Traditional Understanding:

• Study of the past

• Chronological record of significant events often including an explanation of their causes

Modern Understanding:
• Came from Greek word "Historia" that means "Knowledge acquired through inquiry or investigation"
• Sources are oral traditions in forms of epics, songs, artifacts, architecture, memory etc.

"Ang kasaysayan ay SALAYSAY na may SAYSAY sa SINASALAYSAYANG SALINGLAHI." - Zeus Salazar

"Pantayong Pananaw" (Salazar, 1974)

Divisions of History
1. Pre-History
• period where no written records exist or when the writings of people were not preserved
• analyzed through fossils and artifacts by Archaeologists and Anthropologists

2. History
• period when man started to write and record events using a system of writing
• analyzed through wood carves, engraved metals, written papyrus, written papers

Role of Historians
• To look at the available sources and select the most relevant for history and subject of study
• To organize the past that is being created
• To seek for the meaning of recovering the past to let the people see the continuing relevance of memories
(Historical Understanding)

Historiography
• "Writing of history" (Historical Writing)
• Based on critical examination of sources, selection of particular details from authentic materials in those
sources and the synthesis of those details into a narrative
• Done through "Historical Research" with the aid of "Historical Methodology"
1. Choosing a topic.
2. Looking for data through Historical sources.
3. Determining the data as a Primary or Secondary source.
4. Analyze the data through historical criticisms.
5. Writing the entire narrative.

Importance of History
• To unite a nation
• To legitimize regime and forge a sense of collective identity through collective memory
• To make sense of the present
• To not repeat mistakes of the past
• To inspire people to keep their good practices to move forward
Why Study History?
- History is not a blueprint for the future but it is a means of understanding the past and present.
- History is a bridge to other disciplines.
- History provides us with a sense of identity; People need to develop a sense of their collective past
(https://www.wpunj.edu/cohss/departments/history/whystudyhistory.html)
- The study of history, is the study of the beliefs and desires, practices and institutions of human beings
(Torres, V., 2018)

History – It is the continuous process of interaction between the historian and his facts, an unending dialogue
between the present and past. (E H. Carr, 1961; R. J. Evans, 2001).

What is a historical fact?

- There are certain facts which are the same for all historians and which form, so to speak, the
backbone of history. (Ibid, 2001).

A. The Filipino sense of meaning

- Kasaysayan – derived from “saysay” which means that is relevant or meaningful (Zeus Salazar);
- History as kasaysayan or history as narrative (which be written, visual, oral or a combination of all
these) about past events that has meaning to a certain group of people in a given time and place
(Ambeth Ocampo)
- “Ano ang makabuluhan?” (Who can claim and who has the claim?)

B. History as a profession
- The essence of history as a discipline is anchored on research and teaching. History has to be both; it
cannot be completely called as such without the other. The practice of history, as a study, does not end
with the research and teaching and even after it has been popularized through publication for the
benefit of the wider public readership but as an important tool in understanding the present, by giving
explanation or even contributing solutions to the problems and issues the present has. The broadening
role of history in the light of the present development made history a profession of public importance, as
professed by the so-called public historians.

C. Historical methodology
- Historical Reconstruction
- “Only a part of what was observed in the past was remembered by those who observed it; only a part
of what was remembered was recorded; only a part of what was recorded has survived; only a part
of what has survived has come to the historian’s attention; only a part of what is credible has been
grasped, and only a part of what has been grasped can be expounded or narrated by the historian.”
(Gottschalk1950; cited by Juan 2016).
- History as a reconstruction is that
- The historian is many times removed from the events under investigation
- Historians rely on surviving records
Obremrecsurhisat cgn
D. Historical Method
- Historians have to verify sources, to date them, locate their place of origin and identify their intended
functions.
- In short, historical method is: The process of critically examining and analyzing the records and
survivals of the past.
 E. Historical Sources
- It is from historical sources that our history is studied and written.
- Sources – an object from the past or testimony concerning the past on which historians depend in
order to create their own depiction of that past. (Howell and Prevenier, From Reliable Sources an
Introduction to Historical Method)
- Tangible remains of the past (Anthony Brundage, Going to Sources)

F. Forms of Resources
- Written Sources:
1. Published materials - Books, magazines, journals; Travelogue; Transcription of speech
2. Manuscript [any handwritten or typed record that has not been printed]; Archival materials;
Memoirs, diary
- Non - written Sources:
1. Oral history; Artifact; Ruins; Fossils; Art works; Video recordings; Audio recordings

Categories of Sources: Primary and Secondary Sources

Primary sources
- are materials produced by people or groups directly involved in the event or topic being studied. These
people are either participants or eyewitnesses to the event. These sources range from eyewitness
accounts, diaries, letters, legal documents, official documents (government or private), and even
photographs. (Torres, V. 2018, pp 5-9)
- ​Testimony of an eyewitness
- A primary source must have been produced by a contemporary of the event it narrates
- A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under
study.
- These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular
event.
- Primary sources are characterized by their content, regardless of whether they are available in original
format, in microfilm/microfiche, in digital format, or in published format.

Example:
1. Photographs that may reflect social conditions of historical realities and everyday life.
2. Old sketches and drawings that may indicate the conditions of life of societies in the past.
3. Old maps that may reveal how space and geography were used to emphasize trade routes, structural
buildings, etc.
4. Cartoons for political expression or propaganda.
5. Material evidence of the prehistoric past like cave drawings, old syllabaries, and ancient writings.
6. Statistical tables, graphs, and charts
7. Oral history or recordings by electronic means of accounts of eyewitnesses or participants; the
recordings are then transcribed and used for research.
8. Published and unpublished primary documents, eyewitnesses accounts, and other written sources.

A. Published Materials: Books (including memoirs), Magazines, and Newspapers contemporary to the
event.
B. Unpublished Materials: Diaries, Letters, Manuscripts
C. Records: Government documents, census data, birth certificates, organizational minutes, business
reports.
D. Images: Photographs, film, art, and posters, advertisements, maps
E. Audio: Oral Histories, Interviews, Recordings
F. Artifacts: Buildings, Tombstones, Clothing

Secondary Sources
- Gottschalk defines secondary sources as “the testimony of anyone who is not an eyewitness – that is of
the one who is not present at the event of which he tells.”
- Are accounts of the past created by the people writing about events after they have happened.
- Provide an introduction to a topic
- Provide historical/Broader context for a topic
- Show how a topic has been interpreted by other historians.
- Provide hints on where to find primary evidence
- Provide Information which enables historians to make sense of the primary sources.
- Books, Encyclopedia, Articles, Websites are what Historians create.
Examples:
- History textbook - These questions are known in newspaper writing as the "5 Ws": who, what, when,
where, why - and then, what was the result.
- Printed materials (serials, periodicals which interprets previous research)

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

• To truly research a topic or event in history, you may begin with secondary sources to get some information,
but you will need to also use primary sources, information about the topic or event from the actual time period
in which the event occurred. Primary sources fall into six categories:

1. Published materials: Books (including memoirs), magazines, and newspapers contemporary to the
event
2. Records: Government documents, census data, birth certificates. organizational minutes, business
reports, marriage licenses, laws, trial transcripts, deeds
3. Unpublished materials: Diaries, letters, manuscripts
4. Images: Photographs, film, art and posters, advertisements, maps
5. Audio: eye or ear witness accounts, such as an oral history or interview with someone who was actually
present at the time of the event, or someone's diary; interviews, recordings
6. Artifacts: physical remains, such as photographs, newspaper articles from the Period, Buildings,
Clothing, Tombstones, etc.

Historical Criticism
- In order for a source to be used as evidence in history, basic matters about its form and content must
be settled
1. External Criticism
2. Internal Criticism

External Criticism
- The problem of authenticity
- To spot fabricated, forged, faked documents
- To distinguish a hoax or misrepresentation

Test of authenticity
1. Determine the date of the document to see whether they are anachronistic e.g. pencils did not exist
before the 16th Century
2. Determine the author e.g. handwriting, signature, seal
3. Anachronistic style e.g. idiom, orthography(spelling), punctuation
4. Anachronistic reference to events e.g. too early, too late, too remote
5. Provenance (origin/source) or custody e.g. determines its genuineness
6. Semantics – determining the meaning of a text or word
7. Hermeneutics –determining ambiguities

Internal Criticism
What is Internal Criticism?
- The Problem of Credibility
- Relevant particulars in the document – is it credible?
- Verisimilar (probable) – as close as what really happened from a critical examination of best available
source

Test of Credibility
1. Identification of the author – his reliability; mental processes, personal attitudes
2. Determination of the approximate date e.g. handwriting, signature, seal
3. Ability to tell the truth e.g. nearness to the event, competence of witness, degree of attention
4. Willingness to tell the truth e.g. to determine if the author consciously or unconsciously tells falsehoods
5. Corroboration i.e. historical facts – particulars which rest upon the independent testimony of two or
more reliable witnesses

Three Major Components to Effective Historical Thinking

1. Sensitivity to Multiple Causation
2. Sensitivity to Context
3. Awareness of the interplay of continuity and change in human affairs
Chapter 2
Content and Contextual Analysis of the selected Primary Sources

1. First Voyage Around the world

2. Customs of the Tagalog
3.

1. Content Analysis
- Identification of the historical importance of the text.
a. Title of the Primary Source
b. Background/Biography of the Authors
c. Reason of writing this Primary Source
d. Highlights of its content

2. Contextual Analysis
- Examination of author’s main argument or POV
a. Title of the Primary Source
b. Main Argument
c. Bias
d. Importance in Understanding Philippine History