THE FOUNDATION OF PHILIPPINE HISTORY

What is HISTORY?

- The study of past (earlier period) events, particularly in human affairs or it

could be the whole series of past events connected with someone or
something.

Discussion: What went before, a precedent, ancient times.

When we say human affairs it means "Human affairs" means "the things that
people do and think about". "Human matters/concerns" or "Human relations"
would be good ways to paraphrase "human affairs".

- From Greek and Latin historia which means information; a learning or

knowing by inquiry (question, probe, analysis, study); narrative of past
events, account, tale or story.

- According to Nick Joaquin(Filipino Writer, A national artist) it is a process

of creation or a formation of culture, specifically a natural culture.

- According to Aristotle it is an account of the unchanging past.

- According to E.H. Carr it is the unending(continuous) dialogue(information

flow, channel of communication) between the past and the present.

 In its broadest sense (covers a wide scope), history is the study of past
events. The recording and analysis of experiences of a society
comprising the totality of a people’s history. Also it is the use of
 correlated disciplines necessary to understand the reasons and
consequence of human actions.
 It is a discipline which deals with the study of significant events in the past
in order to ascertain the truth.
 It refers to the study of chronological(sequence, in order) events that
happened in the past. It is also a descriptive study of recorded events.
 It is the study of texts which are presented in narrative form.

What are the Sources of Historical Data?

WRITTEN SOURCES

Primary – it is a by-product of events that have taken place. First hand

accounts of an event or time in history that has yet to be interpreted by another
person.

Examples of primary sources include:

1.diaries, journals, letters, interviews, speeches, memos, manuscripts and other

first-person accounts.

2. memoirs and autobiographies

3. official records such as government publications, census data, court reports,

police records

4. minutes, reports, correspondence of an organization or agency

5. newspaper and magazine articles, viewed as a whole, during the time of the
event

6. photographs, paintings, film and television programs, audio recordings which

document an event
7. research such as opinion polls which document attitudes and thought during
the time of an event

8. artifacts such as objects, tools, clothing, etc. of the time period or event

9. communication through multimedia venues such as listservs, chatrooms, and

electronic journals

Secondary – they are materials that interpret and analyze primary sources.
They are scholarly books or articles that are based on primary source data and
analyze, critique, report, summarize, interpret, or restructure that data. They can
also be based on a reading of other secondary sources or a combination of primary
source data and secondary sources.

Examples of secondary sources include:

1. reference books such as encyclopedias, handbooks, etc.

2. reviews
3. textbooks
4. most scholarly books
5. most magazine and journal articles

ORALLY TRANSMITTED MATERIALS

- Unwritten historical accounts which are passed on from generation to

generation through word of mouth (or viva voce, is the passing of information from
person to person by oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time
of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells
others a story about a real event or something made up)

ARTISTIC PRODUCTION

- Historical Sources that are in the form of visual arts (are those creations we
can look at, such as a drawing or a painting) and sculptures.
ELECTRONIC DATA

- Historical Sources that can be acquired from films, documentaries, television

shows, etc.

RELICS AND REMAINS

- Historical Sources that can be extracted from artifacts, fossils, bones

potteries, etc.

What are the purposes of Studying History?

- It narrates the events that happened in the past in order to understand the
present and somehow predict and/or influence the future.
- It helps u s understand people and societies because it offers a wide range of
information on how people and societies behave.
- It teaches us to appreciate our heritage in a broad perspective.
- It enables us to think critically.
- Why History matters. It is not just 'useful', it is essential.
- It shows us the mistakes made by humanity and how to avoid them in the
present.
- Also shows us where we came from and how we got here.

What are the Criticisms of Historical Sources?

1. EXTERNAL CRITICISM - It examines the material authenticity of a source. It

focuses on the physical attributes of the recovered materials of the past.

2. INTERNAL CRITICISM – It verifies the authenticity of the available

information provided by the source. Sources are mostly in the forms of
writing and dialogue/discourse.

Causative Interpretation of History?

Greeks and Romans – According to them events in history are determined and
controlled by destiny.

Christians – According to them all historical events lead to the universality of a

true religion.

Francios-Marie Rouet (a.k.a Voltaire) – Historical events unfold not because of a

divine entity but are the results of chance and luck/misfortune.

George Wihelm Friedrich Hegel – the continuity of historical events is brought

about by a dominant and inferior idea.

Charles Darwin – The rule of the survival of the fittest applies and that acquired
characteristics of society are passed on to succeeding generations.

CHANGE

Quantitatve – changes that can be measured.

 Growth in the economy, literacy rate, and poverty incidents.

Qualitative – modifications of the characteristics, traits, and attributes of

particular persons or identity.

 Quality of life, voting behavior of the people and buying

attitude of the consumers.
Geographical Features of the Philippines

The Archipelago’s Name

Philippines Natural Wealth

Theories on the Origin of the Philippines

The Philippines Geography and Regions

Topographical Features of the Philippines

What is meant by Topography?

Landforms?

Waterforms

Basic Topographic Characteristics of the Philippines

AASIGNMENT

1. WHY IS THERE HISTORY?

2. What causes a historical event to happen?
3. Do you believe that history repeats itself? Why or Why Not?