Introduction to History

Prepared By: Mr. Jolo Van Clyde S. Abatayo, RL

 WHAT IS HISTORY?
• History is the study of the past, particularly people and events of
the past.
• History is a pursuit common to all human societies.
• Human beings have always been interested in the past, for many
reasons.
• History can be a tremendous story, a rolling narrative filled with
great personalities and tales of turmoil and triumph.
 WHAT IS HISTORY?
• Each passing generation adds its own chapter to history while
reinterpreting and finding new things in those chapters already
written.
• History also gives us a sense of identity; by understanding where we
have come from, we can better understand who we are.
• History provides a sense of context for our lives and our existence,
helping us to understand the way things are and how we might
approach the future.
 WHAT IS HISTORY?

• History teaches us what it means to be human,

highlighting the great achievements and disastrous errors
of the human race.
• History also offers hints about how we can organize and
manage our societies, for the betterment of all those who
live in them.
 WHAT IS HISTORY?
• The word “history” and the English word “story” both originate from
the Latin historia, meaning a narrative or account of past events.
• History is itself a collection of thousands of stories about the past,
told by many different people.
• Because there are so many stories, they are often variable,
contradictory and conflicting. And like all stories, history is subject to
revision and reinterpretation. Each generation looks at the past
through its own eyes.
 WHAT IS HISTORY?

• It applies different standards, priorities and values and

reaches different conclusions about the past.
• The study of how history differs and has changed over
time is called historiography.
 Popular theories of history:
• “History is the study of great individuals”
• “History is the study of the ‘winds of change'”
• “History is the study of challenge and response”
• “History is the study of dialectics”
• “History is the story of the unexpected”
 “History is the study of great individuals”

• According to the ancient Greek writer Plutarch, true history is the

study of great leaders and innovators.
• Prominent individuals shape the course of history through their
personality, strength of character, ambition, abilities, leadership or
creativity.
 “History is the study of the ‘winds of
change'”
• Other historians have focused less on individuals and taken a more thematic
approach, looking at factors and forces that produce significant historical
change. Some focus on what might broadly be described as the ‘winds of change’:
powerful ideas, forces and movements that shape or affect how people live, work and
think.
• These great ideas and movements are often initiated or driven by influential people –
but they become much larger forces for change. As the ‘winds of change’ grow, they
shape or influence political, economic and social events and conditions
 “History is the study of challenge and
response”
• Some historians, such as the British writer Arnold Toynbee (1889-1975),
believed historical change is driven by challenges and responses. All
civilizations are defined not just by their leadership or conditions but by how
they respond to difficult problems or crises.
• These challenges take many forms. They can be physical, environmental,
economic or ideological; they can derive from internal pressures or external
factors; they can come from their own people or from outsiders.
 “History is the study of dialectics”

• In philosophy, dialectics is a process where two or more parties with

vastly different viewpoints reach a compromise and mutual agreement.
• The theory of dialectics was applied to history by German philosopher
Georg Hegel (1770-1831). Hegel suggested that most historical
changes and outcomes were driven by dialectic interaction.
 “History is the story of the unexpected”
• Some historians believe history is shaped by the accidental, the surprising and the
unexpected.
• While history and historical change certainly follow patterns, they can also be
unpredictable and chaotic.
• Despite our fascination with timelines and linear progression, history does not always
follow a clear and expected path.
• The past is filled with unexpected incidents, surprises and accidental discoveries.
Some of these have unleashed historical forces and changes that could not be
predicted, controlled or stopped.
Quiz!!!
 Distinction of Primary and Secondary
Sources
Primary Sources are immediate, first-hand accounts
of a topic, from people who had a direct connection
with it.
Secondary Sources are one step removed from
primary sources, though they often quote or
otherwise use primary sources.
 Primary Sources
• Primary resources contain first-hand information, meaning that
you are reading the author’s own account on a specific topic or
event that s/he participated in.
• Examples of primary resources include scholarly research articles,
books, and diaries.
• Primary sources such as research articles often do not explain
terminology and theoretical principles in detail.
 Primary Sources
• Thus, readers of primary scholarly research should have
foundational knowledge of the subject area.
• Use primary resources to obtain a first-hand account to an actual
event and identify original research done in a field.
• For many of your papers, use of primary resources will be a
requirement.
 Examples of a primary source are:
• Autobiographies and memoirs
• Diaries, personal letters, and correspondence
• Interviews, surveys, and fieldwork
• Internet communications on email, blogs, listservs, and
newsgroups
• Photographs, drawings, and posters
• Works of art and literature
• Books, magazine and newspaper articles and ads published at the
time
• Public opinion polls
• Speeches and oral histories
• Original documents (birth certificates, property deeds, trial
transcripts)
• Research data, such as census statistics
• Official and unofficial records of organizations and government
agencies
• Official and unofficial records of organizations and government
agencies
• Artifacts of all kinds, such as tools, coins, clothing, furniture, etc.
• Audio recordings, DVDs, and video recordings
• Government documents (reports, bills, proclamations, hearings,
etc.)
• Patents
• Technical reports
• Scientific journal articles reporting experimental research results
 Secondary Sources
• Secondary sources describe, summarize, or discuss information or details originally
presented in another source; meaning the author, in most cases, did not participate in
the event.
• This type of source is written for a broad audience and will include definitions of
discipline specific terms, history relating to the topic, significant theories and
principles, and summaries of major studies/events as related to the topic.
• Use secondary sources to obtain an overview of a topic and/or identify primary
resources.
 Examples of a secondary source are:
• Bibliographies
• Biographical works
• Reference books, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and atlases
• Articles from magazines, journals, and newspapers after the event
• Literature reviews and review articles (e.g., movie reviews, book
reviews)
 Examples of a secondary source are:
• History books and other popular or scholarly books
• Works of criticism and interpretation
• Commentaries and treatises
• Textbooks
• Indexes and abstracts
 Repositories of Primary Resources

• Libraries (Academic, School, Special, and Public

Libraries)
• Archives (ex: National Archives of the Philippines
• Museums
• Records and Information Centers
LIBRARY VISIT/ACTIVITY
 External and Internal Criticism

• -two mental processes which students have to follow

 External Criticism

• sometimes called as “lower criticism”

• the genuineness of the document
• form and appearance and more particularly to question
of authorship and textual circumstances such as time,
place and purpose.
 The following questions have been given as
covering matters falling under external criticism:
• 1. Who was the author, not merely what was his name but
what were his personality, character, position and so
forth?
• 2. What were his general qualifications as a reporter –
alertness, character, bias?
 Cont.
• 3. What were his special qualifications and disqualifications as a reporter of
the matters here treated?
a. How was he interested in the event related?
b. How was he situated for observation of the facts?
c. Had he the necessary general and technical knowledge for learning and
reporting the events?
 Cont.
• 4. How soon after the events was the document written? For on
purpose the century of composition may be sufficient; for
another, the very hour may be essential.
• 5. How was the document written, from memory, after
consultation with others, after checking the facts, or by combining
earlier trial drafts?
 Cont.
• 6. How is the document relator to other documents?
a. Is it original source; wholly or in part?
b. If the latter, what parts are original; what borrowed; whence?
How credible are the borrowed materials?
c. How and how accurately is the borrowing done? d. How is the
borrowed material changed; how used?
 Internal Criticism
• Sometimes called as “higher criticism”
• The meaning and trustworthiness of the contents of the
documents
• Value and worth of its contents, its literal meaning and the
reliability of the statements themselves.
 Cont.
• May be carried on positively or negatively, the first being the
approach of discovering the real meaning of the text and the
second that approach with a view to find reasons for disbelieving
what the document says thus putting to question the author’s
good faith, motive, competence, accuracy and even his knowledge
on the subject covered.
Questions to ask to assure the value and worth
of conclusions about a document:
• 1. Who was the author?
• 2. Is the connection between him and the document a natural and
plausible one?
• 3. Is the subject one with which he could be expected to have
some degree of familiarity?
• 4. Could he have been in the place indicated at the time indicated?
 Cont.
• 5. Was the information given in the document original with him,
or did he copy it from someone else?
• 6. Are the statements made in the document consistent with
known level of intelligence, education, experience, and individual
temperament of the purported writer?
Writing External and Internal Criticism!