GEC 2 – Readings in
the Philippine
History
CHAPTER 1:
THE MEANING AND
RELEVANCE OF
HISTORY
BY: MA. KATHERINE M. LAFORTEZA, RCrim, LPT
DEFINITION AND NATURE OF
TheHISTORY
origin of the word History is associated with the Greek word ‘Historia’ that
means ‘information’ or ‘an enquiry designed to elicit truth’.
Different scholars have defined history differently. Following definitions
indicate the meaning and scope of History.
History is not just a catalogue of events put in the right order like a railway
timetable– A.J.P. Taylor
History is written by the winners – Napoleon Bonaparte
If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that
doesn’t know it is part of tree – Michael Crichton
Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it –
George Santayana
To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a
child – Marcus Tullius Cicero
The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their
history – George Orwell
Study the past if you would define the future – Confucius
History is a wheel, for the nature of man is fundamentally unchanging. What has happened before will
perforce happen again– George R.R. Martin
He who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth– Johann Wolfgang von
Goethe
A generation which ignores history has no past- and no future – Robert A. Heinlein
If we are to make progress, we must not repeat history but make new history. We must add to
inheritance left by our ancestors” – Mahatma Gandhi
We are not makers of history. We are made by history – Martin Luther King, Jr.
The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles – Karl Marx
Let us study things that are no more. It is necessary to understand them, if only to avoid them – Victor
Hugo
History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are
– David McCullough
The lack of a sense of history is the damnation of the modern world – Robert Penn Warren
A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots –
Marcus Garvey
History will be kind to me for I intended to write it – Winston S. Churchill
NATURE OF HISTORY
A study of the present in the light of the past: The present has evolved out of the past.
Modern history enables us to understand how society has come to its present form so that one may
intelligently interpret the sequence of events. The causal relationships between the selected
happenings are unearthed that help in revealing the nature of happenings and framing of general
laws.
History is the study of man: History deals with man’s struggle through the ages. History is not
static. By selecting “innumerable biographies” and presenting their lives in the appropriate social
context and the ideas in the human context, we understand the sweep of events. It traces the
fascinating story of how man has developed through the ages, how man has studied to use and
control Source: Google Image his environment and how the present institutions have grown out of
the past.
History is concerned with man in time: It deals with a series of events and each event occurs
at a given point in time. Human history, in fact, is the process of human development in time. It is
time, which affords a perspective to events and lends a charm that brightens up the past.
Father of History HERODUTOS
History is concerned with man in space: The interaction of man on environment and vice
versa is a dynamic one. History describes about nations and human activities in the context of
their physical and geographical environment. Out of this, arise the varied trends in the political,
social, economic and cultural spheres of man’s activities and achievements.
Objective record of happenings: Every precaution is taken to base the data on original sources
and make them free from subjective interpretation. It helps in clear understanding of the past and
enables us to take well-informed decisions.
Multisided: All aspects of the life of a social group are closely interrelated and historical
happenings cover all these aspects of life, not limited only to the political aspect that had so long
dominated history.
History is a dialogue between the events of the past and progressively emerging
future ends. The historian’s interpretation of the past, his selection of the significant and the
relevant events, evolves with the progressive emergence of new goals. The general laws
regulating historical happenings may not be considered enough; attempts have to be made to
predict future happenings based on the laws.
Not only narration but also analysis: The selected happenings are not merely narrated; the
causal relationships between them are properly unearthed. The tracing of these relationships lead
to the development of general laws that are also compared and contrasted with similar
happenings in other social groups to improve the reliability and validity of these laws.
Continuity and coherence are the necessary requisites of history: History carries the
burden of human progress as it is passed down from generation to generation, from society to
society, justifying the essence of continuity.
Relevant: In the study of history, only those events are included which are relevant to the
understanding of the present life.
Comprehensiveness: According to modern concept, history is not confined to one period,
country, or nation. It also deals with all aspects of human life-political, social, economic, religious,
literary, aesthetic and physical, giving a clear sense of world unity and world citizenship.
THE AIMS AND VALUES OF TEACHING HISTORY
AIMS OF TEACHING HISTORY
To promote self-understanding: History needs to be taught to promote self -
understanding. Everyone has a heritage that is uniquely his, a combination of racial,
national, family and individual traditions that are woven into his very being. Without
enquiry into these historical factors, man will remain a stranger to himself. Similarly, in
the absence of historical study, groups and persons will fail to comprehend their own
identity. Being a key subject, history provides useful information necessary for
understanding the common allusions in daily reading-names, places, dates and events
etc. Thus the knowledge of history is a part of the self-awareness and realization of our
environment.
To give proper conception of time, space and society: History gives a proper
understanding of the concept of time, space and society. It reveals the relationship of
the present with the past, the local with the distant and personal and national life with
the lives and the cultures of men and women in other countries, in time and space.
History is a link uniting each of us as an individual with a whole greater than ourselves.
To enable the pupils to assess the values and achievements of their own age: History
provides the youths the standards of reference against which they can measure the values and
achievements of their own age. This enables them to have an enlightened awareness of the
problems of modern communities, political, social and economic.
To teach tolerance: History teaches tolerance- tolerance with different faiths, different loyalties,
different cultures, different ideas and ideals.
To develop right attitudes: Development of right attitudes is based on an appreciation of things
which are worth-while in life. Attitudes depend upon intellectual and emotional factors. Scientific
attitude is intellectual, like, judgment based on facts are unaffected by personal feelings. The
teacher has to help his pupils in building up the right attitudes. But before being able to develop
desirable attitudes among his pupils by his own example, he himself must exhibit self-control,
patient, sympathy and self-respect.
To foster national feelings: An important objective of teaching history is the emotional and
national integration of Indian people. Emotional integration is a feeling of oneness among the
people of different cultures, religions, castes and languages. It is the sharing of certain common
objectives, ideals and purposes and giving them high place over smaller and sectional loyalties.
History can play a very important role in realizing this aim.
To develop international understanding: The swift growth of means of communication among
various nations has hastened the exchange of ideas and dependence on each other on various
aspects of life. History is one subject that can promote international understanding in the best
possible way. It can destroy prejudices existing among nations; it can also overplay the fundamental
unity and interdependence among nations and underplay the sources of disunity.
To give training for handling controversial issues: Teaching history helps pupils to handle
controversial questions in a spirit that searches for truth-insists on free discussion and permits
compromise. It can expose the pupils to a vast knowledge which will enable them to tackle
controversial issues objectively.
To help resolve our contemporary social and individual problems: History helps in resolving
our contemporary social and individual problems and developing mature judgments on immediate
social issues, trends and prospects in the field of commerce, industry, international affairs, regional
politics and other aspects of the contemporary society.
To promote socialization among pupils: An important aim of history teaching is the socialization
of pupils in order to make them well informed and enlightened citizens, capable of promoting
common welfare. Socialization awakens a sense of developing confidence, courage and happiness
within oneself. It develops individual and social virtues of initiative, thoughtfulness, righteousness,
constructive thinking, critical judgment, justice, tolerance, cooperation, fellow feeling and sacrifice
VALUES OF TEACHING HISTORY
Value is that experience or fruit which one gets in the path of achieving aim whereas aim is a
conscious and active purpose that we always keep before our mind. It always remains before us
in the path of achievement. History is valuable as a study in more ways than one. Some of the
values are general that is they apply to the teaching of the subject in all circumstances. Other
values are limited and specific. They apply to particular types of history, hold for a particular
level of schooling or are the necessary result of teaching if carried out in a particular way.
The values of teaching history may be stated as under:
Disciplinary value: History is quite fruitful for mental training. It trains the mental faculties such
as critical thinking, memory and imagination. It quickens and deepens understanding, gives an
insight into the working of social, political, economic, and religious problems.
Informative value: History is a wonderful treasure-house of information and can offer guidance
for the solution to all human problems pertaining to science and art, language and literature,
social and political life, philosophical speculation and economic development. History shows us
the roots without uprooting the tree. A mere emotional attachment to our past can do us little
good, unless it is accompanied with a sober, matured and rational assessment of the values
involved. History is a path finder of man’s future.
Cultural and social values: It is essential that one should understand the importance of his/her own
cultural and social values. We should also develop attachment towards our cultural heritage. History
makes us able to understand our present culture. It expounds the culture of the present time by
describing the past. It explains the origin of existing state of things, our customs, our usages, our
institutions. It enables us to understand that the transformations in human history were brought about
by change of habits and of innovation. One of the main motives of history teaching has been to
convey to the pupils the rich heritage of the mankind. It develops an understanding of the different
forces which have shaped the destiny of man and paved the way for his development in society.
Political values: History is regarded to be the past politics. According to T.S. Seeley, “The historian is
a politician of the political group or organization, the state being his study. To lecture on political
science is to lecture on history.” History stands as a beacon of hope when some nation is overcast
with dark clouds. History is extremely necessary for completing the political and social sciences which
are still in the making. History supplements them by a study of the development of these phenomena
in time.
Nationalistic value: History teaching renders an effective service in imbibing the young minds with
a sense of patriotism. It is through history alone that an Indian child comes to know of the various
deeds performed by such patriots as Emilio Aguinaldo, Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio and etc. By
reading their great lives and deeds, the child can easily be inspired to emulate them. A proper
teaching of history can prepare the way for sober nationalism.
Internationalis tic value: History shows the dependence and interdependence
of nations which is the root of internationalism. The domain of history is very
extensive and wide. Through a survey of world history, the young learners will
come to realize that although different peoples had and still have different
customs, habits, laws, and institutions; they have been striving towards the
same end. The realization of essential unity of human race is the first step
towards fostering universal understanding based on the virtues of tolerance,
kindliness, love, sympathy, and goodwill.
Educational value: History has unique value and importance because it is the
only school subject which is directly and entirely concerned with the behavior
and action of human beings. The imagination of the children is developed
through the teaching of history. It is logical to treat history as a temporal canvas
against which the facts learned in other subjects can be arranged. History is a
veritable mine of stories-stories can illustrate even subject of curriculum- the
only condition is that the teacher should know enough stories and should know
how to narrate them.
Intellectual value: A large number of intellectual values accrue from the teaching of history. It
sharpens memory, develops the power of reasoning, judgement and imagination. It cultivates the
qualities of reading, analyzing, criticizing, and arriving at conclusions. In historical writings our past
is alive and treasured in the form of chronicles, biographies, stories and other forms of literary
tradition. Once the pupils’ curiosity is aroused and interest awakened, he can easily browse the
vast pastures of historical knowledge.
Ethical value: History is important in the curriculum because it helps in the teaching of morality.
Through it a child comes close to the valuable thoughts of saints, reformers, leaders, important
persons and sages. The children get inspired by the life stories of these great leaders. There are
other arguments that go against this notion that history gives ethical teaching.
Vocational value: History has its vocational value. There are several openings for persons well
qualified in the subject. They can get jobs of teachers, librarians, archivists, curators of museums,
secretaries of institutions, social service workers, and political journalists etc.
The aims and objectives of teaching history have undergone changes with the shift in the
philosophical thinking of the time and changes in the social and political practices. Determination
of aims and objectives is necessary. Instructional objectives need to be clearly defined. The pupils
should acquire knowledge, should develop specific understandings, attitudes, interests and
appreciations, relevant to history.
References
Gottschalk, L. (1951). A primer historical method: Understanding History.
Pp. xix, 290, vii. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Howell, M. & Prevenier, W. (200). History. I. The Source: The Basis of Our
Knowledge about the Past. Publishing House
Steve, h. and [Link]. (2015). “The History” at publishing of The Alpha
History. Alpha History Publishing House.
Scott, W.H. (2005) Pre-Hispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine
History (pp. 90135). Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
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