READINGS IN

PHILIPPINE HISTORY
Readings in Philippine History
Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3
Meaning and Relevance Text, Context, and Sub One Past but Many
of History context Histories

Unit 4
Unit 5
Social, Political,
Critical Evaluation and
Economic and Cultural
Promotion
Issues in the Philippines
CHAPTER 2:
SOURCES OF
HISTORY
Chapter Outline:
1. Distinction of Primary,
Secondary and Tertiary
Sources
• Primary sources
• Secondary sources
• Tertiary sources
2. External and Internal
Criticism
• External Criticism
• Internal Criticism
• General Principles of
Determining Reliability.
Introduction
• Most historical source materials can be grouped
into four basic categories: documents,
numerical records, oral statements, and
relics.

1. Documents are written or printed materials

that have been produced in one form or
another sometime in the past.
2. Numerical records include any type of
numerical data in printed or handwritten form.
3. Oral statements include any form of
statement made orally by someone.
4. Relics are any objects whose physical or
visual characteristics can provide some
information about the past. (Fraenkel &
Wallen, n. d.)
Introduction
The main emphasis in historical
research is on interpretation of documents,
diaries and the like. Historical data are
categorized into primary or secondary
sources.
A primary source is one prepared by
an individual who was a participant in, or
a direct witness. to, the event that is being
described.
Primary sources include first-hand
information, such as eyewitness reposts
and original documents.
Introduction
A secondary source is a document
prepared by an individual who was not a direct
witness to an event, but who obtained his or her
description of the event from someone else.
Secondary sources include secondhand
information, such as a description of an event by
someone other than an eyewitness, or a textbook
author's' explanation of an event or theory.
Primary sources may be harder to find but
are generally more accurate and preferred by
historical researchers. A major problem with
much historical' research is excessive reliance on
secondary sources. (Fraenkel & Wallen, n.d.;
"Historical Research Methods," n.d.)
Distinction of Primary,
Secondary, and Tertiary
Sources
Historians encounter a large variety of
sources during the course of their studies;
Sources can be labeled primary, secondary,
or tertiary, depending on their distance
from the information they share
Primary Sources
◦Primary sources give firsthand, original, and unfiltered information. Examples are eyewitness
accounts, personal journals, interviews, surveys, ' experiments, historical documents, and artifacts.
These sources have a close, direct connection to their subjects.
◦ Advantages and Disadvantages of Primary Sources

◦ Primary sources directly address your topic and often provide information that is unavailable
elsewhere. For example, the questions you compose for an interview or a survey will likely target your
unique interest in the topic. Similarly, to test a particular hypothesis, you can design your own experiment.
◦ On the other hand, some primary sources, such as eyewitness accounts, may be too close to the subject,
lacking a critical distance. Others, such as interviews, surveys, and experiments, are time consuming to
prepare, administer, and analyze
Secondary Sources
◦Secondary sources are one step removed from the topic. While they can be just as valuable as
primary sources, you must remember that secondary information is filtered through someone else's
perspective and may be biased.
◦Advantages and Disadvantages of Secondary Sources
◦Secondary sources provide a variety of expert perspective and insights. Also, peer review
usually ensures the quality of sources such as scholarly articles. Finally, researching secondary
source is more efficient than planning, conducting, and analyzing certain primary sources.
◦In contrast, because secondary sources are not necessarily focused on you specific topic, you may
have to dig to find applicable information. Information maybe colored by the writer’s own bias or faulty
approach.
Tertiary Sources
◦Tertiary sources provide third-hand information by reporting ideas and details from
secondary sources. This does not mean that tertiary sources have •no value, _merely that they include
the potential for an additional layer of bias
◦Advantages and Disadvantages of Tertiary Sources
◦Tertiary sources offer a quick, easy introduction to your topic. They may point to high-quality
primary and secondary sources.
◦Conversely, because of their distance, tertiary sources may oversimplify or otherwise distort a
topic. By rehashing secondary sources, they may miss new insights into a topic
Differences of Primary
and Secondary Sources
Sources of information are often categorized as
primary or secondary depending upon their
originality. What are the differences between
primary sources and secondary sources?
Differences of Primary and Secondary
Sources
Primary Sources
created at the time of an event,
or very soon after created by
someone who saw or heard an
event themselves often one-of-a-
kind, or rare letters, diaries,
photos and newspapers (can all
be primary sources)
Secondary Sources
created after event; sometimes a
long time after something happened
often uses primary sources as
examples expresses an opinion or an
argument
about a past event history text books,
historical movies and biographies
(can all be secondary
sources)
Types of Primary Sources
People use original, first-hand accounts as
building blocks to create stories from the past.
These accounts are called primary sources,
because they are the first evidence of something
happening, or being thought or said. Some
examples of primary source formats include:
• 1.Autobiographies
and memoirs
• 1. Autobiographies and memoirs
An autobiography is an account of a person's
life written by that person.
Autobiographical works can take many forms,
from the intimate writings made during life that
were not necessarily intended for publication
(including letters, diaries, journals, memoirs, and
reminiscences) to a formal book-length
autobiography.
An example of an autobiography is "Mga Tala ng
aking Buhay" written by Gregoria de Jesus about
herself, her husband Andres Bonifaci0f the
Katipunan and the Philippine Revolution
1.Autobiographies
and memoirs
• 1. Autobiographies and memoirs
The translation was done by Leandro H.
Fernandez, a University of the Philippines
History Profesor, and published in the June
1930 issue of the Philippine Magazine,
e
Volume XXVII, No 1. The original copy of
the document was furnished to Hernandez by
Jose P. Santos•
1.Autobiographies
and memoirs
• 1. Autobiographies and memoirs
A memoir is a history or record composed
from personal observation and experience.
Closely related to, and often confused with,
autobiography, a memoir usually differs chiefly
in the degree of emphasis placed on external
events; whereas writers of autobiography are
concerned primarily with themselves as subject
matter, writers of memoir are usually persons
who have played roles in, or have been close
observers of historical events and whose main
purpose is to describe or interpret the events
• 2. Diaries, Personal
Letters and
Correspondence
• 2. Diaries, Personal Letters and
Correspondence
A diary, a form of autobiographical
writing, is a regularly kept record of the
diarist's activities and reflections. Written
primarily for the writer's use alone, the diary
has a frankness that is unlike writing done for
publication. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d.)
An example is the diary of former President
Ferdinand E. Marcos
2. Diaries, Personal
Letters and
Correspondence
• 2. Diaries, Personal Letters and
Correspondence
Personal Letter
A personal letter is a type of letter (or
informal composition) that usually
concerns pernonal matters (rather than
professional concerns) and is sent from one
individual to another.
An example of a personal letter is that of
Marcelo H. del Pilar to his niece, Josefa
2. Diaries, Personal
Letters and
Correspondence
• 2. Diaries, Personal Letters and
Correspondence
Correspondence
A correspondence is a body of letters or
communications. If you've ever had a pen pal
or an email buddy, you've Written plenty of
correspondence.
Some examples of correspondence are those
body of letters between Jose Rizal and
Verdinand Blumentritt
• 3. Interviews, surveys,
and Field Work

• 3. Interviews, surveys, and Field Work

An interview is conversation where questions are
asked and answers are given. In common
parlance, the word "interview" refers to a one-
on-one conversation with one person acting in
the role of the interviewer and the Other in the
role of the interviewee. The interviewer asks
questions, the interviewee responds, with
participants taking turns talking. Interviews usually
involve a transfer of information from interviewee
to interviewer, which is usually the primary purpose
of the interview, although information transfers can
happen in both directions simultaneously
• 3. Interviews, surveys,
and Field Work

• 3. Interviews, surveys, and Field Work

A survey is a list of questions aimed at
extracting specific data from a particular
group of people. Surveys may be conducted
by phone, mail, via the internet, and
sometimes face-to-face on busy street corners
or in malls. Survey research is often used to
assess thoughts, opinions, and feelings.
Surveys can be specific and limited, or they
can have more global, widespread goals
• 3. Interviews, surveys,
and Field Work
• A field research or fieldwork is the
collection of information outside a
laboratory, library or workplace setting.
Field research involves a range of well-
defined, although variable, methods:
informal interviews, direct observation,
participation in the life of the group,
collective discussions, analyzes of personal
documents produced within the group self-
analysis, results from activities undertaken
off- or on-line, and life-histories.
Types of Secondary
Sources
Secondary sources were created by someone who
did not experience first-hand or participate in the
events or conditions you're researching. Some types
of secondary sources include: bibliographies,
nonfiction texts such as biographical works;
periodicals, newspapers, magazines, journals,
history books, works Of criticism and
interpretation, commentaries and treatises,
textbooks, video documentaries, and multimedia
reports.
1. Bibliographies
• An annotated bibliography is an organized
list of sources, each of which is followed by
a brief note or "annotation." These
annotations do one or more of the following:
describe the content and focus of the book or
article, suggest the source's usefulness to
your research, evaluate its method,
conclusions, or reliability, and record your
reactions to the source. (University of
Wisconsin System, 2018)
• An example is Dr. Jose Rizal's annotations to
Antonio de Morga's Succes0$ de las 191ns
Filipinas. '
2. Biographical
works
• A biography is a description of a real
person's life, including factual details as well
as stories from the person's life. The word
biography comes from the Greek words bios,
meaning "life" and -graphiä, meaning "writing."
Biographies usually include information about
the subject's personality and motivations, and
other kinds of intimate details excluded in a
general overview or profile of a person's life.
• An example of a biography is that of Andres
Bonifacio, the "Father of the Philippine
Revolution" and the President of the Tagalog
Republic
3. Periodicals
• Periodicals are newspapers, magazines,
and scholarly journals—all of which are
published "periodically." Some
periodicals are in print, some are
electronic, and some use both formats
(often with added information or a
multimedia element in the elec!ronic
version
A. Newspaper
• A newspaper is a periodical publication
containing written information about
current events. Newspapers can cover
wide variety of fields such as politics,
business, sport and art and often include
materials such as opinion columns, weather
forecasts, reviews of local services,
obituaries, birth notices, crosswords,
editorial cartoons, comic strips, and advice
columns.
B. Magazine and
Journal
• Unlike daily newspaper, magazines and
journals may be published weekly,
monthly, quarterly, annually, or at some
other interval. Print editions use better
paper and more color than newspapers
do. The main difference between
magazines and journals is their audience.
Journals. are written by scholars for
scholars; magazines are produced by
professional writers and editors for a
general readership
4. Literature reviews
and review articles
• A literature review is an evaluative
report of information found in the
literature related to your selected area of
study. The review should describe,
summarize, evaluate, and clarify this
literature. It should give a theoretical base
for the research and help you (the author)
determine the nature of your research.
(Central Queensland University., 2018)
4. Literature reviews
and review articles
• A review article summarizes the current
state of understanding on a topic. A
review article surveys and summarizes
previously published studies, rather than
reporting new facts or analysis. Review
articles are also called survey articles or, in
news publishing, overview articles.
Academic publications that specialize in
review articles are known as review
journals. (Wikipedia, 2018)
4. Literature reviews
and review articles
Film Review
◦The film review is a popular way for critics to
assess a film's overall quality and determine
whether or not they think the film is worth
recommending. Film reviews differ from scholarly
film articles in that they encompass personal and
idiosyncratic reactions to and evaluations of a film, as,
well as objective analyzes of the film's formal
techniques and thematic content. (Duke Thompson
Writing Program, n.d.)
◦An example is the review by Richard Kuipers on
"Heneral Luna: The Philppines' foreign-language
Oscar hopeful is a rousing historical epic set during
the PhilippineAmerican War."
 4. Literature reviews
and review articles
Book Review
◦ A book review is a form of literary criticism in
which a book is analyzed based on content, style, and
merit. A book review may be a primary source, opinion
piece, summary review or scholarly review. Books can be
reviewed for printed periodicals, magazines, and
newspapers, as school work, or for book web sites on
the Internet. A book review's length may vary from a
single paragraph to a substantial essay. Such a review
may evaluate the
◦ book on the basis of personal taste. Reviewers may use the
occasion of a book review for an extended essay that can be
closely or loosely related to the subject of the book, or to
promulgate their own ideas on the topic of a fiction or non-
fiction work
◦ An example is the review of Alfred P. James of University of
Pigtsburgh on the book "Understanding History — A Primer
of Historical Method (1950) by Louis Gottschalk, New York
Types of Tertiary Sources
• General references such as dictionaries,
encyclopedias, almanacs, and atlases,
• Crowd sources Wikipedia, YouTube, message
boards, and social media sites like Twitter
and Facebook.
• Search sites
 Repositories of Primary
Sources
There is no single repository of primary sources. Primary
sources are usually located in archives, libraries, museums,
historical societies, and special collections
A library is a collection of sources of information and
similar resources, made accessible to a defined community
for reference or borrowing. It provides physical or digital
access to material, and may be a physical building or room,
or a virtual space, or both. A library's collection can
include books, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts,
films, tnaps, prints, documents, miéroform, CDs,
cassettes, videotapes, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, ebooks,
audiobooks, databases, and other formats. Libraries range
in size from a few shelves of books to several million items
 Repositories of Primary
Sources
An archive is an accumulation of historical records or the
physical place they are located. Archives contain primary
source documents that have accumulated over the course
of an individual or organization's lifetime and are kept to
show the function Of that person or organization.
Professional archivists historians generally understand
archives to be records that have been naturally and
necessarily generated as a product of regular legal,
commercial, administrative, or social activities. They have
been metaphorically defined as "the .secretions of an
organism" and are distinguished from documentst that
have been consciously written or created to communicate
a particular message to posterity
Repositories of Primary
Sources
A museum is an institution that cares for
(conserves) a collection of artifacts and other
objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or
scientific importance. Many public museums
make these items available for public viewing
through exhibits that may be permanent or
temporary. (Wikipedia, 2018
Repositories of Primary
Sources
A historical society (sometimes also
preservation society) is an organization
dedicated to preserving, collecting,
researching, and interpreting historical
information or items. Originally, these
societies were created as a way to help
future generations understand their heritage
Repositories of Primary
Sources
In library science, special collections (Spec. Coll. or
S.C.) are libraries or library units that house materials
requiring specialized security and user services.
Materials housed in special collections can be in any
format (including rare books, manuscripts,
photographs, archives, ephemera, and digital records),
and are generally characterized by their artifactual or
monetary value, physical format, uniqueness or rarity,
and/or an institutional commitment to long-term
preservation and access. They can also include
association with important figures or institutions in
history, culture, politics, sciences, or the arts. (
 Defining History
by Robert Milton Underwood Jr.
• There have been many different approaches to
the study of History

• Idealism is the belief that history can be

described in terms of ideas-what people
thought and the intention of their actions. The
idealist of the mid-to-late 1800s cared not
only about the events but on what those events
meant. The problem with this viewpoint is that
we can’t always know what was intended.
Idealism can be limiting in accurately
portraying events as they really happened.
 Defining History
by Robert Milton Underwood Jr.
• Relativism is the belief that there is no
absolute truth and all views of history
are valid. Each individual sees the
world individually and each view is
valid. Relativism shows its inherent
weakness when a viewpoint attempts to
deny history, especially in the face of
overwhelming proof.