1.

Periods in Philippine History

 Pre-Spanish Period (Metal Age)

The first people in the Philippines, the Negritos, are believed to have come to the islands 30,000 years
ago from Borneo and Sumatra. Malay stock came from the south in successive waves, the earliest by
land bridges and later in boats called barangays. The Malays settled in scattered communities, also
called barangays, which were ruled by chieftains known as datus. Chinese merchants and traders arrived
and settled in the ninth century A.D. In the 14th century, Arabs arrived, introducing Islam in the south
and extending some influence even into Luzon.

 Spanish Period

Ferdinand Magellan claimed the Philippines for Spain in 1521, and for the next 377 years, the islands
were under Spanish rule. This period was the era of conversion to Roman Catholicism. A Spanish colonial
social system was developed, complete with a strong centralized government and considerable clerical
influence.

 American Period

Spain ceded the islands to the United States under the terms of the Treaty of Paris (December 10, 1898)
that ended the war. In 1901, Aguinaldo was captured and swore allegiance to the United States, and
resistance gradually died out. Manuel Quezon was elected president of the new government, which was
designed to prepare the country for independence after a 10-year transition period. World War II
intervened, however, and in May 1942, Corregidor, the last American/Filipino stronghold, fell. U.S.
forces in the Philippines surrendered to the Japanese, placing the islands under Japanese control. The
war to regain the Philippines began when Gen. Douglas MacArthur landed on Leyte on October 20,
1944. Filipinos and Americans fought together until the Japanese surrender in September 1945.

 Post-Independence Period

In 1972, President Ferdinand E. Marcos (1965-86) declared martial law, citing growing lawlessness and
open rebellion by the communist rebels as his justification. The assassination of opposition leader
Benigno (Ninoy) Aquino upon his return to the Philippines in 1983, after a long period of exile. Fidel
Ramos was elected president in 1992. Joseph Ejercito Estrada's election as president in May 1998
marked the Philippines' third democratic succession since the ouster of Marcos. Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo, elected vice president in 1998, assumed the presidency in January 2001 after widespread
demonstrations that followed the breakdown of Estrada's impeachment trial on corruption charges.

2. Theories how the past is being recreated

3. External vs. Internal Criticism

External criticism is a process by which historians determine whether a source is authentic by checking
the validity of the source. Refers to the legitimacy or authenticity of the document that a researcher
uses in a historical study. The purpose of external criticism is to identify the genuineness of a document.

Internal Criticism- refers to the accuracy of the contents within a document. Refers to what the
document says.

To authenticate a source, historians examine whether or not the language conforms to language used
during the period. They also investigate to see if the purported author exhibits ignorance of things that
someone during that time would know or, conversely, demonstrates knowledge of things not yet known
at the time.

4. Sources of history

A primary source is first-hand material that stems (roughly) from the time period.

A primary source is something that originates from the past. It can be a chronicle, a piece of pottery, or
even a piece of glacial ice that gives us climate data about the levels of atmospheric carbon one
thousand years ago.

A primary source is the evidence of an eye witness or mechanical device which was present at the time
of the occurrence of an event.

a secondary source work that is the result of reconstructing and interpreting the past using the primary
material, such as textbooks, articles, and, of course, websites such as this one.

Typically this is a recently written book that describes past events, often written by a historian or trained
scholar familiar about the time period and civilization in question.

The secondary source is the evidence of someone who was not present at the time of occurrence of the
event e.g., books written by historians.

5. Importance of History

Studying history is important because it allows us to understand our past, which in turn allows us to
understand our present. If we want to know how and why our world is the way it is today, we have to
look to history for answers.

Studying history can provide us with insight into our cultures of origin as well as cultures with which we
might be less familiar, thereby increasing cross-cultural awareness and understanding.