MODULE

Readings in Philippine History

This course critically analyzes Philippine history from multiple perspectives through the
lens of selected primary sources.  Priority will be given to primary sources that describe the
important turning points in Philippine history from prehistoric times up to the contemporary
period and articulate various perspectives. 
 
The approach, though historical, will deal with interdisciplinary subjects so as to broaden
and deepen the student’s understanding of Philippine political, economic, social and cultural
history and equip the learner with the competencies necessary to analyze and evaluate
different types of information: print, visual and audio-visual, and quantitative.   The end goal
is to develop the historical and critical consciousness of the students so that they will
become versatile, broad-minded, morally upright and responsible citizens

Brief Description of the Module

Lesson 1 focuses on the Introduction to History: Definition, Issues, Sources, and

Methodology that is general in appraisal of history as a discipline and as a narrative. This
lesson aims to introduce the students to history as a theoretical field, as well as discuss the
historiographical method of the evaluation of primary sources.

Lesson 2 deals with the Content and Contextual Analysis of Selected Primary Sources in
Philippine History and talks about the methods of analysis mentioned as it applies to
historical research, using primary sources from across the periods of Philippine exemplars of
analyses.

Lesson 3 focuses on the Philippine History: Spaces for Conflict and Controversies
attempts to dissect the issues surroundings historical interpretation how a single record of
the past can be interpreted in multiple ways and the challenges it poses to the students of
history.

Lesson 4 deals with the Social, Political, Economic, and Cultural Issues in Philippine
History is centred on the attempt to understand current issues and concerns using the lens
of history, in recognition of the fact that the problems of society today could well be
addressed by looking at the roots of the problems. This chapter discusses the mandatory
topics on the Philippine Constitution, agrarian reform, and taxation.

Lesson 5 focuses on the Doing History: A Guide for Students is an attempt by the
authors to guide the students in the historical research methods they will have to undergo in
the process of completing the course. This chapter recognizes the realities of the present
generation and aims to use these realities to the advantage of the students in the process of
learning history by doing history.
OBJECTIVES
Welcome to Readings in Philippine History! The course aims to expose you to different facets of
Philippine history through the lens of eyewitnesses. Rather than rely on secondary materials such as
textbooks, which is the usual approach in teaching Philippine history, different types of primary
sources will be used-written (qualitative and quantitative), oral, visual, audio-visual, digital-covering
various aspects of Philippine life, (political, economic, social, cultural). You are expected to analyze
the selected readings contextually and in terms of content (stated and implied). The end goal is to
enable you to understand and appreciate our rich past deriving insights from those who were
actually present at the time of the event.

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1.   Evaluate primary sources for their credibility, authenticity, and provenance;

2.   Analyze the context, content, and perspective of different kinds of primary sources;
3.   Determine the contribution of different kinds of primary sources in understanding Philippine
history;
4.   Develop critical and analytical skills with exposure to primary sources;
5. Demonstrate the ability to use primary sources to argue in favor or against a particular issue;
6. Effectively communicate, using various techniques and genres, their historical analysis of a
particular event or issue that could help others understand the chosen topic;
7. Propose recommendations/solutions to present-day problems based on their understanding of
root causes and their anticipation of future scenarios;
8. Manifest interest in local history and concern in promoting and preserving our country’s national
patrimony and cultural heritage.

At the start of the module, you are to take the pre-assessment test to see how much background
information and knowledge you have in Readings in Philippine History.

This module is self-instructional. You can read, analyze concepts and ideas presented, and reflect
on them. The Activities and Self-Check Questions will help you assess how you progress as you go
through the module.

Your answers to the Self-Check Questions (SCQ’S) and activities may be evaluated by the teacher
and this forms part of the formative evaluation. DO NOT WRITE YOUR ANSWERS ON THE MODULE
BUT ON A SEPARATE SHEET. The answer key to the SCQ’s is found at the end of the module. The post
assessment will be given in a separate booklet upon completion of the module.

Remember that you have to work on this module by yourself. However, feel free to contact your
teacher on this number or email address should you have questions/concerns which may need your
teacher’s assistance.

Mobile #: 09276119471

Email address: [email protected]

Table of Contents

Page No.

Introduction

Objectives

Pre-assessment

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5

Answer Key to Pre-assessment, SCQ’S and Activities

Bibliography

Appendices
PRE-ASSESSMENT

Multiple Choices. Select carefully the best answer.

1. Who was the founder of the KKK?

a) Emilio Aguinaldo
b) Jose Rizal
c) Andres Bonifacio
d) Ferdinand Marcos

2. Where did the name of the Philippines came from?

a) Queen Elizabeth
b) King Phillip II of Spain
c) King Phillip I of Spain
d) Miguel Lopez de Legaspi

3. What Treaty of Paris involved Spain seceding most of its territories to United States?
a) Treaty of Paris of 1963
b) Treaty of Paris of 1898
c) Treaty of Paris of 1763
d) Treaty of Paris of 1919

4. Considered as the first Phillipine hero.

a) Jose Rizal
b) Ferdinand Magellan
c) Lapu-lapu
d) King Philip I of Spain

5. Taga-ilog was the pen name which was associated with:

a) Juan Luna
b) Mariano Ponce
c) Jose Ma. Panganiban
d) Antonio Luna

6. Because of which reason, was Rizal not in favor of the revolution planned by the Katipunan?
a) Unpreparedness of the Katipuneros for an armed struggle
b) Willingness to the wealthy Filipinos to support the struggle
c) Absence of a military tactician who will direct the military operations of the KKK.
d) None of these

7. Who founded the Diariong Tagalog?

a) Marcelo del Pilar
b) Juan Luna
c) Pedro Laktaw
d) Gregorio Sanciano

8. How many ships did Ferdinand Magellan use during his voyage that eventually found the
Philippines?
a) 10 b) 9000 c) 5 d) 1

9. What are the established years of Spanish occupancy of the Philippines?

a) 1565-1764 c) 1565-1898
b) 1898-1946 d) 1762-1764

10. What did the first Philippine republic come to be called?

a) Biak-na-Bato Republic c) Sakay Republic
b) Malolos Republic d) None of these
LESSON 1

INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY: DEFINITION, ISSUES, SOURCES, AND METHODOLOGY

INTRODUCTION

This chapter introduces history as a discipline and as a narrative. It presents the definition of the
history, which transcends the common definition of history as the study of the past. This chapter
also discusses several issues in history that consequently opens up for the theoretical aspects of the
discipline. The distinction between the primary and the secondary sources is also discussed in
relation to the historical subject matter being studied and the historical methodology employed by
the historian. Ultimately, this chapter also tackles the task of the historian as the arbiter of facts and
evidences in making his interpretation and forming historical narrative.

History has always been known as the study of the past. As a students of general education often
dreaded the subject for its notoriety in requiring you to memorize, dates, places, names, and events
from distant eras. This low appreciation of the discipline may be rooted from the shallow
understanding of history’s relevance to their lives and to their respective contexts. While the
popular definition of history as the study of the past is not wrong, it does not give justice to the
complexity of this subject and its importance to human civilization.

For you students, it is high time you do away with the misconception that history is a boring field of
study. You may have been victims of the stereotypes appropriated to history as it has been taught in
the classroom for centuries. Realize that by studying history, we situate ourselves in the story of the
nation, a necessary endeavour to be able to know more about our identity and find out how we can
help solve the problems of today and move forward to the future.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

 To explain the meaning of history as an academic discipline and
to be familiar with the underlying philosophy and methodology
of the discipline;

 To apply the knowledge in historical methodology and

philosophy in assessing and analyzing existing historical
narratives;

 To critically examine and assess the value of historical evidences and sources.

ACTIVITY 1.1
My Primary Source!
Directions: Using the examples of a primary source in this chapter or lesson, bring or get a primary
source that can be used in the writing of your life history. Present this and discuss how it qualifies
as a primary source.

READ

What is history?

→ History is about life in the past and tells us about the people who lived in a different time. When
we study history we can find out about the lives of ordinary people and famous people. We find out
about what their clothes were like and about the kind of homes, food, tools and technology they
had. History also tells us about battles, wars and famines that happened in the past.

→ History is derived from the Greek word “historia” means knowledge acquired through inquiry or
investigation.

Who are Historians?

People who study history have to look for clues about life long ago. They are called historians.
Historians ask questions and try to find evidence about life in the past. They examine the past by
searching for clues in the writings and pictures that they find, and in other things like clothing, tools
and ornaments that still remain today.   All these clues or pieces of evidence have to be interpreted
and explained and then recorded. Sometimes there is little evidence left behind and this can make it
difficult to understand the past.

What is Historical Sources?

Sources that includes documents, artifacts, archaeological sites, features. oral transmissions,

stone inscriptions, paintings, recorded sounds, images (photographs, motion pictures), and
oral history. Even ancient relics and ruins, broadly speaking, are historical sources.

Primary sources, resources produced at the same time as the event, period or subject being studied.
→ A primary source provides direct or first-hand evidence about an event, object, person, or work
of art. Primary sources include historical and legal documents, eyewitness accounts, and results of
experiments, statistical data, pieces of creative writing, audio and video recordings, speeches, and
art objects. Interviews, surveys, fieldwork, and Internet communications via email, blogs, and
newsgroups are also primary sources.

Some examples of primary sources:

 archives and manuscript material

 photographs, audio recordings, video recordings, films
 journals, letters and diaries
 speeches
 scrapbooks
 published books, newspapers and magazine clippings published at the time
 government publications
 oral histories
 records of organizations
 autobiographies and memoirs
 printed ephemera
 artifacts, e.g. clothing, costumes, furniture
 research data, e.g. public opinion polls

→ For example, if a historian wishes to study the Commonwealth Constitution Convention of 1935,
his primary sources can include the minutes of the convention, newspaper clippings, Philippine
Commission reports of the US Commissioners, records of the convention, the draft of the
Constitution, and even photographs of the event. Eyewitness accounts of convention delegates and
their memoirs can also be used as primary sources. The same goes with other subjects of historical
study. Archival documents, artifacts, memorabilia, letters, census, and government records, among
others are the most common examples of primary sources.

Secondary sources are those sources which were produced by an author who used primarily
sources to produce the material. In other words, secondary sources are historical sources which
studied a certain historical subject.

Examples of secondary sources include:

 journal articles that comment on or analyze research

 textbooks
 dictionaries and encyclopedias
 books that interpret, analyze
 political commentary
 biographies
 dissertations
 newspaper editorial/opinion pieces
 criticism of literature, art works or music

→ For example, on the subject of the Philippine Revolution of 1896, students can read Teodoro
Agoncillo’s Revolt of the Masses: The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan published originally in
1956. The Philippine Revolution happened in the last years of the 19 th century while Agoncillo
published his work 1956, which makes the Revolt of the used primary sources with his research like
documents of the Katipunan, interview with the veterans of the revolution, and correspondence
between and among Katipuneros.

Tertiary Sources of information are based on a collection of primary and secondary sources.

Examples of tertiary sources include:

 textbooks (sometimes considered as secondary sources)

 dictionaries and encyclopedias

 manuals, guidebooks, directories, almanacs

 indexes and bibliographies

Internal Criticism and External Criticism

Using primary sources in historical research entails two kinds of criticism. The first one is
EXTERNAL CRITICISM and the second is INTERNAL CRITICISM.

Retrieved from:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Janet_Toland/publication/279943052/figure/fig1/AS:28449082080051
4@1444839305363/Internal-and-External-Criticism-from-Neuman-2003-p421.png

EXTERNAL CRITICISM

-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; and the materials
used for the evidence

-examples of the things that will be examined when conducting, external criticism of a document
includes the quality of the paper, the type of ink, and the language and the words used in the
material among others

INTERNAL CRITICISM

-Looks at content of the source and examine the circumstances of its production

-looks at the truthfulness and factuality of the evidences by looking at the author of the source, its
context, the agenda behind its creation, the knowledge which informed it, and its intended purpose

-entails that the historian acknowledges and analyze how such reports can be manipulated to be
used as a war propaganda.

-validating historical sources is important because the use of unverified, falsified, and untruthful
historical sources can lead to equally false conclusions

Check this link for more

information about the primary,
secondary and tertiary sources:

https://lacitycollege.libguides.com/pri
marysecondary
SCQ. 1.1

Let’s Check Your Knowledge!

A. Answer the following questions. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What is history? Explain your answer.

2. Give the 3 historical sources that you’ve learned in this lesson. Explain each historical
source.

B. True or False. Write true if the statement is true. Otherwise, write false.

1. History is the study of the past. T

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

C. What source? Read the following scenarios and classify the sources discovered as primary,
secondary, or tertiary sources. Write your answer in a separate paper.

1. Jose was exploring the library in his new school in Manila. He wanted to study the history
of Calamba, Laguna during the nineteenth century. In one of the books, he saw an old
photograph of a woman standing in front of an old church, clipped among the pages. At
the back of the photo was a fine inscription that says: “Kalamba, 19 de Junio 1861.”

Is the photograph a primary, secondary, tertiary source? Primary Source

2. It was Lean’s first day in his first year of college in a big university. His excitement made
him come to class unusually and he found their classroom empty. He explored the
classroom and sat at the teacher’s table. He looked at the table drawer and saw a book
entitled U.G An Underground Tale: The Journey of Edgar Jopson and the First Quarter
Storm Generation. He started reading the book and realized that it was a biography of a
student leader turned political activist during the time of Ferdinand Marcos. The author
used interview with friends and family of Jopson, and other primary documents related to
his works and life.

Is the book a primary, secondary, or a tertiary source? Secondary source

3. Lorena was a new teacher of Araling Panlipunan in a small elementary school in Mauban,
Quezon. Her colleagues gave her the new textbook that she ought you use in class. Before
the class started, Lorena studied the textbook carefully. She noted that the authors used
works by other known historians in writing the textbook. She saw that the bibliography
included Teodoro Agoncillo’s The Revolt of the Masses and The Fateful Years: Japan’s
Adventure in the Philippines, 1941-45. She also saw that the authors used Ma. Luisa
Camagay’s Working Women of Manila During the 19 th Century and many others.

Is the textbook a primary, secondary, or a tertiary source? Secondary source

4. Manuel visited the United States for a few months to see his relatives who have lived
there for decades. His uncle brought him on tours around Illinois. Manuel visited the Field
Museum of Natural History where a golden image of a woman caught his eye. Manuel
looked closer and read that the image was called “The Golden Tara.” It originated from
Agusan del Sur and was bought by the museum in 1922. It was believed to be made prior
to the arrival of the Spaniards in the Philippines.

Is the sculpture a primary, secondary, or a tertiary source? Primary Source

5. Gregoria loved to travel around the country. She liked bringing with her a travel brochure
that informs her of the different sites worth visiting in the area. Her travel brochure was
usually produced by the tourism department of the province. It shows pictures of
destinations visited by tourist and a few basic information about the place, and some
other information acquired by the office’s researchers and writers.

Is the travel brochure a primary, secondary or a tertiary source? Tertiary Source

References

 Carr, E. (1991). What is History. London, United Kingdom: Penguin.

 Lemon, M. (1995). The Discipline of History and the History of thought. New York, United
Ststes of America: Routledge.
 Madison,W. Primary,Secondary, Tertiary Sources. Retrieved from
https://lacitycollege.libguides.com/primarysecondary
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Janet_Toland/publication/279943052/figure/fig1/AS:
284490820800514@1444839305363/Internal-and-External-Criticism-from-Neuman-2003-
p421.png
 https://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/topic/philippine-history