Primary Sources: A Weapon Against Historical Revision

Now, more than ever, the Filipino youth are constantly bombarded with information from social media. The internet gives everybody free access to information. Unfortunately, there are so many inaccuracies being spread online, most of them are created with the intention to twist history. It is, therefore, more important than ever that teachers take steps to protect their students from this type of information and ensure they learn the truth. One way to do this is by providing information and resources that will help them understand what actually happened in history and through the lens of primary sources or Primaryang Sanggunian.

Herodotus has been known to many as the “Father of History.” Some, however, would call him the “Father of Lies.” Herodotus was a Greek writer who pioneered the study of what is called today as history. Thus, he is remembered as the world’s first historian. He is best known for recounting the events during the Greco-Persian Wars. However, some of his critics would say that his claims regarding those events were mostly tall tales. While these criticisms have valid points, modern scholars consider Herodotus a reliable historian because of the recent archaeological discoveries that substantiate his claims.

Legitimate historical revisionism is not uncommon as new data are uncovered. Teachers, however, must be cautious of Historical Negationism which is commonly associated with the manipulation and distortion of historical records for a political end.

In the past years, we witnessed the influx of historical distortion on social media. Our learners and even adults quickly fell for different unverified posts on social media – be it historical, COVID related, or in any other subjects. We can now see people starting to question legitimate sources and would rather believe fabricated stories that would support their beliefs and opinions.

We have knowledge of recent events by witnessing them ourselves or by hearing about such events from different sources in mainstream and social media. For accuracy, we would rather witness an event rather than see it on the news. However, not all of us have the privilege of witnessing historic events in our country. We get to know certain events mainly through primary sources or as told to us by others. We may have witnessed some historical moments in our country. But things from the far past can just be viewed through the different artifacts from the past and in textbooks, told by different authors from their perspectives. We know our history from the point of view of different authors.

The teaching of primary sources or primaryang sanggunian used to be emphasized in the high school curriculum. Back when Philippine History was still a high school subject, learners were introduced to the concept of using Primaryang Sanggunian in understanding history. Primaryang Sanggunian or Primary Sources are documents, images, or artifacts that provide firsthand testimony or direct evidence concerning a historical topic. Primary sources are original documents created or experienced contemporaneously with the event being studied. Primary sources allow the learner a closer look at historical events. While we no longer have the Philippine History subject in high school, we can still encourage our learners to use and dig for primary sources to battle fake news and historical distortions.

Not having face-to-face classes make it hard for us, teachers, to correct our learners who are victims of different historical distortions. The highly politicized environment of our country since 2016 is only making our task more difficult. These hardships, however, should not stop us, social science teachers, from bringing the truth to light. We can help our students by giving them legitimate sources that would battle distortion in the narratives of our history. Specific promulgations, orders, and laws from the Philippine Gazette can offer some clarification regarding the decisions of previous administrations. Pictures, journals, and even letters will let our students see the realities of the past. Records from different organizations, financial institutions, and government agencies can speak volumes regarding the economic situation of our country. By giving our students as many primary sources as possible, we can help students learn about our country’s unbiased history and form their own opinions based on factual information. We owe it to the next generation to give them a strong foundation in knowledge so they can make decisions that will benefit our country as a whole.

According to our great hero Jose Rizal, “To foretell the destiny of a nation, it is necessary to open the book of her past.” It is then a must that teachers do their best to safeguard the truth and shield our past from historical distortions.