ASSESMENT AND

ANALYSIS OF
SOURCES
“History is written by the winners.”
– Napoleon Bonaperte
Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this chapter, the student is expected to:

1. Analyze the context, content, and perspective of
different kinds of primary sources
2.Determine the contribution of different kinds of primary
sources in understanding Philippine history.
3. Develop critical and analytical skills with exposure to
primary sources.
How to Evaluate and Analyze a Historical Sources?

SIX FEATURES OF HISTORICAL SOURCES:

1.INFORMATION
2.ORIGIN
3.PERSPECTIVE
4.CONTEXT
5.AUDIENCE
6.MOTIVE
INFORMATION
Its answer the question of the following:
• What is the explicit meaning of the source?
(Comprehension)
• What is the implicit meaning of the source?
(Interpretation)
• How does this source corroborate and contradict the
information from another source?
ORIGIN
Its answer the following question:
• Who created the source?
• What kind and type of source is it?
• What was their background?
PERSPECTIVE
Its answer the following question:
• From what point of view is the source created?
CONTEXT
Its answer the following question:
• When was the source created?
• What historical events happened at this time that are
important to the creation of this source?
AUDIENCE
• Who was the intended audience of the source?
• What is the intended audience of the text or artifact? How
does the text reveal the targeted audience?
MOTIVE

• For what purpose was this source made?

• Find out who the author is/was and the context he or she
wrote the book.
• What political and cultural institutions or events that
might impact on the author’s reason for writing this
source?
• What ongoing historiographical discussion (e.g., a hot
topic conference) do you think this source is contributing
to?
 Content and Contextual analysis of Primary
Sources
The historians primary tool of understanding and
interpreting the past is the historical facts. Such facts are
then analyzed and interpreted by the historian to weave
historical narrative.
Using primary sources in historical research entails two
kinds of criticism.
1.) External Criticism- Examines the authenticity of the
document or the evidence being used .
2.) Internal Criticism- examines the truthfulness of the
content of the evidence.
 EVALUATION OF THE SOURCES
The historian must be aware of the climate of opinion or
shared of values, assumptions, ideas, and emotions that influence
the way their sources are constructed and the way they perceive
those sources.
Good Historical Writing Includes:
1. A clear argument that has both logical an persuasive elements
2. Interpretations that strive to be as objective as possible but
openly acknowledging the underlying concerns and
assumptions.
3. Something new rather than simply re-hashing the work of
other authors- sometimes asking old questions and finding
new answers or asking questions which never been asked.
4.) A response to debates in the field of history,
either by challenging or reinforcing the
interpretations of other historians evidenced in the
footnotes and biography.

Determining what sources to use, and the level of

credibility and reliability of the sources, is an
important step in critical thinking for the historian.
Five R’s for thinking about Historical Significance
• Remarkable- the event/ development in the source was
remarked upon by the people upon by the people at the time
and/ since.
• Remembered- the event/ development in the source was
important at some stage in history within collective memory of a
group or groups.
• Resonant- people like to make analogies with the event, it is
possible to connect with experiences, beliefs or situations across
time and space.
• Resulting in Change- the event had consequences for the future
• Revealing- of some other aspect of the past.
 What Contribution of Different Kinds of Primary
Sources in Understanding Philippine History
Primary sources provide window into the past-
unfiltered access to the record of artistic, social,
scientific, and political thought and achievement
during the specific period under study, produced by
people who live that period.
Bringing young people into close contact with
unique, often profoundly personal, documents and
objects can give them a real sense of what it was like to
be alive during the long past era.
1.) ENGAGE STUDENT
- Primary sources help students relate personal way to the events
of the past and promote a deeper understanding of history as a series
of human events.
2) DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING SKILL
-In analyzing primary sources, students move from concrete
observations and facts to questioning and making inferences about
the materials.
3.) CONSTRUCT KNOWLEDGE
-Students construct knowledge as they formed reasoned
conclusion, base their conclusions or evidence, and connect primary
sources to the context in which they were created, synthesizing
information.
REFERENCES
- facingthepathshaping.com
- www.loc.gov
- scholar.google.com
- www.academia.edu
- lib.guides.umd.edu
- www.scholastics.com
-www.historyskills.com
-www.scribd.com
-www.course.hero.com
-www.studocu.com
-phi.history.ucla.edu