Meaning and Relevance of History

Lesson 1: Meaning and Relevance of History

• The objectives are to know the significance of studying history, especially Philippine history, to identify different sources of history and to be aware of the role of history in nation-building.
• History is written by every generation, using the same sources, but interpretations vary based on time, according to Teodoro A. Agoncillo.

Defining History: Etymology

• The Greeks define history as "ἱστορία" which translates to "learning".
• Aristotle defined history as a systematic account of a set of natural phenomena, regardless of chronological order.
• For the Romans, History is "Scientia" which means non-chronological, systematic accounts of natural phenomena
• For Germans, history is "Geschichte," derived from "geschehen," which means "to happen".

Defining History: Definition

• History is commonly defined as "the past of mankind".
• Constantino (2010) defines history as the recorded struggle of people for ever-increasing freedom and newer and higher realization of the human person.
• This definition sees history as more than just events or great men, but about people's efforts to attain a better life.

Historical Method and Sources

• Louis R. Gottschalk (1969) defined historical method as the process of critically examining and analyzing the records and survivals of the past.
• The historical method is agreed-upon ground rules for researching and writing academic or professional history.
• A historian analyzes records of the past.
• Historiography involves the imaginative reconstruction of the past from derived data.
• Historians gather information from evidence like detectives to piece together the story of the past.
• They use sources such as archaeological digs and manuscripts.

Core Protocols in Handling Sources

• Historians accounts should be based on source materials.
• Historians should locate and organize relevant sources.
• Historians must verify sources by dating determining their origin, to determine intended functions.
• Methods of historical analysis include the selection of subject, collection of sources, examination of genuineness, and extraction from sources (Gottschalk, 1969).
• Historical sources are objects from or testimony concerning the past (Howell, 2A001)..
• Sources are tangible remains of the past(Brundage, 2001), like artifacts.

Historical Sources: Primary and Secondary

• Historical sources can be written, such as published materials, manuscripts, archives, memoirs, and diaries or Non-written, such as oral histories, artifacts, ruins, fossils, artwork as well as video and audio recordings.
• Primary sources come directly from the past and provide first-hand information.
• Secondary sources present evidence from a later date, written after the event.

Primary Sources Examples

• Human Fossils/Artifacts.
• Royal Decrees/Laws.
• Chronicles/journals/Diaries.
• Maps/Memoirs.
• Personal accounts/Newspapers.
• Magazines Legislative Journals.
• Court Records/Letters.
• Speeches and blogs.
• Online database/documentaries.
• Audio, video and pictures for recorded interviews.

Primary Sources Repositories

• National Archives of the Philippines.
• National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
• National Musuem of the Philippines.
• UP Main Library.
• ADMU Rizal Library.
• DSLU Library.
• UST Library.
• Library of Congress.
• National Archives and Records Administration.
• Archivo General de Indias.
• Archivo General de Nacion.
• American Historical Collection.
• Lopez Memorial Musuem.
• Ayala Museum.

Kinds of Secondary Sources

• Quotes.
• Textbooks.
• Compilations.
• Scholarly journal articles.
• Biographies/Auto-biographies.
• Criticisms/Analysis on literary works.
• Commentaries (election, events, people).