Lesson 1 Meaning and Relevance of History

HISTORY
-​ Etymologically, HISTORY (from Greek word Historia, meaning "Knowledge acquired by
investigation)
-​ As a discipline, Merriam-Webster (2018) defined history as "a chronological record of
significant events (such as those affecting a nation or institution), often including an
explanation of their causes"

-​ narration of the events which have happened among mankind, including an account of
the rise and fall of the nations, as well as of other great changes which have affected the
political and social condition of the human race . - John Anderson, 1876. A Manual of
General History
-​ 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.

Historians- scholars who write about history

HISTORY - REFERRED USUALLY FOR ACCOUNTS OF PHENOMENA, SPECIALLY

HUMAN AFFAIRS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.

There are theories constructed by historians in investigating history;

a). Factual History
b). Speculative History

FACTUAL STORY
-​ 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 happen
(why), and the way they happened (how).
-​ it tries to speculate on the cause and effect of an event

Historiography
-​ The practice of historical writing
-​ the traditional method in doing historical research that focus on gathering of documents
from different libraries and archives to form a pool of evidence needed in making
descriptive or analytical narrative .
-​ the writing of history based on the critical examination of sources, the selection of
particular details for authentic materials used in those sources, and the synthesis of the
details into a narrative that stands the test of critical examination. Encyclopedia
Britannica (2017)
History- study of past events.
Historiography- the study of history.
Prehistory- period where information of the past were recorded in materials other than written
documents; which may not be understood by a historian.
-​ Artifacts, Paintings, Drawings, S culptures

PETER N. STEARNS IN 1998- published an article with the American Historical Association that
enumerated the reasons why we should stuffy history
1. History helps us understand people and societies.
2. History contributes to moral understanding .
-​ Core values: God centeredness, Leadership, Integrity, Nationalism
3. History provides identity

Skills that a student may develop in studying in history

1. The ability assess evidence.
2. The ability assess conflicting interpretations .
3. Experience in assessing past examples of change.

Lesson 2
DISTINCTION BETWEEN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

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.

Primary Sources
- enable the researcher to get as close as possible to what actually happened during an historical
event or time period.
- original records of a certain event by people who have actually experienced or witnessed it:

Primary Sources Examples

- Diaries and journals
: Anne Frank was a teenager during World War II. She kept a diary or journal the years before
she died in a concentration camp. Her diary was later published as the "Diary of Anne Frank"

: Sarah Morgan was young woman during the Civil War. She wrote in her diary or journal what
happened to her and her family during the war. This is a primary document because it was first
hand. She wrote it at the time it happened. Sarah Morgan Dawson: A Confederate Girl's Diary

- Autobiographies
An autobiography is when you write a story or book about yourself.
: Nelson Mandela wrote his autobiography about events in his life called "Long Walk to
Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. This is a primary document because he wrote
his first hand experiences.

- Sound Recordings and interviews

:During the Great Depression and World War II, television had not been invented yet.
The people would often sit around the a radio to listen to President Roosevelt's
war messages.Those radio addresses are considered "primary sources."
:During the 2008 election Barack Obama, had many interviews that were televised. Those
interviews are considered primary sources.

These may include original works such as letters, legislations, newspaper articles, diaries,
interviews, government documents, reports, photographs, literature and
other creative outputs.

Secondary Sources
- something written about a primary source .
- are records based on primary sources. They explain a certain event of the past through
evaluation and interpretation of the records created during a historical period.
- written "after the fact" - that is, at a later date. Usually the author of a secondary source will
have studied the primary sources l of an historical period or event and will then interpret the
“evidence" found in these sources.
- You can think of secondary sources as second-hand information.

These may include research, textbooks, journals, commentaries, biographies, and criticism or
reviews of literary and creative works.

Secondary Sources
• If I tell you something, I am the primary source. If you tell someone else what I told you, you are
the secondary source.
-​ can be articles in newspapers, magazines, books or articles found that evaluate or
criticize someone else's original research

To illustrate, if students wish to study the 1987 Constitution, the primary sources includes the
Record of the 198 Constitutional Commission, proclamations, speeches of the 48 representatives
who collectively drafted the current Constitution, and the text of the Constitution itself. Its
secondary sources, on the hand, may include textbooks, annotations, and published opinions
about the Constitution.

Advantages Primary Sources

* Primary sources provide a window into the past — unfiltered access to the record of artistic,
social, scientific and political thought and achievement during the specific period under study,
produced by people who lived during that period
* these unique, often profoundly personal,documents and objects can give a very real sense o f
what it was like to be alive during along-past era.
* Direct contact with the original records a n d artifacts invites students to explore the content
with active and deeper analysis, and to respond thoughtfully;
* Critical thinking is developed as students probe the context, purpose, meaning, bias and
perspectives in their analysis of the past;

Primary Sources Disadvantages

* Primary sources are often incomplete and have little context. Student must us prior knowledge
and work with multiple primary sources to find patterns
* In analyzing primary sources, students move from concrete information and facts to questioning
and making inferences about the materials.
Secondary Sources Advantages
* Secondary sources can provide analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of the original
information.
* Secondary sources are best for uncovering background or historical information about a topic
and broadening your understanding of a topic by exposing you to others perspectives,
interpretations, and conclusions
* Allows the reader to get expert views of events and often bring together multiple primary
sources relevant to the subject matter

Secondary Sources Disadvantages

* Their reliability and validity are open to question, and often they do not provide exact
information
* They do not represent first hand knowledge of a subject or event
* There are countless books, journals, magazine articles and web pages that attempt to
recognize the past and finding good secondary sources can be an issue

Lesson 3: Kinds and Repositories of Primary Sources

Primary sources may be published or unpublished

Published Documents
- are those that are intended for public distribution or use. Newspapers, magazines, books,
reports, government documents, laws, court decisions, literary works, posters, maps, and
advertisements are some of the examples.

Unpublished documents
- unlike published ones, may be difficult to locate as they are kept in private and hence, may not
be easily accessed by the public. These documents are also confidential and are restricted from
public use like personal letters, which are in the possession of the recipients.

Primary Sources may also be unwritten

- oral traditions, oral histories, artworks, and artifacts.
- Traditions and histories or stories transferred through generations may tell us something about
the past.
- Artworks and Artifacts

The National Archives of the Philippines

* Organized under Republic Act No. 9470 passed on May 21, 2007
* established to store, preserve, conserve, and make available to the public the records, papers,
periodicals, books or other items, articles or materials, that have been selected for permanent
reservation.

* holding about 60,000,000 archival documents with Spanish Collection comprising an estimated
13,000,000 manuscripts from the 16th to 19th Century with 400 titles on various aspects of
Philippine history under the Spanish rule, American regime and Japanese occupation

The National Library of the Philippines (NLP)

* the repository of the printed and recorded cultural heritage of the country and other intellectual,
literary and information sources. It was established by a royal decree on 12 August 1887 and
named as the Museo-Biblioteca de Filipinas.
The National Museum of the Philippines
* As an educational, scientific, and cultural institution, operates the National Museum of Fine
Arts, National Museum of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, National
Planetarium and other branch museums around the country. Its collection covers fine arts,
archeology, ethnography, and natural history.