Studying history allows us to gain valuable perspectives on the problems of our modern society.

Many problems, features, and characteristics of modern Philippine society can be traced back to
historical questions on our colonial past, as well as our pre-colonial culture. Our export-oriented
economy, for example, can be traced back to the ending of the galleon trade and the
subsequent liberalization and tying of the country to the world market, coupled with the lack of
industrial advancement in the islands. This and other lessons can be uncovered by digging
deep into the country’s past.
This also applies to other countries’ histories, and while studying the past may not actually
present a solution to current problems or directly answer questions, they lend new and
alternative perspectives to current situations and allow us to further understand current
problems.
History as a discipline allows us to see beyond textbooks and see the past through new lenses.
There were times in the Spanish colonial period where the clergy and religious orders assigned
to the country were the ones causing misery to the Filipinos, while there are times when the
Church truly cared for the natives and the government was the one doing the people harm. This
is an interesting part of our history that sadly reaches the textbooks in a boring, oversimplified
version that says all the Spanish were bad. If we cling to what the textbooks tell us then we will
already have a wrong understanding of Philippine history. The study of history allows us to see
beyond the standard textbook and to the primary source itself, interpreted into new and
alternative viewpoints.
Philippine history is in and of itself very interesting. Philippine history is a unique narrative of
colonialism, reaction, and revolution. It is also a culturally diverse country from precolonial
times. There’s an emerging trend to study the social history of the country (i.e. more on the day-
to-day experience of the Filipinos during certain periods) and uncover more stories beyond the
usual stories taught in schools across the country. The country’s experience of colonialism, the
rise of nationalistic feelings, and the people’s subsequent reaction may allow us to gain more
perspectives on nationalism and revolutions.
Examples of primary sources include diaries, personal journals, government records, court
records, property records, newspaper articles, military reports, military rosters, and many other
things. it is a document written by their selves
Secondary sources example are monographs, journal articles, biographies, encyclopedias, and
documentaries--anything that includes a list of historical sources. these are my examples
because Secondary sources are written after the historical event they describe has occurred.
These materials analyze primary sources and draw conclusions from them.