Readings in Philippine History

In this new edition of the Readings in Philippine History, many changes have been introduced. Apart from numerous corrections, improvements and additions throughout the text, changes, were made in some of the documents which appeared in the preceding edition. Some documents have been omitted altogether. In the case of other documents, passages have been left out for the sake of brevity. In their abbreviated forms, however, the latter still retain their essential character and value as sources of historical information. These changes have been made to make possible the addition. of new material without increasing too much the volume of the new edition

Notable among the new features of the present edition are the material bearing on the life and works of Rizal. These have been added in view of the enactment of Republic Act No. 1425, popularly known as the Rizal bill. The law provides for the giving of courses on the life, works and writings of Rizal as a part of the curricula of all schools, colleges and universities of the Philippines, public and private. Such courses are needed, according to the sponsors of the measure in Congress, to imbue the youth of the country with the ideals of freedom and nationalism of Rizal. The new material on Rizal in the Readings will, it is hoped, contribute in some way to the fulfillment of the aims and objectives of the law. Select passages from well known works of Rizal have been included in the present edition to enable the student in the course in Philippine history to acquire a clearer understanding and a better appreciation of Rizal and of his place and significance in the history of the Philippines.

A new chapter, the last, has also been added in the Readings. Under the title, "Philippine Independence in the New Age", the chapter is intended to serve as a fitting epilogue to the story of the Philippine Revolution.