Readings in Philippine History

UNIT 1
UNDERSTANDING HISTORY
USING PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY SOURCES
Figure 1. Reseña Historica de la Inauguracion de la Iglesia de San Ignacio de Loyola de Manila en
1889. (Reseña, 1890).

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Readings in Philippine History

🙡🙡 Lesson 1 🙣🙣

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

Introduction

History is a boring subject for many. Students find it dull due to certain reasons as
previous techniques in teaching which tended to focus on memorizing the dates of historical
events, as well as the names of historical figures and the places where these events took
place. As such, it is the aim of this lesson to shed light on the meaning and relevance of
History in the daily lives of the Filipinos. Without dismissing the necessity of knowing the
answers to the basic questions of what, where, and when, studying history should be more
concerned in answering questions like ―Why a certain event happened?‖ and ―How did it
happen?‖ In the first place, why is it necessary to write history? Is it just a mere caprice of
the academician for him to brag his technical expertise? Can the study of history be useful in
understanding the different factors that led to the development of the present society?

Notwithstanding the necessity of writing history, the knowledge of identifying sources

and where to locate them are two of the basic lessons which a student of history should
learn. Sources are the primary foundation of history, needless to say in dealing with it.
Without the sources, the so-called historical narratives can be easily dismissed as historical
fiction. This lesson aims to give the students a preliminary background on the various
sources that could be employed in studying Readings in Philippine History, including certain
information on the repositories of these sources--physical or digital—so that the students
would know where to access them.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. Identify credible and authentic primary sources and know how to evaluate their
provenance.
2. Determine the various repositories of historical sources where

What is History?

History originated as a derivation of historia, an ancient Greek term for learning

through inquiry (Hoefferle, 2013). It is usually defined as the study of past events. Merriam
Webster Dictionary denotes that history refers to a chronological record of significant events
such as those affecting a nation or institution, often including an explanation of their causes.
The American Historical Association, on the other hand, currently defines history as the
never-ending process whereby people seek to understand the past and its many meanings.
Therefore, history is not only a mere collection of narratives compiled or collated by authors,
rather history employs a system to organize narratives. As what the Greek philosopher

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Readings in Philippine History

Aristotle once said, history is a systematic account of a set of natural phenomena. It is also
an investigative work because people aim to satisfy their thirst for truth. History attempts to
know the actions of human beings that were accomplished in the past (Collingwood, 1976).

In the Philippine setting, the classic definition of history is given by Zeus Salazar, a
notable historian and retired professor of the University of the Philippines. To him,
Kasaysayan, the counterpart of history in the mother tongue, is an essential narrative with to
a group of people that is characterized by uniqueness and identity. This uniqueness, as
opined by Salazar, is largely based on their own language and heritage, hence ―Ang
Kasaysayan ay salaysay na may saysay para sa isang grupo ng tao na may kakanyahan,
identidad na nakasandig sa sariling wika at kalinangan (Sebastian and Rosales, 2008).
Through this definition, Salazar reiterates that the essence of history depends on whose
history is being narrated and who the intended audiences are.

It is important to note that history is not the past, but rather a glimpse of the past. The
entirety of the past cannot be narrated and included in all of the written histories for the main
reason that not everything which happened in the past were recorded and/or documented.
Therefore, history does not create narration of past events; rather a recreation of past events
based on available materials.

The Relevance of History

Collingwood (1976) tells that history is valuable because it teaches people what they
have done and thus what man is. Through history, the present generation could assess the
feats and defeats of the previous generations and can learn not only from their errors but
also from their victories. The following relevance of history were enumerated by Peter
Stearns (1998).

∙ History contributes to Moral Understanding

∙ History helps us understand people and societies
∙ History provides Identity
∙ History is essential for Good Citizenship.

The Repositories of Historical Sources

Philippine Depositories. The foremost depository where students of history can go to is

the National Library of the Philippines (NLP). Holding a wide array of general and rare
collections on Philippine history, it includes the following units: (1) Filipiniana Division and (2)
Microfilm Section. These units, indeed, are very helpful to students in their academic
pursuits and research endeavors. Important documents such as the Historical Data Papers
and the Philippine Revolutionary Records are housed in this library.

The Archives of the University of Santo Tomas contains rich Spanish-era collection,
especially with regards to education-related records during the Spanish Period. The National
Archives of the Philippines (NAP) also contains rich Spanish-era collection, more particularly
when it comes to government-related records of the Spanish regime. If the students wish to
conduct researches on ecclesiastical-related topics, they can go and visit the Archdiocesan
Archives of Manila which is located in Arzobispado, Intramuros. This depository contains
vast information on Church affairs. It is also here where the infamous Retraction Letter of
Rizal was found. Moreover, the Manila Observatory Archives contains

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Readings in Philippine History

pertinent data regarding the various weather disturbances and conditions. This is due to the
fact that the Observatorio served as the weather forecasting bureau of the Spanish colonial
government.

Other institutions of higher learning boast their rich collections of both primary and
secondary sources. Among them are the University of the Philippines Main Library in
Diliman Quezon City; the Ateneo de Manila University‘s Rizal Library and Historical
Collection of the United States Embassy in Loyola Heights, Quezon City; and, the De La
Salle University Libraries in Ermita, Manila.

Students who wish to conduct researches on ethnic groups can visit the SIL
Philippines in Horseshoe Drive, Quezon City. The said archives offer almost 2,000 titles
relating to the languages of the Philippines. The archives of the Congregation of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM), also in Quezon City, offers collections on documents
written by CICM missionaries who were posted in the northern parts of Luzon. Other
depositories are the centers established by local historical networks. These centers provide
helpful sources about the history of their towns or provinces, thus the study of local history
becomes easier.

Spanish Depositories. The following are the principal Spanish depositories which contain
tons of collections pertaining to the Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines:

1. Archivo General de Indias (Seville)

2. ArchivoHistorico Nacional (Madrid)
3. Museo Naval de la Ministerio de Marina (Madrid)
4. Real Academia de la Historia (Madrid)
5. Biblioteca Nacional de Espana (Madrid)
6. Archivo de Ministerio de AsuntosExteriores (Madrid)

The Spanish government through the Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte launched the
Portal de Archivos Españoles (PARES) which offers free access to digitized copies of
documents and other sources that can be found in Spanish Archives. Through this initiative,
students of history in the Philippines can freely access digitized documents and other
sources online.

Mexican Depository. The Philippines was a part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, the
capital of which was situated in Mexico. The ties between the two Spanish territories ended
when Mexico gained its independence in 1821. Because of this, a multitude number of
sources could possibly be sitting in the Archivo General de la Nacion de Mexico which can
be very useful to students.

British Depository. For a brief period of time, that is from 1762–1764, the British occupied
Manila. It was through this invasion that some historical sources written during the Spanish
period made its way to the British Museum. As a matter of fact, Jose Rizal took some time to
research inside this facility in an attempt to annotate the Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas of
Antonio de Morga.

American Depositories. Among the main depositories in the United States of America
include the following:

1. National Archives and Records Service (NARS)

2. Library of Congress (Washington D.C.)

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3. Ayer Collection of the Newberry Library (Chicago, Illinois)

4. Lily Library (Bloomington, Indiana)
5. Harvard University
6. Stanford University
7. University of Michigan

The proliferation of online archives is also beneficial to researchers who do not have
the capacity to conduct research in any of the above-mentioned depositories. Although
many of their collections are yet to be digitized, archive.org and Project Gutenberg offer a
wide array of scanned sources which are available for download.

Classification and Types of Historical Sources

Sources are defined as artifacts that have been left by the past. They exist either as
(1) relics, (2) what we can call as remains, or (3) as the testimonies of witnesses of the past
(Howell and Prevenier, 2001). Based on this definition, the students can infer that historical
sources are not only confined to written documents but also to artifacts and ecofacts. A
basic definition from Collins English Dictionary relates artifact as ‗something made or given
shape by humans such as a tool or a work of art. On the other hand, Merriam Webster
Dictionary denotes artifact as a simple object showing workmanship or modification as
distinguished from a natural object. Basically, it is an object remaining from a particular
period. Examples are tools and ornaments.

It is easy to say that an artifact does not only refer to antiquated objects which are
usually associated with archaeological finds but to any object which were modified by
humans for their own purpose or consumption. Also, an artifact is a mute witness of the
period of its existence. On the other hand, ecofact, according to the Oxford Dictionary
pertains to an excavated piece of evidence consisting natural remains, as opposed to an
objects of human workmanship. To make it simple then, an ecofact is the direct opposite of
an artifact.

Main Types of Written Sources

Primary Source

A good definition of primary source is provided by Louis Gottschalk (1950) in his

book Understanding History. According to him, a primary source is ―the testimony of an
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.‖ Based on this definition, a myriad of examples include the following: diaries, audio
recordings, artifacts, letters, newspaper articles and documents such as birth certificates,
marriage contracts, and death certificates. Visual sources like works of arts, photographs
and videos are also included in this category.

Secondary Source

Gottschalk (1950) defines a secondary source as ―the testimony of anyone who is not an
eyewitness–that is, one who was not present at the events of which he tells.‖ Thus, the main
difference between it and a primary source is the presence of the writer or author or observer
 to the event being described. Secondary sources may include sources as

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Readings in Philippine History

bibliographies, commentaries, annotations, dictionaries, encyclopedias, journal articles,

magazines, monographs, and textbooks.

Unwritten Sources.

Unwritten sources include the following: (1) archaeological evidence; (2) oral
evidence; and (3) material evidence.

Types of Unwritten Sources

Archaeological Evidence. Archaeological evidence refers to remains such as artifacts and

ecofacts which help a historian in determining the culture of the area where the evidence
was found. Similarly, the ways of life of the people, including their artistic expressions, have
been etched in these materials. Archaeological pieces of evidence include tools, ornaments,
fixtures, etc.

Oral Evidence. Oral evidence pertains to folk tales, myths, legends, folk songs and popular
rituals. These sources might contain information pertaining to the culture of the people who
created them. These pieces of evidence can also give a glimpse of the people economic
activities at a given time, especially their socio-political organization and social condition.

Material Evidence. Material evidence includes photographs, art works, videos, and sound
recordings.
Activity

Propose a title for a possible research and come up with at least three (3) statements of
the problem or arguments. Prepare an outline which would determine the flow of your
research. Using digital archives, prepare a bibliography of the sources which you can
use in your research. Classify your sources according to type.

🙡❖🙣

References

Gottschalk, L. (1950). Understanding history. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Hoefferle, C. (2013). The essential historiography reader (1st Ed.). Pearson.

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Howell, M., & Prevenier, W. (2001) From reliable sources: An introduction to historical
methods. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

Rosales, A., & Sebastian, R. R. (2008) Historia: Pag-usbong, pakikipagtagpo at pagbubuo.

Manila: Mary Jo Publishing House.

Stearns, P. N. (1998). Why study history? Retrieved from https://www.historians.org/

about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/historical-archives/why-study
history-(1998).
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