Module 1

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MODULE 1

INTRODUCTION
BASIC CONCEPTS, IMPORTANCE AND WAYS IN
UNDERSTANDING HISTORY

This module introduces students to the basic concepts in studying history


and its relevance to the present. It views Philippine history from different
perspectives using the selected primary sources and applies critical analysis based
on context and content.

Section 1. A Fundamentals in Understanding History

In this section, we are going to discuss the definition of history and how
the definition changes in different times, the differences between a primary source and
secondary source, appreciate the importance of history in real life, as well as, usage of
source criticism to evaluate sources.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, students must have:

1. defined history from different perspectives;


2. shown appreciation on the importance of history and its relevance to the
present situation;
3. differentiated between primary and secondary sources;
4. identified credible sources and know how to evaluate their provenance; and
5. applied the principle of criticism on a source.
Diagnostic Activity (Historical Photo Analysis)

Instruction: Identify what event in Philippine history the pictures represent. In one or
two sentences, cite the historical significance of each picture.

A. _______________
_______________
_______________
_______________

B. _______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
Students have varied notions about the word “History”. Some jump into describing it
“as events or things about the past” while others said “it is all about memorizing, that is
why it is boring and not really that important”. The first sentence “about the past” is a
correct description of history, but it is a general definition (later we are going to define it
comprehensively). While the second sentence “about memorizing” is in the manner of
teaching history, students may become victims of teacher’s misconception in teaching
History.
In this section, we are not going to “memorize” but to understand “the past” and
in order to do that, we should learn first the basics in understanding history.

Traditionally, history is the “record of the past” or “record of the human


past from time written records began to appear” while the modern definition
describes history as the “reconstruction of the past, the study of event
concerning people in the past” or “interpretative and imaginative study of
surviving records of the past, either written or unwritten, in order to
determine the meaning and scope of human existence” (Funtecha & Padilla,
2010). The reason in the change of definition is because in traditional definition, it
implies “no record, no history”. And all of us knew that, not all things or events in
the past had been put to record, that is why, the words reconstruction, interpretation and
imagination (a scientific imagination based on evidences, not on anything that the any
person imagines) had been included in the definition to provide wider meaning and
scope in the study of the human past.

The Greek word historia originally meant inquiry, the act of seeking knowledge,
as well as, the knowledge that results from inquiry (Gottschalk, 1950). It means that not
all that were told is historical unless it was carefully studied and investigated and
supported by facts and evidences.
Importance of History (Funtecha & Padilla, 2010)

1. Bridging the gap between the present and the past;


2. Explaining the causes of things and events;
3. Projecting the future;
4. Interpreting condition of a given space and time;
5. Promoting nationalism and patriotism

Section 1.B. Sources of History

In conducting any historical research, different sources of information are


required to gain extensive knowledge on a particular topic (Asuncion & Cruz, 2019).
Historical sources are, at their most basic level, something that tells us about history.
It may be a document, a picture, a sound recording, a book, a cinema film, a television
program or an object (Rank, S.M. 2020). Source, according to Gottschalk (1950), is
anything or anyone that tells us about history ranging from eyewitness, memoirs to
artifacts.

There are two main types or divisions of historical sources: primary sources
and secondary sources.

Division of Historical Sources

Primary Sources include documents or artifacts created by a witness to or


participant in an event. They can be first-hand testimony or evidence created during the
time period that you are studying. Examples include diaries, letters, interviews, oral
histories, photographs, government documents, etc.

Secondary Sources refer to the testimony of anyone who is not an eyewitness


– that is, of one who was not present at the event of which he tells (Gottschalk, 1950).
These are books, articles, and scholarly journals that had interpreted the primary
sources or had used them to discuss certain subjects of history (Torres, 2018).
Tertiary Sources are compilation of secondary sources and/or primary
sources. Examples of tertiary sources are encyclopedia, almanacs, dictionary, etc.

Generally, there is no history if there is no source and, if there is so called “history”


without a source or with a “source” but not a legitimate source, it is what we call
“Conspiracy”. To avoid deception and to arrive with the historical truth, it is important to
thoroughly examine these stories (Candelaria & Alphora, 2018).

It was suggested by Candelaria & Alphora (2018) that source should undergo internal
and external criticism especially the primary source.

Section 1.C Source Criticism and Contextual Analysis

External and Internal Criticism (Candelaria & Alphora , 2018)

External Criticism is the practice of verifying the authenticity of


evidence by examining the following:

1. its physical characteristics;


2. consistency with the historical characteristics of the time when it was produced;
and
3. the materials use for the evidence.

Example of the things to be examined when conducting external criticism of a


document are: the quality of the paper, the type of ink, and the language and words used
in the material, among others.

Internal Criticism is the examination of the truthfulness of the evidence


(provenance for Gottschalk ).

It looks at the content of the source and examines the circumstance of its
production. Internal Criticism looks at the truthfulness and factuality of the evidence by
looking at the author of the source; its context; the agenda behind its creation; the
knowledge which informed it; and its intented purpose, among others (Candelaria &
Alphora, 2018).

Context Analysis (Torres, 2018)

Context analysis considers the time and place the historical documents were
written, as well as, the situation or the circumstances during that time. Works pertaining
to events in the past are analysed by also taking into account the author of the document,
person’s biographical background, role in the event, and the intent for writing the
document.

The two other questions to consider when doing context analysis are as follows:
(1) How authoritative is the account/source?; (2) How is it relevant today?

The task of the historian is to look at the available historical sources and select
the most relevant and meaningful subject matter for study.

It is the historian’s job to seek for 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 (Candelaria & Alphora , 2018)

SUMMARY

Important Sources of History (Primary and Secondary Sources)

A primary source may contain secondary information e.g., newspapers are usually
considered primary sources but the information provided by the newspaper is not all
based on primary sources. Such as certain incidents reported by the paper may be such
which the correspondent saw or in he actually took part while certain offer information
may be based on official information or sources considered reliable.

The secondary source is the evidence of someone who was not present at the time
of occurrence of the event e.g., books written by historians. The secondary source is also
of great historical importance to historians. Although, the secondary source is itself
dependent on primary sources.
Primary Sources:

The primary sources can be classified into the following categories:

(1) Contemporary Records:

These types of primary sources are in the form of the instruction documents,
stenographic and phonographic records. The business and legal paper and
autobiographies, etc. The instruction documents may be in the form of an appointment
notification, and direction from a foreign office to the ambassador, etc. Generally, such
documents have very little chance of error but it is essential to ascertain their
authenticity.

The Business and legal letters consist of the bills, journals, leases, wills, tax
records which gives an insight into the working of the firms as well as the persons. The
autobiographies are a credible source of history because they are very close to the events
with which they deal and written by a person himself. These are non-prejudicial.

(2) Confidential Reports:

The confidential reports are not intended for a general audience and are less
reliable than the contemporary sources. These types of reports are generally in the forms
of military and diplomatic dispatches, Journals, diaries or memoirs, and personal letters.

(3) Public Reports:

The public reports are meant for the general public and less reliable. There are
three types of public reports and each possesses a different degree of reliability, such as—
Newspaper reports and dispatches are more reliable which depends upon the agency
from which it originated and the newspaper in which it is published; Memoirs and
autobiographies are another public reports which are written for the public at the close
of the life when the memoirs of author is fading and are, therefore, not very reliable and
the official histories of the activities of government or business house are also an
important kind of public reports. They possess incriminating material and less reliable.

(4) Government Documents:

Numerous government documents are compiled which are also a source of vita!
importance to historians such as statistics about the fiscal, census and vital matters
which can be made use of by the historians. All these reports have first-hand importance
but require proper evaluation before the use.
(5) Public Opinion:

The public opinion as expressed in editorials, speeches, pamphlets, letter to the


editor is another important source available to the historian, But the authenticity of this
must be corroborated by other evidence because public opinion may not be always
reliable,

(6) Folklores and Proverbs:

The folklores which reveal the stories of legendary heroes are also an important
source of history. They tell us about the aspirations, superstitions, and customs of the
people among whom- the stories developed, e.g. “Alla-Uddal” the hero Rajputana.

To make the use of these folklores the historian should not only possess a
thorough knowledge of the history of the period but also able to distinguish between the
legendary and authentic elements. Similarly, proverbs can give us an idea but scholars
must have a thorough knowledge of the customs and traditions.

Secondary Sources:

The primary sources can be of great help to the historian if he has acquired a
thorough knowledge of the background through the study of secondary sources, i.e. the
works of the great and important historians of the proposed area and period of research.
On the basis of this knowledge, he can utilize the contemporary document at a relevant
places and can correct the secondary sources.

Criticism:

As the historian draws his conclusions and generalizations on the basis of these
documents and facts it is essential to check up the authenticity of the documents and
facts. It is the duty of the historian to doubt every statement until it has been critically
tested. This criticism can be of two types, i.e. External and Internal.

(1) External Criticism:

The ‘External Criticism’ is of a less intellectual type of criticism of the documents.


It includes examinations of documents like manuscripts, books, pamphlets, maps,
inscriptions, and monuments. The problem of authenticity of document arises more in
the case of manuscripts than the printed documents because the printed document has
already been authenticated by the editor.
Historian has to resort to a number of tests to determine the authenticity of a
particular document in his proposed area of research such as— ‘Authorship’ the first
question while examining the authenticity of a document is its author. Even the
anonymous writings can provide us useful and important knowledge. But the discovery
of an author’s or writer’s name adds the authenticity of the information because of the
character, connections and trustworthiness of the author determine the authenticity.

Secondly, “Date of Document”, i.e. the time, place of publication of the document
must be inquired to determine the authenticity of the document. In the modern
publications year and place of publication is indicated on the book or document on the
title page or backside (overleaf). However, in the old manuscript where the data and
place are absent, it can be found out from the language or from the date of birth and
death of the author.

Thirdly, the historian confronts the textual errors which may be either
unintentional or deliberately committed. Unintentional error can take place in the copies
of the documents (originals are not available). These mistakes may be caused by the
scribe, typist or printer.

An intention error may creep in when the effort is made to modify, supplement or
continue the original. This problem can be overcome through textual criticism. Under
this technique, the effort is made to collect as many copies of dubious text as possible
and they are compared.

If the ideas and style do not match or resemble the idea and style of the author it
can be safely assumed that they were not parts of the original manuscript and were
forged by the later ones. Further’ more, the textual accuracy can be solved with the help
of “sciences auxiliary” to history such as “Paleographists” have authenticated numerous
documents of the medieval period by their handwriting and have published easily legible
printed versions.

The “archaeologists” provides rich information to the historians, the


“numismatists” by dating the coins, medals and deciphering their inscriptions render
valuable assistance. Fourthly, after the confirmation of the authenticity of the sources
historians confronted with the different terms used in the document.

The meaning of words often changes from generation to generation. Therefore


historians must find out the meaning and sense in which it has been used in the
document. The misinterpretation of terms may lead to a misunderstanding of historical
development.
In this way, even after the historian established the authenticity of the documents
and discovered the meaning of the text his duty is not over. He is confronted with
another important problem with the credibility of the document.

(2) Internal Criticism:

While collecting the material, it must be remembered that a document contains


the idea of the man who wrote. A historian must analyze the contents of the documents
with a view to determining the real meaning. He must try to avoid the laps such as avoid
the reading into meaning which author did not mean to convey, etc., and make a sincere
effort to find out the facts even if they are contrary to his set notions and theories.

He must be able to understand the literal and real meaning of the document
which is termed as ‘Positive Criticism’. It reveals us with the author’s conceptions and
general notion which he represents. On another hand, historian sometimes comes across
documents which contradict each other. Hence the need for eliminating statements and
facts which are obviously wrong and false arises.

Therefore, historians have come to hold the view that all that cannot be proved
must be temporarily regarded as doubtful because of the incompetence and unreliability
of the author which prevents him from telling the truth even when he knows. To assess
the correctness of the fact, the historian must ascertain whether the author had the
opportunity to know the facts as an eyewitness or not.

What was his source of information and how much time elapsed between the
event and the record? But the dependable testimony depends on a number of factors
such as ability and willingness to tell the truth, the accuracy of the report and
independent corroboration. However, it may be noted that there is a possibility that a
skillful liar may deliberately create the condition, i.e. ability and willingness to tell the
truth with accuracy to establish the credibility of his statements.

Therefore, in those cases, the credibility must not be accepted without proper
investigation. Moreover, if there is an agreement between documents, we cannot draw
the conclusion that the facts are definitive but we must ensure that the facts are
harmonious and prove each other are interconnected.
Stop Over!

ASSESSMENT

“I would prefer even to fail with honor than to win by cheating”


-Sophocles

Test I. Identification

INSTRUCTION. Write “PS” if the cited source is a “Primary Source”, “SS” if


“Secondary Source”, and “TS” if it is “Tertiary Source”.

1. ________ Book entitled Readings in Philippines History


2. ________ Wikipedia
3. ________ Ancient Hablon-Making Tool
4. ________ Katana
5. ________ Mickey Mouse Money
6. ________ Foot bone
discovered in Callao Cave.

Photo Credit: Dr. Amand Mijares


7. ________ the Laguna
Copper Plate Inscription

Photo Credit: Roslyn Arayata


8. ________ Philippines History Book of Teodoro Agoncillo

9. ________ Prehispanic Source Material for the Study


of Philippines History by William Henry Scott.

10. ________ A photo of Philippine


economic artifacts shot from the
Museum of Philippine Economic
History.
Test II.

INSTRUCTION. Write “TRUE” if the statement is correct, otherwise write “FALSE”.

1. ___________ Narratives are more credible sources than Relics.


2. ___________ If it can be demonstrated that the witness or source has no direct
interest in creating bias, then the credibility of the message decreases.
3. ___________ If a number of credible sources contain the same message, the
credibility of the message strongly increases.
4. ___________ When two sources disagree on a particular point, the historian will
prefer the source with most "authority"—that is the source created by the expert or by
the eyewitness.
5. ___________ When two sources disagree and there is no other means of
evaluation, then historians take the source which benefit the best interest of the
historian.
6. ___________ If a source is an oral transmission of information, then,
automatically, it is not a legitimate source.
7. ___________ If the person who personally witness a murder but has personal
grudge on the murderer but was made a witness still, his testimony has
unquestionable credibility.
8. ___________ If the source is the pronouncement of government official whose
basis is his own words of assurance, then, therefore, it is a reliable source.
9. ___________ If it can be demonstrated that the witness or source has no direct
interest in creating bias then the credibility of the message decreases.
10. ___________ If a person identifies another as a criminal, then he tells the
authority about the matter. Automatically, the person is really a criminal, and
thereby, should be arrested.
“We learn, not for school, but for life”
- Lucius Annaeus Seneca
*End*
REFERENCES

Agoncillo, T.A. (1990). History of the filipino people. Quezon City, Philippines:
Garotech Publishing.

Candelario, J.L. & Alporha, C.V. (2018). Reading in philippine history. Rex Book
Bookstore.

Constantino, R. (1966). The Miseducation of the filipinos. Malay Books.

Funtecha, H. & Padilla, M. (2010). A study guide in philippine history. Rex


Bookstore.

George, T. S. (1980). Revolt in mindanao: the rise of islam in philippine politics.


Oxford University Press

Gottschalk, L. (1950). Understanding History; A Primer of Historical Method (pp 41-


61; 117-170). University of Chicago

Santayana, G. (1905). The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress

Torres, J.V. (2018). Batis: sources in philippines history. C & E Publishing, 2018

Rank, S.M. (ed) "What Are Historical Sources?" History on the Net
Retrieved August 16, 2020 <https://www.historyonthenet.com/what-are-historical-
sources>

Retrieved July 1, 2020


from URL: https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=F3q-
krDckHwC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Retrieved July 9, 2020


from URL : https://iloilo-updates.blogspot.com/2019/02/museum-of-philippine-
economic-history.html

Retrieved July 29, 2020 from URL: https://filipiknow.net/archaeological-discoveries-in-


the-philippines/

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