Readings
in
Philippine History
What is your own
definition o f History?
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Lesson 1- meaning
o f history
HISTORY
Etymologically, H I S T O RY (from Greek
word Historia, meaning “Knowledge
acquired by investigation)
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HISTORY
O n the other side, events occurring before written
record are considered prehistoric; a n um brella t e r m
that relates to past events as well as the m e m o r y,
discovery, collection, organization, presentation a n d
interpretation o f i n fo r m a t i o n about these events.
H e n c e , scholars w h o write about history are called
Historians.
HISTORY
H isto ry is a narration o f the events wh ic h have
h a p p e n e d a m o n g m a n k i n d , inc lud ing a n a ccount o f
the rise a n d fall o f the nations, as well as o f other great
changes whi c h have affected the political a n d social
c ond it ion o f the h u m a n race.
- J o h n A nd e rs o n , 1876. A Manual of General History
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HISTORY
T H E W O R D H IS T O R Y IS R E F F E R E D U S U A L L Y
F O R AC C O U N T S O F P H EN O M E NA, SPEC I A L L Y
H U M A N A F FA I R S I N C H R O N O L O G I A L O R D E R .
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There are theories constructed by
historians in investigating history;
✣ a). Factual History
✣ b). Speculative History
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FA C T UA L H I S T O RY
PRESENTS READERS THE PLAIN AND BASIC
I N F O R M A T I O N , T H E E V E N T S T H A T T O O K P L A C E ( W H AT ),
T H E T I M E A N D D AT E W I T H W H I C H T H E E V E N T
H A P P E N E D ( W H E N ), T H E P L A C E W I T H W H I C H T H E E V E N T
TOOK P L A C E , A N D T H E P E O P L E T H A T W E R E I N V O LV E D
( W H O ).
S P E C U L AT I V E H I S T O RY
it goes b e y o n d facts because it is c on c e r n e d
about the reasons for whi c h events h a p p e n e d
(why), a n d the way t hey h a p p e n e d (how).
- it tries to speculate o n the cause a n d
effect o f an event – (Cantal, C ardi n al et.al.)
T h e practice o f historical writing is
called historiography, the traditional
m e t h o d in d o i n g historical research
that focus o n gathering o f d o c u m e n t s
f r o m different libraries a n d archives
to f o r m a p o o l o f evidence n e e d e d in
m a k i n g descriptive or analytical
narrative.
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“Only a part of what was observed in the past
was remembered by those who observed it;
only a part of what was remembered was
recorded; only a part of what was recorded
has survived; only a part of what has survived
has come to the historian’s attention.”
- Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History
“Only a part of what is credible has been grasped,
and only a part of what has been grasped can be
expounded or narrated by the historian.”
- Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History
Lesson 2
Sources and Historical
Data
Historical Sources
Sources – an object from the past or
testimony concerning the past on
which historians depend in order to
create their own depiction of that
past.
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Primary and Secondary sources
✣ W h a t are they?
✣ Advantages a n d disadvantages o f using
P r i m a r y or S e c o n d a r y sources
✣ Categories
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Primary sources
✣ Primary sources enable the
researcher to get as close as
possible to what actually
happened during an historical
event or ti me period.
Primary Source
✣ Diaries an d journals
⨳ E xa m pl e : A n n e Frank was a teenager duri ng
Wo r l d Wa r II. S h e kept a diary or journal
the years before she died i n a concentration
camp.
H e r diary was later published as the “Di a r y o f
A n n e Frank”.T h i s is a p r i m a r y source.
⨳ E xa m pl e : Sarah M o r g a n was y o u n g w o m a n
d u ri n g the C iv i l Wa r. S h e wrote i n her diary
or journal what h a p p e n e d to her a n d her
f a m i ly
durin g the war. T h i s is a p r i m a r y d o c u m e n t
because it was first ha n d . S h e wrote it at the
t i m e it h appe n ed .
⨳ Sarah M o r g a n Dawson: A Co n fe d e ra te Girl's
Diary
Primary Source
✣ Autobiographies
⨳ A n autobiography is wh e n y o u write a
story or b o o k about yourself.
■ E xa m p l e : N e l s o n M a n d e l a wrote his
autob iography about events in his life
called “ L o n g Wa l k to Fre e d o m : T h e
Au to b i o g rap hy o f N e l s o n M a n d e l a .
T h i s is a p r i m a r y d o c u m e n t because
h e wrote his first h a n d experiences.
✣ S o u n d Re c o rd i n g s a n d interviews are
c o n sid e re d p r i m a r y resources.
⨳ E x a m p l e 1: D u r i n g t he G r e a t D e p re ss i o n
a n d Wo r l d W a r II, television h a d n o t b e e n
i nve n te d yet . T h e p e o p l e wo u l d o f te n sit
a r o u n d t he ra di o to listen to President
Roosevelt’s war messages. T h o s e radi o
addresses are co n si d e re d “ p r i m a r y sources.”
⨳ E x a m p l e 2: D u r i n g t he 2 0 0 8 electi on
B arac k O b a m a , h a d m a n y interviews that
were televised. T h o s e interviews are
c o n si d e re d p r i m a r y sources.
What is a Secondary source?
A secondary source
is so m e t h i n g written
about a p r i m a r y
source.
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• S e c o nd a r y sources are written "after
the fact" - that is, at a later date.
• Usually the author o f a secondary
source will have studied the p r i m ar y
sources o f an historical period or
event a nd will then interpret the
"evidence" f o u n d in these sources.
• Yo u can think o f secondary
sources as s e c o n d - h a n d
i nfor mati on .
Secondary Source
• T h i n k about it like this….
• I f I tell y o u s om e t h i n g , I a m
the p r i m a r y source. I f y o u tell
s o m e o n e else what I told
yo u , y o u are the secondary
source.
• S e c o n d a r y source materials
c an be articles in newspapers,
magazines, books or articles
f o u n d that evaluate or criticize
s o m e o n e else's original
research
Why Use Primary Sources?
Advantages
✣ P r i m a r y sources provide a window into the
past—unfiltered access to the record o f
artistic, social, scientific a n d political t hought
a n d a c h i eve me n t duri ng the specific period
un d e r study, p ro d u c e d b y people wh o lived
duri ng that period
✣ these uni que, often p ro fo u n d ly personal,
d o c u m e n t s a n d objects can give a very real
sense o f what it was like to be alive duri ng a
long-past era.
Primary Source
DisadVantages
✣ P r i m a r y sources are often i n c o mp le te a n d
have little context . Students mu s t use prior
knowle dge a n d work with multi ple p r i m a r y
sources to f i n d patterns
✣ I n analyzing p r i ma r y sources, students
m o v e f r o m concrete observations a n d facts
to questioning a n d m a k i n g inferences about
the materials.
Advantage of Secondary Sources
✣ S ec o n d ar y sources can provide analysis, synthesis,
interpretation, or evaluation o f the original infor mation.
✣ S ec o n d ar y sources are best for unc over in g bac kgro un d
or historical in fo r mat i o n about a topic an d broad ening
yo u r understanding o f a topic b y exposing y o u to
others’ perspectives, interpretations, an d conclusions
✣ Allows the reader to get expert views o f events an d
often bring together multiple p r i ma r y sources relevant
to the subject matter
Secondary Source
DisadVantages
✣ T h e i r reliability a n d validity are o p e n to
question, a n d often they d o not provi de exact
i n fo r m a t i o n
✣ T h e y d o not represent first h a n d knowledge
o f a subject or event
✣ T h e r e are countless books, journals,
m a ga z i n e articles a n d web pages that attempt
to interpret the past a n d f i n d i n g g o o d
secondary sources can be an issue
Written Sources o f History
• Narrative or Literary
• D i p l o m a t i c or Juridical
• Social D o c u m e n t s
Diplomatic Sources
✣ It is these ki n d o f sources that
professional historians o n c e treated as
purest, “best” source. A legal document
is usually sealed or authenticated to
provide evidence that a legal
transaction has be e n c o m p l e te d a n d
can be used as evidence in judicial
proceedings in case o f dispute.
Social Documents
✣ T h e s e are i n fo r m a t i o n pertaining to
e c o n o m i c , social, political or judicial
significance. T h e y are records kept b y
bureaucracies. E xa m p l e s such as
g ove r n m e n t reports, mu n i c i p a l
accounts, property registers a n d
records o f census.
Historical
Criticism
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What is Historical Criticism?
I n order fo r a source to be used as evid ence in
history, basic matters about its f o r m a n d
content m u s t be settled
1. External C r it ic is m
2. Internal C ri t i c is m
What is External Criticism?
T h e p ro b l e m o f authenticity
To spot fabricated, forg ed , fa ked d o c u m e n t s
To distinguish a h o a x or misrepresentation
Tests of Authenticity
1. D e t e r m i n e the date o f the d o c u m e n t to see whether
t hey are anachronistic (a chronological misplacing o f
persons, events, or c ustoms in regard to each other)
e.g. pencils di d not exist before the 16th C e n t u r y
2. D e t e r m i n e the author
e.g. handwriting, signature, seal
3. Anachronistic style
e.g. i d i o m , ortography, punctuation
Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History
Tests of Authenticity
4. Anachronistic reference to events
e.g. too early, too late, too re m o te
5. P roven a n c e or cus tody
e.g. determines its genuineness
6.Sem a n t i c s – d e ter m i ni n g the m e a n i n g o f a text or
word
7.H e r m e n e u t i c s –(principles o f interpretation o f
a m b i g u o u s words)
Louis Gottschalk, Understanding
What is Internal Criticism?
T h e P ro b l e m o f Credibility
Relevant particulars in the d o c u m e n t – is it credible?
Verisimilar – as close as what really h a p pe n e d f r o m a critical
exam i n a t i o n o f best available sources
Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History
Tests of Credibility
1. Identification o f the author
e.g. to d eter m in e his reliability; m e n t a l processes,
personal attitudes
2. D e te r m i n a t i o n o f the a p p rox i m a te date
e.g. handwriting, signature, seal
3. Ability to tell the truth
e.g. nearness to the event , c o m p e t e n c e o f witness,
degree
o f attention
“W HO CONTROLS THE PRESENT, CONTROLS THE
PAST
WHO CONTROLS THE PAST, CONTROLS THE FUTURE”
- GEORGE ORWELL
Thank you!
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