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MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

MODULE OVERVIEW

History deals with the study of past events presented in chronological order
and often with explanation. Others define it as His story and sanaysay na may
saysay. Individuals who write about history are called historians. They seek to
understand the present by examining what went before. They undertake arduous
historical research to come up with a meaningful and organized reconstruction of the
past. But whose past are we talking about? This is a basic question that a historian
needs to answer because this sets the purpose and framework of a historical
account. Hence, a salient feature of historical writing is the facility to give meaning
and impart value to a particular group of people about their past.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson, student will able to do the following:

1. Evaluate primary source for their credibility, authenticity, and provenance.

2. Analyze the context, content, and perspective of different kinds of primary sources.

3. Determine the contribution of the different kinds of primary sources in understanding

the history of the Filipino people.

LEARNING CONTENTS

SOURCES OF HISTORY

a. Documents – handwritten, printed, designed, drawn and other composed

materials
e.g. books, magazines, maps, journals, architectural perspectives, newspapers,
paintings, advertisements, and photographs

Relacion de las Islas Filipinas Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas

Colonial records such as government reports and legal documents form a

significant part of our collection of documents here and abroad, particularly in Spain
and the United States. In the 20 th century and up to now, memoirs of personal
accounts written by important historical personages constitute another type of
documents. Philippine presidents such as Emilio Aguinaldo, Manuel Quezon, and
Diosdado Macapagal wrote their memoirs to highlight their roles as nation-builders.

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b. archaeological records – preserved remains of human beings, their activities

and their environment

 fossils – remains of animals, plants and other organisms

In the Philippines, the most significant excavated human remains include

Callao Man’s toe bone (dated 67000 BCE) and the Tabon Man’s skullcap (22000
BCE). Aside from human remains, other archaeological records are generally
categorized as fossils and artifacts.

 artifacts – remnants of material culture

c. oral and video accounts – audio-visual documentation of people, events and

places

These are usually recorded in video and audio cassettes, and compact discs.
Aside from scholars, media people also use oral and video accounts as part of their
news and public affairs work.

GENERAL KINDS OF HISTORICAL SOURCES

a. Primary – documents, physical objects, and oral/video accounts by an individual

or
group present at the time and place being described
- The testimony of eyewitness, or of a witness by any other of the senses, or of a
mechanical device like the Dictaphone – that is, of one who or that which was
present at the events of which he or it tells (hereafter called simply eyewitness)

b. Secondary - materials made by people long after the events being described had
taken place
- The testimony of anyone who is not an eyewitness – that is, of one who was not
present at the events of which he tells

A primary source must thus have been produced by a contemporary of the

events it narrates. It does not, however, need to be original in the legal sense of the
word original – that is, the very document (usually the first written draft) whose
contents are the subject of discussion – for quite often a later copy or a printed
edition will do just as well; and in the case of the Greek and Roman classics seldom
are any but later copies available.

“Original” is a word of so many different meanings that it would have been

better to avoid it in precise historical discourse.
A document may be called “original”
1. because it contains fresh and creative ideas
2. because it is not translated from the language in which it was first written
3. because it is in its earliest, unpolished stage
4. because its text is the approved text, unmodified and untampered with

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5. because it is the earliest available source of the information it provides

Unfortunately, the phrase “original sources” has become common among historians, and it
is desirable to define its usage accurately. It is best used by the historian in two senses –
(1) to describe a source, unpolished, uncopied, untraslated, as it ussued from the hands of
the authors (e.g. original draft of the Magna Carta) or (2) a source that gives the earliest
available information (i.e., the origin) regarding the question under investigation because
earlier sources have been lost.

Primary sources need not be original in either of these two ways. They need to be
“original” only in the sense of underived or first-hand as to their testimony. This point ought
to be emphasized in order to avoid confusion between original sources and primary
sources. The confusion arises from a particularly careless use of the word original. It is
often used by historians as a synonym for manuscript or achival.

Most historical narratives today are so reliant on documentary sources due to the
plethora of written records and the lack of archaeological records and oral/video memoirs.
Although having several documents about an event allows for easier counterchecking of
facts, history researchers are confronted with one basic challenge with regard primary
sources – their ability to read and understand texts in foreign language.

Aside from reading the Spanish original documents or translated works, another
daunting task for Filipino historians is to discern the cultural context and historical value of
primary sources because most of these primary documents were written by colonialists and
reflected Western cultural frames. For examples, derogatory terms used to label Filipinos
such as “pagan,” “uncivilized,” “wild,” and “savage” abound in these colonial documents.
Uncovering myths and misconceptions about Filipino cultural identity propagated by the
Spanish and American colonizers is extra challenging for contemporary Filipino scholars.

If the key function of primary source documents is to give facts, secondary source
documents, on the other hand, provide valuable interpretations of historical events. The
works of eminent historians such as Teodoro Agoncillo and Renato Constantino are good
examples of secondary two phases: the first phase covers the years from the start of the
revolution in August 1896 to the flight of Emilio Aguinaldo and company to Hong Kong as a
result of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, while the second phase spans from Aguinaldo’s return to
Manila from Hong Kong until his surrender to the Americans in March 1901.

However, Constantino refuted Agoncillo’s leader-centric scheme of dividing the

revolution into two phases by stressing that Agoncillo’s viewpoint implied that the revolution
came to a halt when Aguinaldo left the country. Constantino disputed the soundness of
Agoncillo’s two-phase scheme by asserting that the war of independence continued even
without Aguinaldo’s presence in the country.

Aside from the issue on Philippine Revolution, there are other contending issues in
Philippine history such as the venue of the first Christian mass in the country and the
question of who deserves to be named national hero. By and large, interpretations serve as
tools of discernment for readers of historical sources, but they should be cautious of frames
of analysis for biased, discriminatory, and self-serving ends.

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LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

LINK IT

Search the internet for online archives and libraries on Philippine history and
culture. Explore ways of getting historical information from varied digital sources.
Present your findings in a powerpoint presentation with profiles of web sites detailing
their collection of sources and providing important information on how to access their
files.

LEARNING CONTENTS

HISTORICAL CRITICISM

Many documents have primary and secondary segments. For instance,

examining a newspaper as a historical source entails a discerning mind to identify its
primary and secondary components. A news item written by a witness of an event is
considered as a primary source, while a feature article is usually considered as a
secondary material. Similarly, a book published a long time ago does not necessarily
render it as a primary source. It requires reading of the document to know its origin.

To ascertain the authenticity and reliability of primary sources to be used in

crafting a narrative, a historian needs to employ two levels of historical criticism,
namely external criticism and internal criticism.

a. External criticism – answers concerns and questions pertinent to the authenticity

of a historical source by identifying who composed the historical material, locating
when and where the historical material was produced, and establishing the
material’s evidential value

b. Internal criticism – deals with the credibility and reliability of the content of a
given historical source. It focuses on understanding the substances and message
that the historical material wants to convey by examining how the author framed the
intent and meaning of a composed material.

LOCATING PRIMARY SOURCES

a. National Library
b. National Archives
c. Academic Institutions
d. Privately owned museums and archives
e. Religious congregations

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f. Abroad

COLONIAL HISTORIOGRAPHY

Philippine historiography has changed significantly since the 20 th century. For

a long time, Spanish colonizers presented our history in two parts: a period of
darkness or backwardness before they arrived and a consequent period of
advancement or enlightenment when they came.

Spanish chroniclers wrote a lot about the Philippines but their historical
accounts emphasized the primacy of colonization to liberate Filipinos from their
backward “barbaric” lifeways. In the same manner, American colonial writers also
shared the same worldview of the predecessors by rationalizing their colonization of
Filipinos as a way to teach the natives the “civilized lifestyle” which they said the
Spaniards forgot to impart including personal hygiene and public administration.
Colonial narratives have portrayed Filipinos as a people bereft of an advanced
culture and a respectable history. This perception challenged Filipino intellectuals
beginning in the 1800s to rectify such cultural bias or prejudice. In 1890, Jose Rizal
came out with an annotation of Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas
(Events in the Philippine Islands), a book originally published in 1609. He used de
Morga’s book, a rare Spanish publication that positively viewed precolonial Filipino
culture, as a retort to the arrogant Spaniards. However, cultural bias against Filipino
culture continued even after Rizal’s death and the end of Spanish colonialism.

Learning from the fate of its colonial predecessor, the United States did not
only use brute force but also effected ingenious ways of pacification such as the use
of education as a tool to control their subjects and increase political and economic
power of the elite few. These colonial instruments were so ingrained among Filipinos
that they perceived their colonial past in two ways: initially maltreated by “wicked
Spain” but later rescued by “benevolent America.” This kind of historical
consciousness has effectively erased from the memories of Filipino generations the
bloody Filipino-American War as exemplified by the Balangiga Massacre in Eastern
Samar and the Battle of Bud Bagsak in Sulu. Consequently, such perception
breathes new life to the two part view of history: a period of darkness before the
advent of the United States and an era of enlightenment during the American
colonial administration. This view has resonated with Filipino scholars even after the
Americans granted our independence in 1946.

PHILIPPINE HISTORIOGRAPHY AFTER WORLD WAR II

The stark reality of Filipino historians thinking like their colonial counterparts
during the postcolonial period troubled a small group of professors and cultural
workers who were mostly alumni of the University of the Philippines. This spurred the
emergence of Filipino scholars who challenged the narrow view of colonial narratives
and developed historical writing from the viewpoint of a nationalist agenda.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2

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BRING IT ON

1. What are the benefits of using primary sources?

2. Why do you think most history textbooks are secondary sources?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of accessing online primary
sources?
4. What are the challenges of understanding our country’s past mindful of the
problems that characterize the writing of our national history?

SUMMARY

CHARACTERISTICS OF CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE HISTORIOGRAPHY

a. Political Narratives

Most of our national histories today favour narratives that deal with the
political aspects of nation-building such as the legacies of political leaders and
establishment of different governments.

Questions such as the following are focal points in these narratives: Who was
the first Spanish governor-general vital in implementing the encomienda policy? Who
was the governor-general responsible for the massive employment of Filipinos on
the American colonial bureaucracy? Who served as the last president of the
Philippine Commonwealth and the inaugural chief executive of the Third Republic?
The challenge to the present-day historian is to present a more holistic history that
goes beyond politics by means of integrating other aspects of nation-building such
as its economic and cultural aspects.

b. Colonial Histories in Historical Narratives

Another weakness of most national histories is the importance given to

colonial histories. This continues to breed Filipinos who are more familiar with stories
about our colonial history rather than stories of our precolonial past.

Up to now, some social studies textbooks misrepresent ancient Filipinos as

savages or barbarians by portraying colonizers, especially the Spaniards and
Americans, as liberators of the Filipinos from cultural backwardness. The key to
uncover such cultural prejudices is to examine available historical sources and to
write about our past by understanding the myths and misconceptions that
characterize the Filipino culture for centuries.

c. Elite-centric Perspectives in Historical Narratives

Some historical narratives focus on the contribution of the elite in nation-

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building such as what the ilustrados (educated Filipinos) fought for in the 19th century
or how local politicians negotiated with their American counterparts to obtain an
independence law during the first half of the 20th century. Though eminent historians
such as Constantino and Ileto reiterated the importance of a “people’s history” and
“history from below,” respectively, so much has to be done in terms of writing about
the roles played by ordinary people in our country.

d. Patriarchal Orientation in Historical Narratives

Most of the country’s historical narratives highlight the heroism of men in

different ways: leading revolts and liberation wars against colonizers, championing
the cause of independence, and spearheading political and economic development.
Women, on the otherhand, are viewed by several historians as merely support to
men. Let us take for example the women leaders such as Gabriela Silang, Tandand
Sora, and Corazon Aquino. Silang assumed the leadership of the Ilocos revolt after
her husband was murdered. Tandang Sora’s decision to offer her barn and farm to
revolutionaries was linked to her son’s involvement in the Katipunan. Aquino rose to
prominence as a martyr’s widow who led a movement to depose a dictatorship.
These representations show women’s roles as consequences of their connection to
the men in their lives. With this bias in mind, it is imperative for contemporary
historians to use gender-sensitive approaches in understanding history to avoid
typecasting women as dependent, emotional, less important, passive, submissive
and weak.

e. Emphasis on Lowland Christianized Filipinos

National histories tend to show partially toward lowland Christianized Filipinos

at the expense of other national cultural communities such as Muslim Filipinos and
other indigenous peoples. Celebrated figures of our past are all lowlander Christians
and predominantly Tagalogs including Jose Rizal, the leading propagandist; Andres
Bonifacio, the Katipunan founder; and Emilio Aguinaldo, the revolutionary leader
who declared independence. Non-Christians and highlanders remain unrecognized
in historical narratives. Muslim Filipinos, in particular, have been subjected to
negative characterization by lowland Christians in published works such as history
books. This is caused by the culture of mistrust that developed between Christians
and Muslims during colonial periods. Muslim Filipinos are depicted as brutal, cruel,
ferocious, and vicious as exemplified by their attacks of Christian towns. This
narrow-minded view has to be reevaluated in order to correct misrepresentations of
Muslim Filipinos in this age of political correctness and cultural sensitivity.

REFERENCES

Sources: Chronicles in a Changing World, Witnesses to the History of the Filipino

People

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Gottschalk, Loius. Understading History: A Primer if Historical Method, New

York: A.A.Knopf, 1969.

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