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SS 22 Introduction to History

The document provides an overview of history, defining it as both the past and an account of the past shaped by human interpretation. It discusses the nature, value, and uses of history, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based analysis and the role of primary and secondary sources. Additionally, it highlights the necessity of critical evaluation of historical sources to ensure authenticity and credibility.

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2 views

SS 22 Introduction to History

The document provides an overview of history, defining it as both the past and an account of the past shaped by human interpretation. It discusses the nature, value, and uses of history, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based analysis and the role of primary and secondary sources. Additionally, it highlights the necessity of critical evaluation of historical sources to ensure authenticity and credibility.

Uploaded by

francisvj.2003
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to

History

MTA
- from an ancient Greek word , historia originally meant
inquiry, the act of seeking knowledge and the knowledge that
results from inquiry.
Herodotus as the Father of History
-Greek author of the first great narrative history
produced in the ancient world, the History of the
Greco-Persian Wars.

Historiography- the history, philosophy, and methodology


of history.
Meaning of History

1. History as the past-as-it-actually-happened or past as it is.


- entire scope of human experience.
-the sum total of everything that has actually
happened in the past
2. History as an account of the past
- the recorded past
-history as a creation of human
intelligence
“History is not ‘what happened in the past’;
rather, it is the act of selecting, analyzing, and
writing about the past. It is something that is
done, that is constructed, rather than an inert
body of data that lies scattered through the
archives.”
-- James Davidson
and Mark Lytle
Nature of History

1. Evidence-based
-based on surviving records.

2. Subjectivity
-individualized view of a
segment of past reality.
-We all have a unique “frame
of reference” that we use to
interpret daily experience
Value of History

1. Truth

2. Guiding signpost

Awareness of our limitations should make us chary of


condemning those who made mistakes, but we condemn
ourselves if we fail to recognize mistakes.
Uses of History
1. History provides us a sense of our own identity.

2. History helps us better understand the present.

3. History—good history—is a corrective for misleading


analogies and “lessons” of the past.

4. History enables us to understand the tendencies of


humankind, social institutions, and all aspects of the
human condition.
5. History can help one develop tolerance and open-
mindedness.

6. History provides the basic background for many other


disciplines.

7. History can be entertainment.

8. The careful study of history teaches many critical skills.


Historical Sources
A source is something that provides information about
the historical topic being studied.

They can either be written (e.g., books or


websites), or non-written (e.g., photographs
or artefacts).

No matter what you're doing in


History, you will use sources.
Primary Sources

-include documents or artifacts created by a witness to or


participant in an event. They can be firsthand testimony or
evidence created during the time period that you are
studying.

-eyewitness or participant writing down memories many


years after the event
Types of Primary
Examples
Sources
books, magazines, newspapers, government documents,
Published
reports, advertisements, maps, posters, legal
documents
documents, and other kinds of literature
Unpublished personal letters, diaries, wills, deeds, and school report
documents cards
Visual documents photographs, posters, cartoons, films, and paintings
pottery, furniture, clothing, buildings and other
Relics or Artefacts
excavated physical items
A photograph of an Igorot in the Bontoc Province of the Philippines Islands./ John Freeman, 1925.
Secondary Sources

-an account of the period in question written after the events


have taken place
-the interpretation, analysis or commentary about a primary
source.
Types of
Secondary Examples
Sources
popular history books, textbooks, academic works, and
Books
printed theses
Academic
Journal articles scholarly researches
and outputs
If you choose to use websites as secondary sources,
make sure you only use websites from respectable
Websites
individuals or institutions (universities, museums,
government archives, etc.).
Criticism of Historical Sources

To test is to criticize, and while criticism is not the chief end


of historical research, still, no conclusions may be made by
the research-worker until all his material has passed through
the sieve of historical criticism.
Criticism of Historical Sources
External Criticism
-determines whether the given material is genuine or not.
-checks the authenticity
-must be localized in time and place
Criticism of Historical Sources
Internal Criticism
-to establish the meaning and believability of the
contents.
-weighs the relation of the testimony to the truth.

**Investigate the character of the sources, knowledge of


the author, and the influences prevalent at the time of
writing
Historical Sources

No evidence can stand alone—corroboration.

Criticism is not a natural habit; it must be inculcated, and


only becomes organic by dint of continued practice.

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