RPH Notes

VI. Critical thinking

I. Why Is It Important to Study History?  if you’ve ever served on a jury or read about a court
 history because history doesn’t stay behind us case, you know that reconstructing the facts of the
 helps us understand how events in the past made past isn’t a simple process
things the way they are today  you have to consider the facts at hand, look at how
 we not only learn about ourselves and how we they’re connected, and draw reasonable conclusions
came to be,
 develop the ability to avoid mistakes and create LESSON 1
better paths for our societies THE MEANING OF HISTORY

II. How does history impact our lives today?  HISTORY is derived from the Greek word historia
 events in the past have displaced families and which means learning by inquiry.
groups, changing the makeup of regions and often  Aristotle
causing tensions  A Greek philosopher looked upon history as
 have also created government systems that have the systematic accounting of a set of natural
lasted generations beyond when they started phenomena, that is, taking into consideration
 government had to learn how to help: Social the chronological arrangement of the account.
Security, emergency relief programs, and funding This explained that knowledge is derived
for unemployment efforts through conducting a process of scientific
investigation of past events.
III. What lessons can we learn from history?  World History is referred usually for accounts of
 History teaches us about things such as: phenomena, especially human affairs in
 why some societies thrive while others chronological order.
fail
 why humans have gone to war I. Theories constructed by historians in
 how people have changed society for the investigating history:
better
 isn’t a study of others 1) Factual history - presents readers the plain and
 learn about may have lived decades or even basic information vis-à-vis:
centuries ago, but their actions directly affect how a. the events (what),
we live our lives today b. the time and date with which the
 have been turning points in the story of our events happened (when),
societies c. the place with which the events took
place (where)
IV. How do past events help us understand the present? d. the people that were involved (who).
 History helps us understand change - understand
more about what created our present-day society; 2) Speculative history - on the other hand, goes
start to see what changes might happen in the future beyond facts because it is concerned about:
and what would drive that change a. the reasons for which events
 We learn from past mistakes - better happened (why)
understanding of the world and how it operates and b. the way they happened (how)
learn more about how conflict escalates in study of
wars  History - deals with the study of past events.
 We gain context for the human experience -  Historians
understand our own lives better and take  are individuals who write about history.
solace/comfort in the fact that others have gone  They seek to understand the present by
through similar struggles examining what went before.
 Unites the nation.  They undertake arduous historical research to
 Gives us our collective identity. come up with a meaningful and
 organized rebuilding of the past.
V. How do we study history?  Historiography
 there are many ways of studying and teaching  is the practice of historical writing.
history  the traditional method in doing historical
 high school classes full of memorization—names, research that focus on gathering of
dates, and places of major historical events  documents from different libraries and
 things have changed archives to form a pool of evidence
 use the internet and can find those facts on demand  needed in making a descriptive or analytical
 learning history is about making connections and narrative.
understanding not just what happened, but why.
II. The Modern Historical Writing: in this regard, but they differ at certain points since
historians deal with human testimonies as well as
1) examination of documents physical traces.
2) use of research methods from related areas of
study such as archeology and geography. V. HISTORICAL METHOD AND
HISTORIOGRAPHY
III. THE LIMITATION OF HISTORICAL
KNOWLEDGE  Historical Method
 The incompleteness of records has limited  is the process of critically examining and
man’s knowledge of history. analyzing the records and survivals of the past.
 Most human affairs happen without leaving  Historical Method and Historiography
any evidence or records of any kind, no  are simply called HISTORICAL METHOD.
artifacts, or if there are, no further evidence of  Historical analysis
the human setting in which to place surviving  is also an important element of historical
artifacts. method
 The past has perished forever with only
occasional traces. In historical analysis, historians:
1) select the subject to investigate;
1) History-as-actuality 2) collect probable sources of information on
 can be known to a historian only through the the subject;
surviving records. 3) examine the sources genuineness, in part
2) History-as-record of in whole; and
 surviving records, is only a tiny part the whole 4) extract credible “particulars” from the
phenomenon. sources (or parts of sources).

 Archaeological and anthropological discoveries  Historiography

are only small parts discovered from the total past.  Is the synthesis of the “particulars” derived.
 is the imaginative reconstruction of the past
(Archaeology is the study of human history and from the data derived by that process.
prehistory through the excavation of sites and the
analysis of artifacts and other physical remains)  Importance of Studying History
(Anthropology is the study of human societies and 1) Unites the nation.
cultures and their development) 2) Gives us our collective identity.
3) Lessons from the past can be used to make
 Historians study the records or evidences that sense of the present.
survived the time. They tell history from what they 4) Learning from the past mistakes can help us
understood as a credible part of the record. not to repeat them.
However, their claims may remain variable as there 5) Being reminded in the past can make people to
can be historical records that could be discovered, preserve and/or continue the good practices.
which may affirm or refute those that they have
already presented. This explains the LESSON 2
“incompleteness” of the “object” that historians PRIMARY versus SECONDARY SOURCES OF
study. HISTORICAL DATA

IV. HISTORY AS THE SUBJECTIVE PROCESS  HISTORICAL DATA

OF RE-CREATION  are sourced from artifacts that have been left
 From the incomplete evidences, historians strive to by the past. These artifacts can either be relics
restore the total past of mankind. or remains, or the testimonies of witnesses to
 For the historian, history becomes only that part of the past.
the human past which can be meaningfully  Historical Sources
reconstructed from the available records and from  are those materials from which the historians
inferences regarding their setting. construct meaning.
 Unlike the study of the natural science that has  Historical interpretation
objectively measurable phenomena, the study of  is thus the result of such construction of
history is a subjective process as documents and meaning.
relics are scattered and do not together comprise the
total object that the historian is studying. *The historical source provides evidence about the
 Some of the natural scientists, such as geologists existence of an event; and a historical interpretation is
and paleo-zoologists who study fossils from the an argument about the event.
traces of a perished past, greatly resemble historians
I. Relics, Artifacts and Remains  the charter, which is a legal instrument.
 offer researchers a clue about the past  A legal document is usually sealed or
 example, the relics or remains of a prehistoric authenticated to provide evidence that a legal
settlement. transaction has been completed and can be
 artifacts can be found where relic of human used as evidence in a judicial proceeding in
happenings can be found case of dispute.
 for example: a potsherd, a coin, a ruin, a  legal instruments issued by public
manuscript, a book, a portrait, a stamp, a piece authorities (such as kings or popes, the
of wreckage, a strand of hair, or other Supreme Court of the Philippines and
archaeological or anthropological remains. Philippine Congress)
 These objects, however, are never the  involving only private parties (such as a
happenings or the events; if written documents, will or a mortgage agreement).
they may be the results or the records of
events. 3) Social Documents
 Whether artifacts or documents, they are  are information pertaining to economic, social,
materials out of which history may bemwritten political, or judicial significance.
(Howell and Prevenier, 2001).  are records kept by bureaucracies.
 government reports
II. Testimonies of witnesses  municipal accounts
 whether oral or written, may have been created  research findings
to serve as records or they might have been  parliamentary procedures
created for some other purposes.  civil registry records
 All these describe an event, such as the record  property registers
of a property exchange, speeches, and  records of census
commentaries.
IV. NON-WRITTEN SOURCES OF HISTORY
III. WRITTEN SOURCES OF HISTORY
 Unwritten Sources
Categories of Written Sources:  are as essential as written sources.

1) Narratives or literatures Two Types of Non-Written Sources:

 are chronicles or tracts presented in narrative
for written to impart a message whose motives 1) Material Evidence
for their composition vary widely.  known as archaeological evidence is one of the
most important unwritten evidences.
 scientific tract is typically composed in  This include artistic creations such as
contemporaries or succeeding generations;  Pottery
 newspaper article might be instead to shape  Jewelry
opinion;  Dwellings
 personal narrative such as a diary or memoir  Graves
might be composed in order to persuade  churches
readers of the justice of the author’s actions;  roads, and etc. that tells stories about the
 novel or film might be made to entertain, to past.
deliver a moral teaching, or to further a  These artifacts can tell a great deal about the
religious cause; ways of life of people in the past, and their
 biography might be written in praise of the culture.
subject’s worth and achievements (a panegyric,  These artifacts can also reveal a great deal
a public speech or published text in praise of about the socio-cultural interconnections of the
someone or something or hagiography, the different groups of people especially when an
writing of the lives of saints). object is unearthed in more than one place.
 Commercial exchange may also be revealed by
*A narrative source is therefore broader than what the presence of artifacts in different places.
is usually considered Fiction (Howell &
Prevenier, 2001). 2) Oral Evidence
 Much are told by the tales or sagas of ancient
2) Diplomatic Sources peoples and the folk songs or popular rituals
 document/record of an existing legal from the premodern period of Philippine
situation or create a new one, and it is these history.
kinds of sources that professional historians  During the present age, interview is another
once treated as the purest, the “best” source. major form of oral evidence.
V. PRIMARY VERSUS SECONDARY SOURCES  Two Goals of Historical Criticism:
i. to discover the original meaning of the text in
Two general kinds of historical sources: its primitive or historical context and its literal
sense or sensus literalis historicus.
1) Primary sources ii. to establish a reconstruction of the historical
 are original, first-hand account of an event or situation of the author and recipients of the
period that are usually written or made during text.
or lose to the event or period.
 These sources are original and factual, not I. Two Types of Historical Criticism:
interpretive.
 Their key function is to provide facts. 1) External Criticism
 diaries  used to determine the authenticity of the
 Journals material or source
 letters  The critic should determine the origin of the
 newspaper and magazine articles material, its author, and the sources of
 government records (census, marriage, information used.
military)
 photographs 2) Internal Criticism
 maps  to weigh the testimony to the truth.
 postcards  The critic must examine the trustworthiness of
 posters the testimonies as well as determine the
 recorded or transcribed speeches probability of the statements to be true.
 interviews with participants or witnesses  This is a higher criticism since it deals with
 interviews with people who lived during a more important matters than the external form.
certain time
 songs  Historical criticism has its roots in the 17th century
 plays during the Protestant Reformation and gained
 novels popular recognition in the 19th and 20th centuries
 stories (Ebeling, 1963).
 paintings  The absence of historical investigation paved the
 drawings way for historical criticism to rest on philosophical
 sculptures and theological interpretation.

2) Secondary sources II. Advanced Historical Criticism:

 are materials made by people long after the
events being described had taken place to 1) Source Criticism
provide valuable interpretations or historical  analyzes and studies the sources used by
events. biblical authors
 A secondary source analyzes and interprets 2) Form Criticism
primary sources.  seeks to determine a unit’s original form and
 It is an interpretation of second-hand account historical context of the literary tradition
of a historical event. 3) Redaction Criticism
 biographies  regards the author of the text as editor of the
 histories source materials
 literary criticism 4) Tradition Criticism
 books written by a third party about a  attempts to trace the developmental stages of
historical event the oral tradition from its historical emergence
 art and theater reviews to its literary presentation
 newspaper journal articles that interpret 5) Canonical Criticism
 focuses its interpretation of the bible on the
LESSON 3 text of biblical canon
HISTORICAL CRITICISMS
III. Authenticity of Materials Tested in 2 Ways
 Historical Criticism
 examines the origins of earliest text to 1) Paleographical
appreciate the underlying circumstances upon  the deciphering and dating of historical
which the text came to be (Soulen & manuscripts
Soulen, 2001).  the material must be investigated based on the
time and place it is written.
  The critic must determine whether the material specialists who are familiar with
under investigation is raw, meaning unaltered, contemporary writing.
and it exists exactly as the author left it.  Often spelling particularly of proper
names and signatures, reveal forgery as
2) Diplomatic would also unhistoric grammar.
 the critical analysis of historical document to  Anachronistic references to events (too
understand how the document came to be, the early or too late or too remote) or the
information transmitted, and the relationships  dating of a document at a time when the
between the facts purported in the document alleged writer could not possibly have
and the reality. been at the place designated (the alibi)
 The content must be viewed in every possible uncovers fraud.
angle
 The authenticity of the material can be LESSON 4.1
examined from other genuine sources having CONTENT AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF
the same subject or written during the same SELECTED PRIMARY SOURCES
period.
 The similarities or agreements and differences  THE COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE of the past
or disagreements of some common details, through credible and reliable sources is essential to
such as the culture and traditions, and events the understanding and learning of the students of
during the period by which the document was their own history. History must be studied carefully;
made can be a basis for judging the hence it necessitates the application of historical
authenticity of the text. method. Historical method is the process of
critically examining and analyzing the records and
IV. TEST OF AUTHENTICITY survivals of the past (Gottshchalk, 1969).
 The intent of the application of historical method is
 To distinguish a hoax or a misrepresentation to make students competent in their interpretation
from a genuine document, the historian must of facts and critical analysis of historical narrative
use tests common in police and legal detection. or account. For this to be achieved, the students will
 Making the best guess of the date of the be engaged in content and contextual analysis of the
document, he/she examines the-materials to selected primary sources.
see whether they are not anachronistic
(belonging to a period other than that being I. Content analysis is a systematic evaluation of the
portrayed.): primary source be it a text, painting, caricature, and/or
 printing was unknown before the speech that in the process students could develop and
Industrial Era present and argument based on their own understanding
 paper was rare in Europe before the of the evidences from their readings. The students will
fifteenth century identify pertinent information from the text/document
 pencils did not exist there before the 16 and explain its importance to their understanding of
century history in the Philippine setting.
 typewriting was not invented until the
19th century II. Contextual analysis on the other hand, considers
 Indian paper came only at the end of that specifically the time, place and situation when the
century. primary source was written. The analysis as well
 The historian also examines the inks for signs includes the author’s background, authority on the
of age or of anachronistic chemical subject and intent perceptible and its relevance and
composition. meaning to the people and society today.
 Making the best guess of the possible author of
the document, he/she sees if he/ she can  The approach is essential to the enhancement
identify the handwriting, signature, seal, of student’s analytical and critical thinking
letterhead, or watermark. skills and their ability to articulate their own
views on the specific primary source.
 Isographies
 dictionaries of biography giving examples of
handwriting.
 Seals
 have been the subject of special study by
sigillographers, and experts can detect fake
ones.
 Anachronistic styles (idiom, orthography,
or punctuation) can be detected by
Kartilya ng Katipunan 14. Paglaganap ng mga aral na ito at maningning na
Emilio Jacinto sumikat ang araw ng mahal na Kalayaan dito sa
kaabaabang Sangkalupuan, at sabugan ng matamis
Mga Aral nang Katipunan ng mga A.N.B. niyang liwanag ang nangagkaisang magkalahi’t
magkakapatid ng ligaya ng walang katapusan, ang mga
1. Ang kabuhayang hindi ginugugol sa isang malaki at ginugol na buhay, pagud, at mga tiniis na kahirapa’y
banal na kadahilanan ay kahoy na walang lilim, kundi labis nang natumbasan. Kung lahat ng ito’y mataruk na
damong makamandag ng nagiibig pumasuk at inaakala niyang matutupad ang
mga tutungkulin, maitatala ang kaniyang ninanasa sa
2. Ang gawang magaling na nagbubuhat sa pagpipita sa kasunod nito.
sarili, at hindi sa talagang nasang gumawa ng kagalingan,
ay di kabaitan. The Katipunan Code of Conduct

3. Ang tunay na kabanalan ay ang pagkakawang gawa, 1. The life that is not consecrated to a lofty and
ang pagibig sa kapua at ang isukat ang bawat kilos, reasonable purpose is a tree without a shade, if not a
gawa’t pangungusap sa talagang Katuiran. poisonous weed.

4. Maitim man at maputi ang kulay ng balat, lahat ng 2. To do good for personal gain and not for its own sake
tao’y magkakapantay; mangyayaring ang isa’y higtan sa is not virtue.
dunong, sa yaman, sa ganda…; ngunit di mahihigtan sa
pagkatao. 3. It is rational to be charitable and love one’s fellow
creature, and to adjust one’s conduct, acts and words to
5. Ang may mataas na kalooban inuuna ang puri sa what is in itself reasonable.
pagpipita sa sarili; ang may hamak na kalooban inuuna
ang pagpipita sa sarili sa puri. 4. Whether our skin be black or white, we are all born
equal: superiority in knowledge, wealth and beauty are
6. Sa taong may hiya, salita’y panunumpa. to be understood, but not superiority by nature.

7. Huag mong sasayangin ang panahun; ang yamang 5. The honorable man prefers honor to personal gain;
nawala’y magyayaring magbalik; nguni’t panahong the scoundrel, gain to honor.
nagdaan na’y di na muli pang magdadaan. Value of time
6. To the honorable man, his word is sacred.
8. Ipagtanggol mo ang inaapi, at kabakahin ang umaapi.
7. Do not waste thy time: wealth can be recovered but
9. Ang taong matalino’y ang may pagiingat sa bawat not time lost.
sasabihin, at matutong ipaglihim ang dapat ipaglihim.
8. Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor before
10. Sa daang matinik ng kabuhayan, lalaki ay siyang the law or in the field.
patnugot ng asawa’t mga anak; kung ang umaakay ay
tungo sa sama, ang patutunguhan ng iaakay ay kasamaan 9. The prudent man is sparing in words and faithful in
din. keeping secrets.

11. Ang babai ay huag mong tignang isang bagay na 10. 10. On the thorny path of life, man is the guide of
libangan lamang, kundi isang katuang at karamay sa woman and the children, and if the guide leads to the
mga kahirapan nitong kabuhayan; gamitan mo ng buong precipice, those whom he guides will also go there.
pagpipitagan ang kaniyang kahinaan, at alalahanin ang
inang pinagbuhata’t nagiwi sa iyong kasangulan. 11. Thou must not look upon woman as a mere
plaything, but as a faithful companion who will share
12. Ang di mo ibig na gawin sa asawa mo, anak at with thee the penalties of life; her (physical) weakness
kapatid, ay huag mong gagawin sa asawa, anak, at will increase thy interest in her and she will remind thee
kapatid ng iba. of the mother who bore thee and reared thee.

13. Ang kamahalan ng tao’y wala sa pagkahari, wala sa 12. What thou dost not desire done unto thy wife,
tangus ng ilong at puti ng mukha, wala sa pagkaparing children, brothers and sisters, that do not unto the wife,
kahalili ng Dios wala sa mataas na kalagayan sa balat ng children, brothers and sisters of thy neighbor.
lupa; wagas at tunay na mahal na tao, kahit laking gubat
at walang nababatid kundi ang sariling wika, yaong may 13. Man is not worth more because he is a king,
magandang asal, may isang pangungusap, may dangal at because his nose is aquiline, and his color white, not
puri; yaong di napaaapi’t di nakikiapi; yaong marunong because he is a *priest, a servant of God, nor because of
magdamdam at marunong lumingap sa bayang tinubuan. the high prerogative that he enjoys upon earth, but he is
worth most who is a man of proven and real value, who
does good, keeps his words, is worthy and honest; he
who does not oppress nor consent to being oppressed, he
who loves and cherishes his fatherland, though he be
born in the wilderness and know no tongue but his own.

14. When these rules of conduct shall be known to all,

the longed-for sun of Liberty shall rise brilliant over this
most unhappy portion of the globe and its rays shall
diffuse everlasting joy among the confederated brethren
of the same rays, the lives of those who have gone
before, the fatigues and the well-paid sufferings will
remain. If he who desires to enter (the Katipunan) has
informed himself of all this and believes he will be able
to perform what will be his duties, he may fill out the
application for admission.