READINGS IN THE PHILIPPINES’ HISTORY
NON-WRITTEN EVIDENCES
HISTORY (EPICS AND SONGS, ARTIFACTS,
known as the study of the past. ARCHITECTURE, AND MEMORY.)
As a discipline existed for around 2,400
years and is as old as mathematics and HISTORIOGRAPHY
philosophy History of history
History thus became more inclusive and Allows the students to have a better
started collaborating with other disciplines understanding of the history
as its auxiliary disciplines. With the aid of
archaeologists, historians can use artifacts HISTORIANS
from a bygone era to study ancient His job is to seek historical evidences and
civilizations facts, but also to interpret these facts
HERODOTUS He is a person of his own who is influenced
Father of history by his own context, education, and
HISTORIA influences among others
Greek-knowledge acquired through inquiry “Facts cannot speak for themselves”
or investigation. It is the job of a historian to give meaning
Latin- the account of the past of a person to these facts and give them timelines
or group of people through written HISTORICAL SOURCES
documents and historical evidences The historian's most important research
Historians Traditional Mantra tools are historical sources.
“No Document, No History” The classification of sources between these
Unless a written document can prove a two categories depends on the historical
certain historical event, then it cannot be subject being studied
considered a historical facts. Primary Source
History progressed and opened up to the Primary sources are those sources produced
possibility of valid historical sources which at the same time as the event, period, or
were not limited to written documents like subject being studied.
(GOVERNMENT RECORDS, Secondary Source
CHRONICLERS' ACCOUNTS, OR Secondary sources are those sources which
PERSONAL LETTERS.) were produced by an author who used
primary sources to produce the material.
EXTERNAL CRITICISM Specifically, Gottschalk suggested that
practice of verifying the authenticity of secondary sources must only be used for
evidence by examining its physical (1) deriving the setting wherein the
characteristics; consistency with the contemporary evidence will fit in the grand
historical characteristic of the time when it narrative of history
was produced; and the materials used for (2) getting leads to other bibliographic data;
the evidence. (3) acquiring quotations or citations from
INTERNAL CRITICISM contemporary or other sources; and
looks at the truthfulness and factuality of (4) deriving interpretations with a view of
the evidence by looking at the author of the testing and improving them but not accepting
source; its context; the agenda behind its them as outright truth. Historians should be
creation; the knowledge which informed it; prepared to verify the information provided by
and its intended purpose, among others. secondary sources.
GARRAGHAN MARTHA HOWELL AND
(1950) identified six points of inquiries to WALTER PREVENIER (2001) stated that
evaluate the authenticity of a primary before any source can be considered as evidence
source: in a historical argument, it must satisfy three
1. Date - When was it produced? preconditions.
2. Localization - Where did it originate? Howell and Prevenier (2001):
3. Authorship - Who wrote it? 1. The genealogy of the document refers to the
4. Analysis What pre-existing material development of the document. The document
served as the basis for its production? may be original, a copy, or a copy of the copy;
5. Integrity - What was its original form? 2. The genesis of the document - includes the
6. Credibility - What is the evidential situations and the authorities during the
value of its content? document's production;
LOUIS GOTTSCHALK (1969) 3. The originality of the document - includes
emphasized that it is impossible for the nature of the document whether it is an
historians to avoid using secondary sources eye/earwitness account or merely passing of
due to difficulty in accessing primary existing information;
sources. 4. The interpretation of the document
pertains to deducing meaning from the
document;
5. The authorial authority of the document
refers to the relationship between the
document's subject matter and its author;
6. The competence of the observer - refers to
the author's capabilities and qualifications to
critically comprehend and report information;
7. The trustworthiness of the observer - refers
to the author's integrity-whether he or she
fabricates or reports truthfully.
CUSTOMS OF THE TAGALOGS
(TWO RELATIONS BY JUAN DE
PLASENCIA, O.S.F.)
