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MAIN TOPIC 1:
INTRODUCTION TO
HISTORY
Objectives
1. Understand the meaning of history as an academic
discipline and be familiar with the underlying
philosophy and methodology of the discipline.
2. Know the difference between primary and
secondary sources
3. Examine and assess critically the value of
historical evidence and sources
4. Appreciate research method in history
 Lesson 1
History: Introduction and
Historical Sources
 What is History?
- the study of the past
Introduction and Historical Sources

History - study and interpretation by a

historian on the data and other source of
the past human activity, people, societies
and civilizations leading to the present day.
 The past is not the same as history . The past involves
everything that ever happened that tell in the tree, and every
chemical change in this universe and others.

History, by contrast , is a person of interpreting evidence

or records from the past in a thoughtful and informed way.
History is the narrative that gives meaning, sense and
explanation to the past in the present.
Three important concepts

based on past events

interpreted by someone (historian)

rely on data and documents (historical sources)

 History’s Subject Matter

Historia (Greek) – knowledge acquired

through inquiry or investigation.
 The chronological record of
events based on a critical
examination of the source
materials and usually
presenting an explanation of
their causes.
The never-ending process whereby people seek
to understand the past and its many meanings

- the American historical association

History is not only mere collection of narratives
compiled or collated by authors, rather history
employs system to organize narratives.
 History is the systematic account of a set of
natural phenomena. It is also an investigation
work because people aim to satisfy their thirst for
truth.
Herodotus
What are the importance of History?
- to learn about the past
- to understand the present
- to appreciate heritage
- to broaden perspective
- to acquire background for critical thinking
“He who controls the past controls the
future. He who controls the present
controls the past.”

- George Orwell, 1984

 Historical accounts must be
based on all available relevant
evidence. Therefore a version of
the past that cannot be
supported by the evidence is
worthless.
National Library of the Philippines

Archives of University of Santo Tomas

National Archives of the Philippines

Archdiocesan Archives of Manila

Manila Observatory Archives

University of the Philippines Library

Ateneo de Manila University (Historical

Collection of United States of American
Embassy)
A. LIBRARY

A library is a collection of sources

of information and similar sources, made
accessible to a defined community for
reference or borrowing. It provides
physical or digital access to material , and
may be a physical building or rooms or a
virtual space, or both . A library’s
collection can include books, periodicals,
newspapers , manuscripts, films, maps,
prints, documents, microform CD’s,
cassettes, video tapes , DVD’s , Blu-ray
Disc’s, e- books, audio books , audiobooks,
databases, and other formats. Libraries
range in size from a few shelves of books
to several million items.
B. ARCHIVE

An archive is an accumulation of historical

records or the physical place they are located.
Archives contain primary source documents
that have over the course of an individual or
organization’s lifetime and are kept to show
the function of that person or organization .
Professional archivists and historians generally
understand archives to be records that have
been naturally and necessarily generated as a
product of regular legal, commercial,
administrative, or social activities. They have
been metaphorically defined as the
“secretions of the organism “ and are
distinguished from documents that have been
consciously written or created to
communicate a particular message to
posterity.
C. MUSEUM
A museum is an institution that cares for
( conserve ) a collection of artifacts and
other objects of artistic , cultural, historical,
or scientific importance. Many public
museums make these items available for
public viewing through exhibits that may
be permanent or temporary.
D. HISTORICAL SOCIETY
( sometimes also called
preservation society ) is an
organization dedicated to
preserving, collecting,
researching, and
interpreting historical
information or items.
Originally these were
created as way to help
future generations
understand their heritage.
 History and the Historian

Historian is an expert
or student of history.
 -seek not only historical evidence
and facts but also to interpret these
facts

-gives meaning to these facts and

organizes them chronologically
 -decide how useful it is and come
to conclusion based on what he has
found out
Authors define history as a study
of historical perspective.

A historian is influenced by
his own environment, ideology,
education, and influence.
 Scholars use historiography
or what they call history of history.

Historiography is the study of how

history was written, by whom and why
it was recorded as such.
 Interpretation about the past can be
objective or true as long as they are free of
inherent contradictions, are not contrary to
the laws of nature and are based on actual
remains from the time period referred to.
 -Historical method

- Historians must verify sources, to

date them, locate the place of origin
and identify their intended
functions. It is important for a
historian to base their accounts on
source materials.
 Sources of History

Historical sources are tangible remains

of the past.

Kinds of sources: primary, secondary, and

tertiary sources.
Primary sources: made during the time of
the events.

Secondary sources: made after the time of

the events.
 A. Primary sources
-testimony of an individual who was a
participant in or a direct witness to the event
that is being described.
Main categories of primary sources

1. written sources
2. numerical records
3. oral statements
4. relics
5. images
 1. Written sources
Travelogue

-provides a place to preserve

memories, provide a purpose
for travel, and offer a
connection with local
communities.
Newspaper
Archival Documents
 Memoirs

-an account of a
person's life written by
that person.
2. Numerical records
 3. Oral statements
“My first day was a scary one. There was a patient whose
earlobes were so long…he had no nose, only two holes on his
face, and no fingers, only the palm of his hands…the other
patients were in different stages of deformity.”

Sr. Maria Luisa Montenegro, SPC 1940

 4. Relics

Artifacts Ruins Fossil

(Balanginga Bells) (Callao man)
 5. Images

Photograph Map Painting

(Murillo Velarde map c.1734)
 B. Secondary Sources
-interprets and analyzes primary sources.

-prepared by an individual who was not a

direct witness to an event, but not who
obtained his or her description of the event
from someone else.
 Some types of secondary sources are history
textbook, printed materials (serials or periodicals
which interpret previews research), biographies,
nonfiction text such as magazine, journals, works
of criticism and interpretation.
 C. Tertiary Source
- information by reporting ideas and details
from secondary source.
Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Almanacs, Atlas,
Wikipedia, You Tube, Twitter and Facebook
 Primary source Secondary source Tertiary Sources
a document prepared
one prepared by an by an individual who
individual who was a provide third-
was not a direct
participant in, or a hand
witness to an event,
direct witness to, the information
but who obtained his
event that is being or her description of
described the event from
someone else.