Lesson 1

HISTORY: Meaning, Importance, Sources, and Interpretations

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. (George Santayana)

History in a wider sense- is all that has happened, not merely all the phenomena of
human life, but those of the natural world as well. It is everything that undergoes change; and
as modern science has shown that there is nothing absolutely static, therefore the whole
universe and every part of it has its history.

Philippine History traces the early beginnings of the country's natural environment, its
people and culture, shaped and changed by socio- economic and geopolitical conditions. It
traces the Philippines historical roots up to the emergence of the Philippines as an independent
nation and or state. According to a Filipino historian Renato Constantino, Philippine History is
people's history. It is a story of struggle reassessing the Filipino nationalist perspective by
allowing the modern Filipino to form a clear picture of his ancestors’ conditions and sentiments.
To add, Teodoro Agoncillo-the Father of Filipino Nationalist Historiography, wrote the
Philippine conditions of the past by studying the situation and condition of the masses.

York Powell an Oxford University historian gives a wide conception of history to wit: It
deals with the condition of the masses of mankind living in a social state. It seeks to discover
the laws that govern these conditions and bring about changes we call progress and decay,
and development and degeneracy. Therefore, history is basically the record of life of men in
societies in their geographical and physical environment. These societies interact with their
natural environmental conditions, and this interaction produces the social and cultural milieu
which influences the way men live.

Thus, Philippine History is not merely the focused of stories of heroes and great men nor
presenting a long unbroken chain of events. Which some says that history is a field of study that
needs an endless memorization of places, figures, and dates. To some, history is a "borrrrring"
and a dead subject. The recording and analysis of experiences of society comprise the totality
of people's history

Definitions:

In its broadest meaning, history is the study of past events. It generally presents the known
past. What is unknown is yet to be retrieved.

Traditional

● Record of the past

● Record of human past from time written records began to appear
● Chronological record of the past
● Narration and stories of vents in the past

Note: The above definitions view history as:

➢ based merelv on written records.

 ➢ other sources in history like interviews or oral history and traditions and cultural artifacts
are not considered.
➢ Historians abandon present events
➢ "No written records, no history"
➢ Confined only to the literate and articulate
○ History of the inarticulate are not included and integrated
➢ Upper-class male perspectives
○ Disregard the role of women in history

Modern

● Reconstruction of the past based on available written records, oral history, cultural
artifacts and folk traditions
○ Unfortunately, the reconstruction of Philippine prehistory will always be
incomplete. Many of the objects recovered have disintegrated over time.
● It is the study of events and developments concerning people in the past.
○ Inclusion of the roles and contributions of the inarticulate and women in shaping
the development of culture and history.

"Behind man's success there's always a woman".

"Women empowerment*

"The strength and foundation of civilizations and empires lies on with

great and abled leaders"

● It basically involves collection, analysis and synthesis of limited available materials

● The mere presentation of facts does not constitute history but a chronicle. Thus historian
should do the important tasks:
○ Interpret and recreate facts in an orderly and intelligible manner
○ Discover the patterns and trends which govern the behavior of the people and of
nations
○ Make generalizations
● Is the 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.

Etymology:

The term history entered in the English language in 1390, with the meaning of "relation
of incidents, story” via the following derivations:

★ Old French historie which means knowing

★ Latin historia, an inquiry or investigation or narrative account.
★ Greek word histor which means wise man, witness or judge
★ In the Middle English, the meaning was story in general. And story is of two (2) types'
fiction and non-fiction. History deals with stories which are factual thus non-fictional
stories are considered.
 ★ In modern German word geschichte means both narrative and story.
★ The Filipino word for history which is kasaysayan has a deeper meaning than its English
equivalent. Its root words saysay, means sense or meaning and sanaysay which
means narrative thus the meaning important narrative or narrative with purpose. In
kasaysayan, people share important narratives with one another and parties belonging
to different places and generations interact. It involves the shaping of history.

History an Art and a Science:

★ History is an ART for it requires good communication skills particularly the skill in
articulating various ideas and recognizing a wide-ranging perspectives
○ Historiography is the study of how history itself is written or handed down
throughout the ages. In its simplest definition it means the "history of history".
○ It takes into consideration the various means by which a historical source is
formed such as the authenticity of the sources used, the motives of the author
composing the history and its credibility.
○ The existence of historical sources provides information concerning the past.
★ History is a SCIENCE because like other natural sciences, history requires an objective
attitude in examining historical data or sources and drawing one's conclusion.
○ Consolidate historical events /data
○ Coherence and comprehensive of the data
○ Verify the veracity of the source

History as a Social Science

Examining the development of history, one can see that the concept has undergone
significant change from time e.g Pre-colonial to present Philippines. Today, historians have lot
more freedom in using information from various disciplines particularly from the field of social
sciences.

Social Science refers to the discipline that studies the complexity of society and
relations of people to society. Social science includes the following discipline:

● Archaeology is the study of human past through material remains so the historian may
use data to reconstruct the prehistory of society.
○ Prehistory, a term given by the 19th century French scholars, covers the past
human experiences prior to the existence of written records. The basic source of
prehistory is prehistoric archaeology.
● Anthropology helps in studying the ethnicity or idea of belonging to certain group
believed to have come from the same ancestor
● Psychology can give historian the necessary information regarding mentality of famous
personalities in history so that their good and bad deeds could be properly
contextualized and explained.
● Sociology examines social interactions and human society as a whole
● Political Science is the study of government and its institutions
● Economics is the study of the economy or production, distribution and consumption of
products and services.
 ● History is considered a social science because it studies society using rational and
scientific methodology, accompanied by the use of theories which serves as the
foundation of the historians' writings. It is also a social science because historian tries to
find or present the truth by analyzing the relations of forces in society. And this can only
be done through a process called contextualization or placing an event in the period
when the event happened. Thus, an event can be explained by analyzing the conditions
in society that caused the occurrence of such event. That's why historian can present the
truth based on their own perspectives.

However, while history is conceived as the history of society as a whole, It is extremely

difficult to achieve it. Some historians have attempted to write total history but in so doing
they faced the risk of losing individuality and concrete treatment. Specialized topics in
history are considered based on the specific interest of the historians these are:

● Political History the historians consider this as the backbone of history. It is

politics that projects and gives prominence to society's movements and conflicts,
mistakes and achievements, groups and individuals.
● Economic History essentially focuses on how society earns its keep, on what
livelihood is, on the material aspects of civilization. This specialized topic
concerns itself with such topics as the relation of capital and labor, conditions of
labor and the changes In the social status and attitudes of work people, the exact
histories of capital accumulation in a society, the emergence of varying of
business, leadership, the emergence of classes, the movement of population, the
agrarian system and so on.
● Social History is the story of how society consumes what it gains through its
systems of livelihood.
● Institutional History which tracks for instance the history of an academic
institution or a business company
● Family History which is not always about the rich and powerful, but could also be
about families who have contributed healers, teachers or artists or those whose
past is closely linked to significant events of the locality.

Note: For an event to be considered historical the requisites in history are necessary:

1. Events should be based on facts

● According to Gottschalk history is actuality; hence it must study the past as it
happened.
● Andres Bonifacio once gave warning to his co- revolutionist " Matakot kayo sa
kasaysayan dahil walang nakatago dito*.
2. Events should be past human events
● According to Fernand Braudel (Father of historical structuralism), human actions
are not only based on human decisions but also on "structures" that may be
natural (like topography and natural resources) or man-made (like existing laws
and technological devices.
 ● He added, to approach total history' is to integrate all aspects of man's past. This
involves the study of history in its total view made possible by examining the
circumstances underlying such political, economic, social and cultural events.
3. Events should be definite in time and in place
4. Events should be social in nature
5. Events should be socially significant

Sources in History:

Sources of information provide the evidence from which the historian obtains facts about
the past. In writing history, the historian not only relies on past thoughts rather reenacts it in the
context of analyzing the documents and other records left.

Historical sources can be classified into primary and secondary sources. Historical
facts/ data are obtained from both primary and secondary sources.

★ Primary sources which are either written or oral are eyewitness or contemporaneous
accounts by those who were participants or observers living during a particular historical
era. This source in history carries greater weight than the secondary sources when
judging the veracity and accuracy of facts. The more primary sources are used in a
research, the greater the means of cross- validating the data.
★ Secondary sources such as history textbooks or popular magazine articles are
materials based on primary sources.

Historical sources/data are categorized into types such as:

1. Written or inscribed sources

● The Filipino Muslims were able to preserve written materials of great
historical value. The first is the sarsila or tarsila, which is genealogical
record of the sultans or datus who tried to preserve the lineage of the
ruling class like the Sulu Sarsila and the Maguindanao Tarsila.
2. Graphic or visual materials and artifacts and;
3. Oral history is a historical source of special nature. Its special nature lies in the
fact that it is unwritten source of information consisting of verbal testimonies
which are reported statements concerning the past. Verbal testimonies are of
three (3) types.
a. Oral tradition comes from collective consciousness of a people, as in the
case of epics. genealogies, tales and legends which are rooted in their
mythic experience.
b. Eyewitnesses account is a testimony of informant on a particular event in
which he himself was a participant or an eye witness.
c. Rumor is a verbal account which does not always concern the past but
gives the latest information about the present. It transmitted from one
person to another and is only useful as historical source if corroborated by
other source. Otherwise, it should be rejected as an uncorroborated
hearsay.
 Oral history is not a discipline of history in itself but a historical methodology where
first-hand reminiscences of historical events by an eyewitness are recounted through the
intervention of historian. Where written documents on certain issues are lacking, corroborated
oral history can help fill the gaps in our history. Through oral history, it is possible to elicit
information that would not ordinarily be found in written records.

Printed sources for the study of early Philippine history can be traced from the
missionary chronicles published by various religious orders assigned in the Philippines such as
Augustinians, Franciscans, Dominicans, Jesuits and Recollects. Repositories of these printed
sources are found in the libraries and archives.

Unhistorical Data

There are some narratives have been previously accepted in Philippine history as facts
but later were found out be historical errors. These unhistorical account include the

1. Story of Maragtas
- Around 1250AD the 10 Malay datu from Borneo settled into the Philippine islands
- The ten (10) Bornean datus together with their families left their kingdom in search of
new homes from their merciless leader named Datu Makatunaw and landed in the
island of Panay (now Hantik=Antique; Irong-Irong= Iloilo; Aklan and Capiz)
- Led by Datu Puti they bought the lowlands from Ati king Marikudo in exchange for
one gold saduk (native hat) and a long gold necklace for Queen Maningwantiwan
- Datu Sumakwel formed a political confederation of barangays for purpose of
protection and close family relations and called this confederation known as the
Maragtas Code--was previously known as the oldest known written body of laws" in
the Philippines.
- William Henry Scott refuted the claim that Maragtas Code is not a pre-hispanic
document but a book written by Pedro Monteclaro.
2. Code of Kalantiaw
- Regarded as the second oldest legal code in the Philippines
- This code was said to be a set of ancient laws promulgated in 1433 by Datu Bendara
Kalantiaw of Aklan
- William Hnery Scott again concluded that Code of Kalantiaw was a hoax for the
following reasons:
● Fr Pavon, the alleged author of the manuscript was ever in the Philippines in
1838 or parish priest of the town Himamaylan Negros Occidental.
● The alleged discoverer of the manuscript Jose E. Marco was also involved in the
sale of other fake historical documents.
● The contents of the manuscript are of dubious value (persona, other concepts
and dates)
● The alleged code contains many strange edicts that contradicted the character of
the Filipino
 3. Legend of Princess Urduja
- A legendary warrior princess and had been adopted as a symbol of a woman of
distinguished courage, an inspiration for women in the country.
- The account was based from the travel of Ibn Batuta (1304- 1378) an Arab traveler
from Morocco who had reached the land of Tawalisi.
- Ibn Batuta mentioned in his account a mysterious amazon woman named Princess
Urduja who could only marry the man who could beat her in fistfights
- Modern historians agreed that Princess Urduja was just an illusory creation of In
Batuta

Problems and difficulties in writing and study of history

Efforts to correct historical errors are still ongoing. Many historians even investigate for
themselves the validity of sources and data. The concern of historians has been to collect and
record facts about the past and discover new facts with utmost care and truthfulness. However,
there problems and difficulties in writing history specifically Philippine history such as:

1. Scarcity of written materials, especially in the local level

- Most of the materials for the Spanish and American periods are kept in Manila and
its expensive for one to research there
- Filipinos in general do not have a historical sense. They tend to discard documents
and old objects after some time
- A substantial amount of country's records had been destroyed as a result of wars in
the Philippines
2. Problems in translation with regards to the documents written in Spanish and other
foreign languages
3. Biases and prejudices on the part of the foreign writers
- The country's colonizers judged the Filipino civilization with their own civilization as
the yardstick
- The perspective of the colonizers in writing about Filipinos was the master- slave
relationship
4. Lack of representative materials for whole country
- Research materials has brought about the so- called Manila- centric or Luzon-
centric writing of Philippine history
- Some Filipino ethnic groups do not have written tradition and therefore are
oftentimes left out in history books.
5. Lack of trained historians.

Importance of History:

History is magister vitae or the teacher of life. History is a means of disseminating and
comprehending the wisdom and madness of our forebears. History is a means to understand
the past and present. The different interpretations of the past allow us to see the present
differently and therefore imagine and work towards different future.

1. Bridging the Gap between the present and the past

 - The present being the result of the past…
- Contemporary problems in the country can be understood in the light of historical
roots
2. Explaining the causes of things and events U OAMAOMIM JASITME
- Deals with the cause and effect relationship e.g state- side mentality
3. Projecting the future
- Circumstances in the past have been observed to contribute to the unfolding of
significant event.
- Allows us to speculate intelligently about the future
4. Interpreting conditions of given space and time
- History is the only branch of knowledge that can provide information and
corresponding interpretation of periods of history e.g American occupation of the
Philippines
5. Promoting nationalism and patriotism
- History inspires and develops a sense of national pride and sense of devotion to
country by recording the exploits and struggles of our forefathers to win freedom and
independence
- History is a tool in understanding national identity
● It helps in tracing the roots of the Filipino people and the struggle they underwent
to attain unity and independence
● It serves as a tool in identifying commonalities in their culture and experiences
● It points out the need for nationalism in nation- building
○ Rizal once said that history offers the key to national identity and basis for
future development

Views/Philosophies of History:

In analyzing history, the use of correlated disciplines is necessary to understand the

reasons and consequences of human actions. By referring to philosophies of history, the
theories of some great thinkers should be considered. In the investigation and interpretation of
the past, these theories could explain how and why events happen in societies.

❖ Cyclical View (Fatalist View)

➢ History repeats itself thus history had no meaning or goal
➢ All human events occur in cycle
➢ Its famous exponents were Herodotus (Father of History) and Oswald Spengler
➢ Popular from the time of Herodotus in 5th century BC
❖ Providential View (Theological/Christian View
➢ Human events are determined by God. He being the author of everything.
➢ It consists of recording the death struggle between good and evil
➢ Man is relegated to the role of pawn in a game of high stakesVIn.
➢ No interpretation is needed because everything is willed by God
➢ This view became popular during the Middle Ages (about 10th to 13t century)
and its foremost exponent was St Augustine
 ➢ It also reflected the official stand of the Catholic Church in explaining events and
developments
❖ Progressive View (Linear View or Spiritual View)
➢ Regards mankind as responsible for the advancement of civilization.
➢ It places complete faith in human intelligence and abilities rather than in divine
intervention
➢ What drove history are the enlightened people who had mastered science
➢ George Wilhelm Hegel's idea in his role of historical man asserted that man
has task to do so that events may happen and this follows a principle which
embodies the ideals of patriotism, heroism and unity.
❖ Marxist or Leftist-Socialist View (Historical Materialism /Revolutionary View
➢ History has been a history of class struggle. In a capitalist society this class
struggle reaches its peak and revolution occurs
➢ Karl Marx (German philosopher) in his view called the materialist concept of
history or economic theory asserted that the prevailing economic system
determines the form of societal organization and the political and intellectual
history of the epoch, which thus attribute actions and events in history to
economic motives.
➢ He added, human interrelations depend on the material conditions of their
production. The struggle to maintain life is the most enduring motivation for any
human activity.
■ E.g increasing specialization in craftsmanship; Spanish colonization
❖ Relativist View
➢ According to Febvre, "History creates its own subjects" meaning history classifies
and groups together facts about the past in terms of current needs or
contemporary concerns
➢ According to Dumont "Each new situation implies a reinterpretation of the past-
thus relationship of the past is on a constant state of changes".
❖ Philosophy of Life View of History
➢ W. Dilthey (1833-1911) and G. Simmel (1858-1918) asserted that history grows
with the growth of life.
➢ According to Dilthey, life is a human experience, and the experience is always
expressed and manifests in the extemal world. The manifestation of experience
is the world of history and culture. Therefore, the cultural system, including
religion, philosophy, art, science, politics, and law, is the objectifications of life.
➢ Simmel asserted similarly that history is the expression of life. Life is a stream
that continues infinitely. And life's "stream of becoming* makes history.
➢ According to the philosophy-of-life view of history, the pain and unhappiness of
humankind, as recorded in history, are regarded as inevitable phenomena that
accompany the growth of life. Accordingly, the question of how people could be
liberated from pain and unhappiness remained unsolved in philosophy of life.
❖ Cultural View
➢ According the Nick Joaquin, history as culture is not merely a chronological
reconstructions of the past nor an analytical interpretation of past events but a
process of creation or formation of culture specifically a "national culture"
➢ History was developing centering around Europe. It was Oswald Spengler
(1880-1936) who crushed this linear, Eurocentric image of history.
➢ Spengler advocated a cultural view of history, asserting that the foundation of
history is culture. He regarded culture as an organism, and considered that, a
culture is born, grows, and dies, and therefore its death is inevitable.
➢ According to Toynbee, the essential entity that constitutes world history is not a
region, an ethnic people, or a nation, but a civilization. He said that each
civilization passes through the stages of genesis, growth, breakdown,
disintegration, and dissolution.
■ The cause of the genesis of a civilization is found in the human response
to challenges from the natural environment or the social environment.
➢ Arnold Toynbee's challenge and response theory is based on the idea that
man responds to the situation placed before him. His actions are based on his
thoughts.
➢ Toynbee added that history reflects the progress of civilizations and societies. He
viewed the past as a succession of civilizations rather than political entities. For
him, there were patterns in the histories of various civilizations for which he came
to the conclusion that there appears to be law governing the lives of human
civilizations
■ The general pattern shows the growth, breakdown and eventual
dissolution of a particular civilization leading to the formation of a new
one. The failure of civilization to survive was the result of its inability to
respond to challenges.