Exercise

Can you find these words? Sources, Primary, Secondary

A Y H M Y R A D N O C E S P U

Y U O I Q P G A E E Y D T I W

A S O U R C E S T Y S I O H F

E H J K Ñ V P J O N C I E N T

F H F I B H T G Y R A M I R P
 CHAPTER 2:
HISTORICAL SOURCES
 Learning Objectives:

1. Differentiate primary sources from secondary and tertiary

sources
2. Identify examples of primary and secondary sources
3. Discuss the criteria for evaluating primary and secondary
sources
4. Analyze some historical documents published in the
Philippines.
 Historical
Methodology
It comprises certain techniques and rules
that historians follow in order to properly
utilize sources and historical evidences in
writing history.
 Three major steps in
historical research

01 02 03

Presentation of facts in a
Criticism of the data,
Collection of data readable form involving
including the internal
through primary and problems of organization,
and external
secondary sources. composition, exposition and
examination.
interpretation
 Historical
Source
is original source that contain
important historical information.
These sources are something
that inform us about history at
the most basic level, and these
sources used as clues in order to
study history.
Classification of Historical
Sources

01 02 03

Primary Secondary Tertiary

Sources Sources Sources
 Considered as contemporary
accounts of an event, personally
written or narrated by an
individual who directly
experienced or participated in the
said event
—Primary Sources
Examples of Primary Sources
Diaries Poems
Letters Novels
Interview
Plays
s
Oral
Histories Music
Photograp
Maps
hs
Family
Yearbooks
Scrapbook
Examples of Primary Sources

Government documents
Autobiographi
es
Event programs and
brochures
Film or TV news from time
period
Clothing and other
artifacts
Newspaper articles
Serve as interpretations or readings
of primary sources. The author
usually incorporates his insights and
interpretations thus detaching the
original value of the component of
the study
—Secondary Sources
Examples of Secondary
Sources
Book
s
Article
s
Websites
Biographi
es
Documenta
ries
Based on a collection of primary
and secondary sources

—Tertiary Sources
Examples of Tertiary Sources

Textbooks
Dictionaries and
Encyclopedias
Manuals, Guidebooks, Directories,
Almanacs
Indexes and
Bibliographies
 Note
:
Generally, there are only two classifications of historical
sources as primary or secondary sources. The tertiary
sources are lumped into the secondary sources. So the
examples given in the tertiary sources are classified
rather in secondary sources.
Sources can be both classified as primary and
secondary
1. Intellectual history topics.
For example, although scholarly journal articles are usually
considered secondary sources, if one's topic is the history of
human rights, then journal articles on human rights will be
primary sources in this instance. Similarly, research on the
thinking of a scholar will include her published journal articles as
primary sources.

2. Historical topics.
Magazine articles are secondary sources, but for someone
researching the view of judicial punishment in the 1920s,
magazines from that time period are primary sources. Indeed,
any older publication, such as those prior to the 20th century, is
very often automatically considered a primary source.
Sources can be both classified as primary and
secondary
3. Newspapers may be either primary or secondary.
Most articles in newspapers are secondary, but reporters may be
considered as witnesses to an event. Any topic on the media
coverage of an event or phenomenon would treat newspapers as
a primary source. There are so many articles and types of
articles in newspapers that newspapers can often be considered
either primary or secondary.
The following could be both primary and secondary
depending on the context and use

Photograph
s
Paintings
Movies
Poster
s
Oral histories
 Criticism of Data
is the practice of verifying the authenticity
of evidence by examining the physical
characteristics; consistency with the
historical characteristic of the time when it
External was produced, and the materials used for
the evidence.
Criticism
is the examination of the truthfulness and
factuality (credibility) of the evidence. It
looks at the content of the source and
examines the circumstance of its
Internal production. It could be done by looking at
the author, its context, agenda, the
Criticism purpose behind its creation.
 Evaluation of
Primary and
Secondary Sources
Most scholars use the following questions
to evaluate the validity and credibility of
sources of historical accounts.
1. How did the author know about the given
details? Was the author present at the event?
How soon was the author was able to gather
the details of the vent?
2. Where did the information come from? Is it a
personal experience, an eyewitness account or
a report made by another person?
3. Did the author conclude based on a single
source or on many sources of evidence?
Direct questions may include the
following;
1. How did the author know about the given
details? Was the author present at the event?
How soon was the author was able to gather
the details of the vent?
2. Where did the information come from? Is it a
personal experience, an eyewitness account or
a report made by another person?
3. Did the author conclude based on a single
source or on many sources of evidence?
Six Points Inquiries to Evaluate Primary
Sources (Garraghan, 1946)
1. Date- When it was produced?
2. Localization- Where did it originate:?
3. Authorship- Who wrote it?
4. Analysis- What pre-existing material served
as basis for its production?
5. Integrity- What was its original form?
6. Credibility- What is the evidential value of its
content?
Secondary sources must be used for the
following (Gottaschalk, 1969)
1. Deriving the setting wherein the contemporary
evidence will fit in the grand narrative of
history.
2. Getting leads to other bibliographic data
3. Acquiring quotations or citations from
contemporary or other sources
4. Deriving interpretations with a view of testing
and improving them but not accepting them as
outright truth.
Secondary sources from Indirect
Witnesses: Things to Consider
(Gottaschalk, 1969)
1. On whose primary testimony does the
secondary witness base his statements?
2. Did the secondary witness accurately report
the primary testimony as a whole?
3. If not, in what details did he accurately report
the primary testimony?
Secondary sources from Oral Tradition:
Things to Consider (Garraghan, 1950)
1. Broad conditions stated.
• The tradition should be supported by an
unbroken series of witnesses, reaching from the
immediate and first reporter of the fact to the
living mediate witness from whom we take it up,
or to the one who was the first to commit it to
writing.
• There should be several parallel and
independent series of witnesses testifying to the
fact in question.
Secondary sources from Oral Tradition:
Things to Consider (Garraghan, 1950)
2.Particular conditions formulated.
• The tradition must report a public event of
importance, such as would necessarily be
known directly to a great number of persons.
• The tradition must have been generally
believed, at least for a definite period of time.
• During that definite period it must have gone
without protest, even from persons interested
in denying it.
Secondary sources from Oral Tradition:
Things to Consider (Garraghan, 1950)
• The tradition must be one of relatively limited
duration. [Elsewhere, Garraghan suggests a
maximum limit of 150 years, at least in cultures that
excel in oral remembrance.
• The critical spirit must have been sufficiently
developed while the tradition lasted, and the
necessary means of critical investigation must have
been at hand.
• Critical-minded persons who would surely have
challenged the tradition — had they considered it
false —must have made no such challenge.
Three Preconditions before historical
source is considered (Howell and
Prevenier, 2001)
1. It must be comprehensible at the most basic level of
vocabulary, language and handwriting.
2. It must be carefully located in accordance with place and
time. Its author, composer and writer and the location
where it was produced/published should n]be noted for
the checking of authenticity and accuracy.
3. The authenticity of the source must always be checked
and counterchecked before being accepted as a credible
source in any historical findings. Subtle details such as
the quality of paper used, the ink or the watermark of the
parchment used and the way it was encoded.
Cases of Forgery and Misleading in the
Philippines
1. Ambeth Ocampo’s discovery of the alleged draft of Jose
Rizal’s third novel. The Makamisa. The stack of
writings was labelled Borrador del Noli Me Tangere.
Upon scrutinity, the novel was not connected to the Noli
Me Tangre and El Filibusterismo.
2. Roman Roque who forged the signature of Gen. Urbano
Lacuna that led to the captivity of Gen. Emilio
Aguinaldo. Roque also forged the signature of Jose Rizal
in the great retraction controversy.
3. The supposed autobiography of Josephine Bracken
written on February 22, 1897, which asserts her
marriage to Rizal under Catholic rites was also forged.
The penmanship of Bracken was entirely different from
the autobiography.
Seeven Factors to consider in Evaluating
Internal Criteria (Howell and Prevenier,
1. The genealogy of the document- refers to the
2001)
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/eyewitness account or merely passing of
existing information.
4. The interpretation of the document- pertains
to deducing meaning from the document.
Seeven Factors to consider in Evaluating
Internal Criteria (Howell and Prevenier,
2001)
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.