticism---

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT?

 Use of unverified, falsified, and untruthful historical sources can lead to equally false
conclusions.
 Without thorough criticisms of historical evidences, historical deception and lies will
be highly probable(possible)

EXAMPLE:

Internal Criticism
For example, Japanese reports and declarations should not be taken as a historical fact hastily because
such reports can be manipulated to be used as a war propaganda.
External Criticism
About half of all the paintings in the world are believed to be fake, and in the Philippines, the number
could be higher. (ex. Fake paintings of solarium by Juan Luna
Example of Scandalous Cases of Deception in Philippine History

Hoax Code of Kalantiaw.

 The code was set of rules contained in an epic, Maragtas.

 Allegedly written by a certain Datu Kalantiaw 1413.
 Introduced to some of the most absurd and bizarre law ever written. Considered as a pre-colonial
document.
 This document was later sold to the National Library.

BUT…
• There was no historical evidence to prove its authenticity.
• American historian William Henry Scott was able to identify the person behind the falsehood: Jose E.
Marco.
• As it turned out, it was a fabricated myth submitted by Marco to the Philippine Library in
1914.
 JOSE MARCO

CODE OF KALANTIAW WILLIAM HENRY SCOTT

 Marcos was a decorated World War II Soldier

• That he led a guerilla unit called Maharlika.

• Marcos was able to show medals as proof of his claims.

BUT….

• Repeated army investigations by the US government concluded that no such unit existed during
WWII.
• Colonel Manriquez and Adjutant Captain Rivera who were the commanders of the 14 th Infantry,
whom Marcos claimed to have served under, attested that Marcos was not a soldier , but was a non-
combatant and a Civil Affairs officer.