CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY

I. History

"HISTORIA" Greek word which means "knowledge acquired through inquiry or

interview"

- account of the past of a person or a a group of people through written documents

and historical events

"No document, no history" traditional historian mantra. Unless a written document

can prove certain historical event, then it cannot be considered as historical event.

Definition:
- study of the past
- could be define as happening or a series of happenings; It is a record of the past
made available. for the present. It is also a field of study which traces man's
development
- everything that has been recorded or occurred from the beginning of time to the
last instant
- documented record of man and his society
- a study of man and his achievements from the beginning of written records to the
present. It can be defined as everything that has happened or occurred from the
beginning of the time to the last instant
- in social history, it a record of events showing the evolution of man and his society
from the earliest and from the age of barbarism to what he is today.

records the past showing man's development and improvement throughout the
ages. It also shows how man met his various challenges through time.
History vs. Historiography

Historiography
- it is the history of the history
- the objective is history itself

History's objective is the past, the events that happened in the past, and the causes
of such events.

Roles of History
•states use history to unite a nation
•lessons from the past can be used to make
•sense of the present learning of past mistakes can help people to not repeat them.

II. Issue of History: accusation that the history is always written by victors (winners).

This connotes that that the narrative of the past is always written from the bias of
the powerful and the more dominant player.

For instance, the history of the second world war in the Philippines always depicts
the United States as the hero and the Imperial Japanese Army as the oppressors.
Filipinos who collaborated with the Japanese were lumped in the category of traitors
or collaborators. However, a mere thorough historical investigation will reveal a
more nuanced (delicate) account of the history of that period instead of a simplified
narrative as a story of hero versus villain.

III. History and Historian

Historian is a person of his own who is influenced by his own context, environment,
ideology, education and influences, among others.

"Facts cannot speak for themselves"

historian's job is not just to seek historical evidences and facts but also to interpret
these facts. It is the job of the historian to give meaning to these facts and organize
them into timeline, establish causes, and write history. In that sense, his
interpretation of the historical facts is affected by his context and circumstances.
His subjectivity will inevitably influence the process of his historical research: the
methodology that he will use, the facts that he shall select and deem relevant, his
interpretation, and even the form of his writings. Thus, in one way or another,
History is always Subjective.

Historical research requires rigor. Despite the facts that historians cannot ascertain
absolute objectivity. the Study of History remains scientific because the rigor of
research and methodology that historian employ.

Historical methodology comprises certain technique and rules that historian follows
in order to properly utilize sources and historical evidences in writing history.

HISTORICAL METHODOLOGY:

certain rules apply in cases of conflicting accounts in different sources, and how to
properly treat eyewitness accounts and oral sources as valid historical evidence. In
doing so, historical claims done by historians and the arguments that they forward
in their historical writings, while they may be influence by historian inclinations, can
still be validated by using reliable evidence and employing correct and meticulous
historical methodology.

For example, if a historian chooses to use oral account as his data in in studying
ethnic history of the Ifugao in the Cordillera during the American occupation, he
needs to validate the claims of his informant through comparing and corroborating
it with written sources. While bias is inevitable, the historian can balance this out by
relying to evidence that back up his claim. In this sense, the historian need not let
his bias blind his judgment and such bias are only acceptable if he maintains his
rigor as a researcher.

IV. Sources of History

The Study of History is a relentless search for the truth. This truth is about the event
of the past which are contained in their sources. In the study of history sources are
always important. Sources are where the information come from. In a technical
sense the source of historical information is the document.

A document is a written material that says about a historical event. The document
can be narration, a copy of speech, a letter, a receipt, an eyewitness account or a
book. These are only some of the sources of history.

UNWRITTEN SOURCES BUT CAN BE AUTHORITATIVE

Some sources are not written but can authoritative. These are relics, memorabilia,
pictures, drawings, sketches, fossils and remains. There are sources who are living
individuals. They are called eyewitnesses if they were present when the event
happened. When use in historical research they are referred to as respondents or
informants.

In the terminology of Philippine Historiography, historical sources are called Batis. In

Philippine Historiography, it means the source of Historical information. Since this is
the originator of the information, it is considered an authoritative source as a
primary source of historical information.

V. TYPES OF HISTORICAL SOURCES

There are basically two Types of Historical Sources:

1. The first type is called Primary Source primary sources are materials which
directly point or discusses the subject matter.

Examples of Primary Source are:

•Autobiographies
•Speeches
•Essay by person expressing his own view
•Receipts
•Letters of the editor expressing the writer's view
•Laws, ordinances, letters of Instructions.
•Decrees Newspaper articles reporting directly about the event
•Diaries and journals
•Reports, Letters, Editorials, Transcript of Records
•Eyewitness accounts

2. Secondary Sources are made by individuals who were not direct participants to
the event or people who got the information from somebody else or from primary
source. Digested information or information derived from primary sources are
considered secondary sources.

Considered secondary sources are:

•Textbooks
•Encyclopedia entries
•Magazine articles about a topic
•Teachers' report on student behavior as reported too school counselors
•Reports from a person talking about the subject matter.

3. There is another source (considered to be Tertiary source) and these are called
General references. It helps point to the reader to a primary or secondary source

•One example of a tertiary source is the information found in the Card Catalogue
about a book or document.

•Abstract of books, theses and dissertation are also general references and
therefore considered general references.

•Incomplete information in the Internet is called stubs are also considered general
reference
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCE:

1. Primary source materials are considered more authoritative than secondary

source materials because they contain information that directly discusses the
subject matter.

2. A primary source materials becomes even more important when its origin is
closer to the historical event and the information contained therein can be
considered as pure and untainted.

3. Another factor that makes a primary materials. authoritative and credible is when
it is made by person who were actual eyewitnesses to the event or were to principal
participants.

CONTEMPORARY SOURCE MATERIALS

Historical sources can be classified according to age. Contemporary source

materials are documents which are of recent vintage or origin. It concerns events
that are current or very recent. The recentness of source document can be from the
present to up to 35 to 49 years. Often contemporary documents are stored in the
records sections of offices or in the private cabinets. Access to such documents can
be authorized by the concerned individuals or by a court.

Books which are of recent publication and books that have been either reprinted or
republished as updated editions, on the other hand are placed on the shelves of
libraries for circulation. Included here are textbooks, coffee table books and
manuals which are products of specialized research. Other examples of
contemporary source materials are brochure and souvenir programs of fiestas and
other events. Some libraries like the National Library of the Philippines keep a
special section which the brochures and souvenir programs were stored in special
boxes called vertical files. Newspaper & magazines are maintained in a special
section of large libraries, the important role of Newspapers is that they report the
events as they happened. Magazines on the other hand discuss topics & event in a
more detailed manner. Magazines & Newspapers contained eyewitness accounts
which makes them primary source materials.

APPRECIATING HISTORICAL SOURCES

There are two processes that will help a person analyze the importance of historical
information in a document.

1. The first process is called External criticism.

2. The second process is known as Internal criticism.

EXTERNAL CRITICISM
Examines if the document is genuine. It studies who made the document and when
did he do it. Was the author living when he made the document? What accounts for
his preservations? i.e., why did it remain as if it is still just newly-written when it was
created a century ago?

Many documents have been proven as forgeries. The best example of forgery in
Philippine History is the code of Kalantiaw Code which was proven to be a 20th
century hoax.

Hundred Spartans warriors led King Leonidas at the Battle of Thermopylae.

Other question in using external criticism would be: For what purpose was the
document written? A document written several decades after the historical events
may raise some doubts. It also raises question of validity and reliability.

One such example would be the different versions of the Cry of Balintawak or
Pugadlawin. Some accounts were written up to 70 years after the event.

It is concerned with determining the nature or authenticity of the document itself,

Internal Criticism according to Frankel and Wallen (2010, p. 539) is concerned with
what the document says.

INTERNAL CRITICISM:
Once the reader is convinced that the document is genuine, he may proceed to the
second process called Internal Criticism. It is the method of determining whether
the contents of historical information are accurate.

QUESTIONS RAISED IN INTERNAL CRITICISM:

Is it likely that what author says happen really did happen? What if it is just a
hyperbole? A metaphor? A simile? Would people at the time were behaved as they
were portrayed? Are the data presented reasonable? Was the author competent to
describe the event? Are the events reasonable as it happened? Is the document
suffering from hindsight? Does the language of the document shows any signs of
bias? Does another version of the document exist? etc.,

Illustrations...

•A hyperbole is an exaggeration. An example of historical hyperbole would be an

account that there were million Persian faced by three
•A metaphor i.e., "The natives fighting the British died like beasts, gnawing at the
bayonets" (from the diary of Sir William Draper, 1762).
•A simile, the sand here has a color of bran (Apolinario Mabini, letters describing the
beach of Guam, 1901).
•Is the document suffering from hindsight? A hindsight is a historical error in which
the past is judged from the standards or perspectives of the present. For example,
the height of Rizal was said to be 4 feet, eleven inches. The height is short for
present standards but it was rather average if true by 19th century standards