History

• Historical sources serve as the bridge towards historical understanding about the past or the object of the study of the past
• Historical sources can be classified as:

  • Primary Sources
  • Secondary Sources
  • Tertiary Sources
• Primary Sources:

  • Direct firsthand evidences regarding an object, person, or work of art
  • Raw materials of historical research
  • Produced at the same time as the event, period, or subject being studied
• Examples of Primary Sources:

  • Artifacts, such as coins, plant specimens, fossils, furniture, tools, clothing
  • Audio recordings, like radio programs and oral histories
  • Records of organizations, government agencies
  • Interviews, eyewitness accounts, experiments, statistical data
  • Video recordings
• Secondary Sources:

  • Produced by an author who used primary sources
  • Analysis or restatement of primary sources
  • Describe or explain primary sources
• Examples of Secondary Sources:

  • Books, dictionaries, encyclopedias
  • Articles published in professional journals, magazines, newspapers
  • Unpublished masters' theses, dissertations, manuscripts
  • Websites, movie reviews
• Tertiary Sources:

  • Index, abstract, organize, compile, or digest other sources
  • Provide third-hand information by reporting ideas and details from secondary sources
• Examples of Tertiary Sources:

  • Dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, fact books
  • Wikipedia, bibliographies, directories
  • Manuals, handbooks, textbooks, indexing and abstracting sources
• Historical Criticism:

  • Branch of history that looks at evidence about economic and political events
  • Insists on understanding the author's biography and social background
• External Criticism:

  • Refers to the genuineness of the documents used in historical study
  • Involves verifying the authenticity of evidence by examining physical characteristics, consistency with historical characteristics, and materials used
• Internal Criticism:

  • Examination of truthfulness of the evidence
  • Focuses on credibility and reliability of the content of a historical source
• The word "history" is derived from the Greek term "historia" which means "inquiry or research"
• History deals with the study of past events presented in chronological order and often with explanation
• Individuals who write about history are called historians
• Historians seek to understand the present by examining what went before
• Aristotle defined history as a systematic account of a set of natural phenomena arranged in chronological order
• Thucydides and Herodotus defined history as learning inquiry about the past of mankind
• E.H. Carr defined history as a never-ending dialogue of events between the past and the present
• Will Durant stated that history is a narrative of events of what civilized men have thought and done in the past
• Jawaharlal Nehru believed the theme of history should be that of man's growth from barbarism to civilization
• History is to the human race whereas memory is to each man
• History helps individuals draw conclusions from past events, understand themselves, and avoid pitfalls of the present
• History makes a person's life richer and fuller by giving meaning to the books they read, cities they visit, and cultural performances they hear
• History broadens a person's outlook in life by learning and understanding various races, cultures, ideologies, habits, rituals, ceremonies, etc.
• History enables a person to grasp their relationship with the past and helps social and political scientists or researchers in their research
• History preserves the cultural values of a nation and guides society in confronting various crises
• History is like a bridge that connects the past with the present and points the road to the future
• Understanding Philippine History is essential to a good understanding of the condition of being human
• Studying history is important to learn about the past, understand the present, appreciate heritage, and acquire a background for critical thinking
• History as a discipline has various perspectives and questions, such as: What is history? Why study history? Is history for whom?
• Historiography is the history of history and focuses on studying the text, context of the text, author, historical method, and sources
• Historical sources serve as the bridge towards historical understanding about the past or the object of the study of the past
• Historical sources can be classified as:

  • Primary Sources
  • Secondary Sources
  • Tertiary Sources
• Primary Sources are direct firsthand evidences regarding an object, person, or work of art

  • They are the raw materials of historical research
  • Produced at the same time as the event, period, or subject being studied
• Examples of Primary Sources:

  • Artifacts (coins, plant specimens, fossils, furniture, tools, clothing)
  • Audio recordings (radio programs, oral histories)
  • Records of organizations, government agencies
  • Interviews, eyewitness accounts, experiments, statistical data
  • Surveys, fieldworks, internet communications, minutes of meetings
  • Video recordings
• Secondary Sources are produced by an author who used primary sources to produce the material

  • They describe or explain primary sources
  • Not evidence, but a commentary on and discussion of evidence
• Examples of Secondary Sources:

  • Books, articles, unpublished theses, manuscripts, websites, movie reviews
• Tertiary Sources index, abstract, organize, compile, or digest other sources

  • Usually not credited to a particular author
• Examples of Tertiary Sources:

  • Dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, fact books, Wikipedia, bibliographies, directories, manuals, handbooks, textbooks, indexing and abstracting sources
• Historical Source Data:

  • Primary sources give firsthand, original, and unfiltered information
  • Advantages: directly address your topic, provide unique information
  • Disadvantages: too close to the subject, time-consuming
  • Secondary Sources are one step removed from the topic
  • Advantages: provide expert perspectives and insights
  • Disadvantages: may require digging for information
  • Tertiary Sources provide third-hand information by reporting ideas from secondary sources
  • Advantages: offer a quick introduction to a topic
  • Disadvantages: may oversimplify or distort a topic