Name: Rheu S.

Quimpan Course/Year Level: BEED-2

"We are not makers of history. We are made by history.", a famous quote of Martin Luther King, Jr.
makes me realize that history made our life, like a puzzle that will not be complete without the pieces
that build your life.

I learned in this chapter how important are the sources of historical data. Historical Data are
sources from artifacts that have been left by the past. These artifacts can be relics, remains or
testimonies of witnesses to the past. Historical sources are materials which historians construct
meaning. A source is an object or testimonies concerning the events of the past which the historian used
to create their own understanding of the past. There are two general kinds of historical data or sources
which are primary and secondary sources. Primary Sources are first hand original documents, images,
artifacts or account of an event that usually made or written during the event which provides direct
evidence to a historical research. It provide facts and enable the researches to capture closely what
actually happened during a time period or historical event. Examples of primary sources are diaries,
journals, manuscripts, newspaper and magazine articles, letters, public records, church register,
photographs and videos. While secondary sources are analyses and interprets primary sources. It’s a
work or materials made by people to provide valuable interpretation and analysis of an historic event
period. Examples of secondary sources are biographies, dictionaries and encyclopedia, textbooks,
journal articles that comment or analyze research, literary criticisms, newspaper’s editorial or opinion
pieces, dissertations, and etc.

Another topic tackled in this subject is the reading in Philippine history, specifically the historical
criticism. Historical criticism is a study of ancient texts and examines the origin of the text. It also seek
greater understanding of the text, trace and explore its various contribution and significance within their
specific historical context. There are two mental processes which students have to follow which are
internal and external criticisms. External criticism is the genuineness of the document or sometimes
called as “lower criticism”. On the other hand, internal describe as the meaning and trustworthiness of
the contents of the documents, sometimes called as “higher criticism”.

Our past can be a good example of a history, we cannot be complete without of it. Maybe sometimes
our history cannot as easy as others but in some ways were just the same because we are still same
person. The data we take from our history can be our gun for battle against life. Similar and different
sources but has a connection to each other. It is true that we cannot change already the past but we can
still make difference on what can be our future will be, and it starts in ourselves.