History 1

• History


  The study and interpretation of the written record of past human activity, people, societies, and civilizations leading up to the present day
• Geschichte


  The German word for history, derived from Geschehen meaning 'to happen'
• History (as used by Aristotle)


  • A systematic account of a set of natural phenomena, whether or not chronological ordering
• Historical method

  1. Selection of a subject for investigation

  2. Collection of probable sources of information

  3. Examination of sources for genuineness

  4. Extraction of credible particulars from sources

  5. Historiography (the writing of history)
• Historiography


  The imaginative reconstruction of the past from the data derived by the historical method
• Relevance of history


  • Allows us to understand our past
  • Allows us to understand our present
  • Learn from our mistakes and avoid repeating them in the future
  • Provides insight into our cultures of origin and increases cross-cultural awareness and understanding
• Why study history


  • History helps us understand people and societies
  • History helps us understand change and how the society we live in came to be
  • History contributes to moral understanding
  • History provides identity
  • Studying history is essential for good citizenship
• Primary sources


  Documents, physical objects and oral/video accounts made by an individual or a group present at the time and place being described
• Examples of primary sources

  • Diaries
  • Journals
  • Letters
  • Photographs and illustrations
  • Video and audio recordings
  • Maps
  • Newspaper articles from the time period
  • Archives and manuscripts
  • Pamphlets
  • Broadsides, posters and other ephemera
  • Autobiographical materials
  • Interview or speech transcripts
  • Oral histories
  • Artifacts
  • Government documents
• Importance of primary sources

  • Direct contact with the original records and artifacts invites students to explore the content with active and deeper analysis, and to respond thoughtfully
  • Critical thinking is developed as students probe the context, purpose, meaning, bias, and perspectives in their analysis of the past
  • A learn-led inquiry is being fostered
  • Realization that history is a reflection of various perspectives of those who interpret the past events
  • Brings back the story to history allowing students to share the author's perspectives
• Secondary sources


  Records based on primary sources that explain a certain event of the past through evaluation and interpretation
• Examples of secondary sources

  • Bibliographies
  • Biographical works
  • Reference books
  • Articles from magazines, journals, and newspapers after the event
  • Literature reviews and review articles
  • History books and other popular or scholarly books
  • Works of criticism and interpretation
  • Commentaries and treatises
  • Textbooks
  • Indexes and abstracts
• External criticism


  Identifying who composed the historical material, locating when and where it was produced, and establishing the material's evidential value
• External criticism


  • Looks into appearance, consistency with the historical period, medium of the source, quality of paper and ink, and grammar or handwriting of the author
• Internal criticism


  Determining the credibility and reliability of the content of a given historical source
• Internal criticism


  • Focuses on the quest for particular details, the author or creator, the situation surrounding its existence, and the intended audience or reader
• Relics are more credible sources than narratives
• Strong indications of the originality of a source increase its reliability
• The closer a source is to the event it describes, the more one can trust it to give an accurate historical description
• A primary source is more reliable than a secondary source, which is more reliable than a tertiary source
• Internal criticism


  Deals with the credibility and reliability of the content of a given historical source
• Internal criticism


  • Focuses on: [1] Quest for particular details, [2] Focus attention on the author or creator, [3] Situation surrounding its existence, [4] Intended audience or reader
• Neuman in 2013 has explained the difference between external and internal criticism
• Principles of source criticism for determining reliability

  • Human sources may be relics or narratives, Relics are more credible than narratives, Indications of originality increase reliability, Closeness to the event increases reliability, Primary sources are more reliable than secondary or tertiary, Consistency across independent sources increases credibility, Minimizing tendencies/biases increases credibility
• Types of published documents

  • Newspapers, magazines, books, reports, government documents, laws, court decisions, literary works, posters, maps, advertisements
• Published documents


  Readers must comprehend the background of the author as it may be written based on the author's perspective
• Types of unpublished documents

  • Diaries, journals, letters, wills, personal papers
• Unpublished documents


  May be difficult to locate as they are kept in private and may not be easily accessed by the public, Confidential and restricted from public use
• Oral traditions


  Traditions and histories or stories transferred through generations, Accepted as primary sources if from people who have actually witnessed or experienced the past events
• Reliability of oral traditions (from some cultures) that are still unwritten up to date must be properly evaluated
• Types of artworks and artifacts

  • Drawings, paintings, sculptures, photographs, artifacts
• Artworks and artifacts


  Visual documents that tell us several views of the past from the perspectives of creators, May have captured historic moments and provide evidence to change that happened over time
• Document


  A written source of historical information, or official and state papers such as treaties, laws, grants, deeds
• Human document


  An account of individual experience which reveals the individual's actions as a human agent and as a participant in social life
• Personal document


  A self-revealing record that intentionally or unintentionally yields information regarding the structure, dynamics and functioning of the author's mental life
• The National Archives of the Philippines (NAP) was established in 2007 to store, preserve, conserve, and make available to the public historical records and materials
• Holdings of the National Archives of the Philippines

  • Spanish Collection (16th-19th century manuscripts), American and Japanese occupation records, recent records (notarial documents, registers, civil service records, inactive government records)
• The National Library of the Philippines (NLP) is the repository of the printed and recorded cultural heritage of the country and other intellectual, literary and information sources
• The National Museum of the Philippines (NM) operates museums covering fine arts, archaeology, ethnography, and natural history