Republic of the Philippines

CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

Impig, Sipocot, Camarines Sur 4408
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: [email protected]
Trunkline: (054) 881-6681

Week 1 SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY AND

DISTINCTION BETWEEN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

Introduction

This module emphasizes the relevance of studying Philippine history in the 21st century.
It focuses on analyzing Philippine History from multiple perspectives based on selected primary
sources from various disciplines and genres.

Section 1: Distinction Between Primary and Secondary Sources

This section discusses the basic difference between primary source and secondary
source materials, and their importance in getting a better picture of what really transpired in
Philippine history. It also identifies the different kinds of primary sources and their possible
repositories

Intended Learning Outcomes:

1. Differentiate primary and secondary sources of historical records; and

2. Identify possible repositories of primary sources.

PRE-COMPETENCY CHECKLIST

Define the following terms:

History
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
Give Examples of primary and secondary sources

LEARNING RESOURCES
WATCH VIA YOUTUBE Primary and Secondary Source

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqXHO7bTPnw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOXfArLq6uY
 Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Impig, Sipocot, Camarines Sur 4408
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: [email protected]
Trunkline: (054) 881-6681

EXPLORE (DISCUSSION)

In conducting any historical research, different sources of information are required to

gain extensive knowledge on a particular topic. Some researchers rely on written sources while
others choose to make use of oral sources. It is important to know which among the gathered
sources can provide the accurate details and information about the historical event or subject
being researched on.

It is important to distinguish primary from secondary sources. The degree to which the
author of a piece is removed from the actual event being described illustrates whether the
source is reporting impressions firsthand or secondhand. As such, the primacy of primary over
secondary sources should be considered by every researcher.

Primary Sources are considered as contemporary accounts of an event, personally

written or narrated by individual person who directly experienced or participated in the said
event. Aside from eyewitness testimonies, primary sources also include materials that capture
the event such as photographs, voice and video
recordings, and the like. These sources can be in the
form of diary and journal entries, letters, memoirs,
journals, speeches, interviews, official records such as
government publications, minutes reports, artworks,
and artifacts.

Primary sources mostly include unpublished

works of individuals that were discovered after some
time such as during historical excavations and
historical researches done in public and private
libraries.

Secondary sources serve as interpretations or readings of primary sources. Usually,

the author of a piece incorporates his or her personal insights and interpretations, thus
detaching the original value of the component of subject being discussed. These sources
usually contain analyses of primary sources by experts, academicians, and professionals.
These are usually in the form of published works such as journals, articles, reviews, books,
conference papers, and documentaries.

Many historical researches also bank on secondary sources to get different perspectives
on a particular topic. However, relying too much on secondary sources may blur out the actual
details of particular historical events.
 Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Impig, Sipocot, Camarines Sur 4408
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: [email protected]
Trunkline: (054) 881-6681

REFERENCES:

 Readings in Philippine History by Nestor M. Asuncion, Geoffrey Rhoel C. Cruz pp 1 - 7

 Anonymous. (n.d). Historical method. Retrieved from
https://edwardseducationblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/historical-method.pdf
 Farrel, K. (2014) Primary and Secondary Sources in the study of history. Encased in steel.
Retrieved from www.encaseinsteel.co.uk/2014/09/19primary-and-secondary-sources-in-the-
study-of-history
 Redmon, R. (2013, December 2). Primary vs secondary sources [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://youtube/cqXHO7bTPnw

DISCUSSION BOARD

Answer the following questions:

1. What are the materials that to be considered as a Primary Sources?

2. Why the primary source is so important to develop a secondary source?

POST-COMPETENCY CHECKLIST

Write on a separate piece of short bond paper.

1. Give 10 examples of Primary and Secondary Sources.

2. Essay: Differentiate the importance of Primary and Secondary Sources as a reference in

reading Philippine History. (10pts)

Rubrics for Essay

Criteria 5 4 3 2
Organization Sophisticated Functional Confused and/or Minimal control of
arrangement of arrangements of inconsistent content
content with content that arrangement with arrangement.
evident and/or sustains a logical or without attempts
subtle transition order with some of transition.
evidence of
transition.
 Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Impig, Sipocot, Camarines Sur 4408
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: [email protected]
Trunkline: (054) 881-6681

Content Sharp, distinct Apparent point No apparent point Minimal evidence

controlling point made about a but evidence of a of a topic,
made about a single topic with specific topic.
single topic with sufficient
evident awareness awareness of task
of task

Section 2: EVALUATION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

Introduction

This section explains how to evaluate primary and secondary source materials. This also
elaborates on the primacy of primary sources over the secondary sources. In addition, this
presents the different points of consideration in analyzing both types of sources.

Intended Learning Outcomes

1. Identify the criteria in evaluating primary and secondary source materials;

2. Assess primary and secondary source materials; and

3. Evaluate the provenance of primary sources

PRE-COMPETENCY CHECKLIST

Define the following terms:

1. What are the criteria in evaluating Primary Sources and Secondary Sources?

2. Give an example of Primary Sources and explain why it is authentic as a Primary Sources
 Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Impig, Sipocot, Camarines Sur 4408
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: [email protected]
Trunkline: (054) 881-6681

LEARNING RESOURCES
WATCH VIA YOUTUBE Evaluating the Primary Source

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rar4eGmU5rM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmIMzHY1t-s

EXPLORE (DISCUSSION)

It is already common knowledge in the academe that both primary and secondary
sources are important in fleshing out the details of significant events in history. However,
classifying a source or secondary has never been an easy task. Nevertheless, the primacy of
primary over secondary source has always been recognized. This is due to the fact that primary
source provides better and more accurate historical details compared to a secondary source.
However, the authenticity and reliability of primary sources should be scrutinized before they
used.

In this day, and age, the proliferation of fake news is evident in both print and digital
media platforms. Thus, it becomes more apparent that sources of texts should be scrutinized for
their credibility.

Although primacy is given to primacy sources, there are instances when the credibility of
these sources is contestable. Garraghan (1950) identified six points to evaluate the authenticity
of a primary source.

1. Date – When was it produced?

2. Localization – Where did it originate?

3. Authorship – Who wrote it?

4. Analysis – What pre-existing material served as the basis for its production?

5. Integrity – What was it original form?

6. Credibility – What is the evidential value of its content?

The absence of primary documents that can attest to the accuracy of any historical
claims is really problem in the extensive study of history. In that sense, the significance of
secondary sources should not be discredited. Secondary sources are readily available in print
 Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Impig, Sipocot, Camarines Sur 4408
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: [email protected]
Trunkline: (054) 881-6681

and digital repositories. Secondary accounts of historical events are narratives commonly
passed on from one generation to the next or knowledge that is shared within a community.

Louis Gottschalk (1969) emphasized that it is impossible for historians to avoid using
secondary sources due to difficulty in accessing primary sources. Most often, historians depend
on secondary sources to improve their background knowledge of contemporary documents and
detect any errors they may contain.

Specifically, Gottschalk suggested that secondary sources must only be used for (1)
deriving the setting wherein contemporary evidence will fit in the grand narrative of history; (2)
getting leads to the other bibliographic data; (3) acquiring quotations or citations from
contemporary or other sources; and (4) deriving interpretations with a view of testing and
improving them but not accepting them as outright truth. Historians should be prepared to verify
the information provided by secondary sources.

Martha Howell and Walter Prevenier (2001) stated that before any source can be
considered as evidence in a historical argument, it must satisfy three preconditions

(1) It must be comprehensible at the most basic level of vocabulary, language, and
handwriting.

(2) The source must be carefully located in accordance with a place and time.

(3) Through the first two preconditions, the authenticity of the source must always be
checked and counterchecked before being accepted as a credible source in any historical
findings.

Given the possibility of forgery and mislabeling, historians not only evaluate the source
in terms of external characteristics that focus on the questions of where, when, and by whom.
They also evaluate in terms of internal criteria which include seven factors identified by Howell
and Prevenier (2001):

1. The genealogy of the document – refers to the development of the document. The
document may be original, a copy, or a copy of the copy.

2. The genesis of the document – includes the situations and the authorities during the
document’s production;

3. The originality of the document – includes the nature of the document whether it is
an eye/earwitness account or merely passing of existing information.
 Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Impig, Sipocot, Camarines Sur 4408
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: [email protected]
Trunkline: (054) 881-6681

4. The interpretation of the document – pertains to deducing meaning from the

document.

5. The authorial authority of the document – refers to the relationship between the
document’s subject matter and its author.

6. The competence of the observer – refers to the author’s capabilities and

qualifications to critically comprehend and report information.

7. The trustworthiness of the observer – refers to the author’s integrity – whether he

or she fabricates or reports truthfully.

In general, the reliability of primary sources is assessed on how these sources are
directly related and closely connected to the time of the events they pertain to. On the other
hand, the reliability of secondary sources depends on the elapsed time from the date of the
event to the date of their creation.

REFERENCES:

 Readings in Philippine History by Nestor M. Asuncion, Geoffrey Rhoel C. Cruz pp 22 –

27
 Cabrera, V. (2017, May 29). Fake news also hounded 1896 Philippine revolution.
Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/fake-news-also-
hounded-1896-philippine-revolution
 Smith, B. (n.d.). Historical Method: The How of historical inquiry. Retrieved from
http://www.textexcavation.com/historicalmethod.html

DISCUSSION BOARD

Answer the following questions below:

1. What are the things to be considered as a primary source and secondary source?

2. How reliable the secondary source as a reference in describing the history of the Philippines?

POST-COMPETENCY CHECKLIST
 Republic of the Philippines
CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Impig, Sipocot, Camarines Sur 4408
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: [email protected]
Trunkline: (054) 881-6681

Instructions: Read the full-transcript of the undelivered Arrival Speech of Senator Benigno
Aquino, Jr. and answer the following questions. The speech can be accessed at
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/631394/undelivered-speech-of -senator-benigno-s-aquino-jr

First Impressions
1. What are your first impressions about the undelivered speech?
2. What kind of document is it (letter, ad, newspaper, etc.)?

Looking More Closely

3. Is there a specific date on the speech? If so when is it? If there is none, are there clues that
might indicate when it was written?

4. Is there an indicated location? Where is it?

5. Who authored the document? Why did you say so?

6. To whom was the written document addressed? How did you know?

7. What is the purpose of the document? What made you think so?

Thinking Further

8. What do you think is the most important information that the author of the document was
conveying? Why?
9. Does the document convey a certain tone?
10. What does it imply?
11. What is the point of view of the author? Is it objective? Why?
12. What is the relationship between the writer and the audience? Explain.

Drawing Conclusions
What conclusions can you draw about the historical period when the speech was written.