Nicole C.

Mangrobang, SPT (2024)

MEANING OF HISTORY, PRIMARY engagement in wars, struggles to win his
independence.
SOURCES VS SECONDARY
SOURCES  History traces fascinating story of how man
has developed through the ages, how he
HISTORY studied to use and control his environment
and how the present institutions have grown
 History was derived from the Greek word
out of the past.
“istoria” which means “knowledge acquired
through inquiry or investigation”. 3. History is concerned with man in time.

 As a discipline it existed for around 2,400  History deals with series of events and each
years and is as old as mathematics and event happens at a given point in time. It
philosophy. dwells on the human development in time.

 Provides significant records of events of the 4. History is concerned with man in space.
past, a meaningful story of mankind
depicting the details of what happened to  History talks about nations and human
man and why it happened. activities in the context of their physical and
geographical environment. It centers on the
VARIOUS HISTORIANS interaction of man on his environment and
vice-versa.
Jacob Burckhardt : “History is the record of what
one age finds worthy of note in another.” 5. History provides an objective record of
happenings.
Henry Johnson: “History, in its broadest sense, is
everything that ever happened.”  Historians are careful on the data they
include in their books. They base their data
V.S. Smith: “The value & interest of history depend
on original sources and make them free
largely on the degree in which the present is
from subjective interpretation.
illuminated by the past.”
6. History is multisided.
Jawaharlal Nehru: “History is the story of man’s
struggle through the ages against Nature and the  History is not limited to one certain aspect of
elements; against wild beasts & the jungle & some man’s life. it covers all other aspects as they
of his own kind who have tried to keep him down are all closely interrelated. A change in
and to exploit him for their own benefit.” politics could have an effect in other aspects
of the society.
11 NATURE OF HISTORY
7. History is a dialogue between the events
1. History is a study of the present in the
of the past & progressively emerging
light of the past.
future ends.
 The presence owes its existence on the
 Past events are interpreted and become
past. One cannot just leapfrog and ignore
predictor of new objectives.
what happened in the past. The past events
need to be unearthed to reveal how the 8. History is not only narration but it is also
present evolved out of it. an analysis.
2. History is the study of man.  History is not confined with narrative
accounts. It dissects and explains the
 History deals with man’s struggles through
occurrence of the event and how it
the ages. Past events are riddled with man’s
ultimately changes the society over time.
 Nicole C. Mangrobang, SPT (2024)
9. Continuity and coherence are the PRIMARY SOURCES
necessary prerequisites of history  Testimony of an eyewitness.

 History monitors development of the  It must have been produced by a

contemporary of that is narrated.
society, from generation to generation, after
series of event, justifying the essence of  It is a document or physical object written or
continuity. created during the time under study.
 These sources were present during an
10. History is relevant. experience or time period and offer an
inside view of a particular event.
 Only significant events which have KINDS OF PRIMARY SOURCES
influenced the society are covered and
1. Literary or Cultural Sources
essential to the understanding of the
present life.  Novels, plays, poems (both published and in
manuscript form)
11. History is comprehensive  TV shows, movies, or videos

 History is not limited to one period or to one  Paintings or photographs

country alone. It deals with all aspects of 2. Accounts that describe events, people,
human life – political, social, economic, or ideas
religious, literary, aesthetic, and physical,  Newspapers, Magazines
giving a clear picture of global linkage.  Chronicles or historical accounts
5 RELEVANCE OF HISTORY  Essays and speeches
 Memories, diaries, journals, and letters
1. History helps us understand people and
 Philosophical treatises or manifestos
societies.
3. Information about people
2. History contributes to moral  Census records
understanding.
 Obituaries
3. History provides identity.  Newspaper articles
 Biographies and autobiographies
4. Studying history is essential for good
citizenship. 4. Finding information about a place
 Maps and atlases
5. History is useful in the world of work.
 Census info
HISTORICAL SOURCES  Statistics
 Photographs
Historical sources
 City directories
An object from the past or testimony
concerning the past which historian’s use to create  Local libraries or historical societies
their own depiction of the past. 5. Finding information about an
 Written Sources: are published materials organization
(books,  Archives (sometimes held by libraries,
journals etc.) and manuscript (handwritten and institutions, or historical societies)
unprinted like archival materials and memoirs) 6. Others
 Non written Sources: Oral history, artifacts,  Historical record, records of social
observations, human fossils, artifacts, royal
fossils, etc decrees and laws, official reports, court
records
 Nicole C. Mangrobang, SPT (2024)
3 TYPES OF WRITTEN SOURCES  Internet
1. Narrative sources or literary sources tell  Market Consultants
a story or message. These include diaries,  Market Professionals
films, biographies, leading philosophical
works and scientific works.
2. Diplomatic sources include charters and Both primary and secondary sources are useful in
other legal documents which observe a set writing and learning history.
format. However, the need to scrutinize thoroughly these
3. Social documents records created by document to avoid deception and to come up with
organizations, such as register of births and the historical truth.
tax records. HISTORICAL CRITICISM
REPOSITORIES OF PRIMARY SOURCES  External Criticism - deals with the problem
4. National Archives of the Philippines of authenticity: to spot hoaxes, fakes,
forgeries and fabrications. Tests of
5. National Library of the Philippines
Authenticity are:
6. National Museum of the Philippines
 Determine the date if it is Anachronistic:
7. National Historical Commission of the a material, skill or culture does not exist
Philippines at that time.
8. U.P. Main Library  Determine the author in the uniqueness
9. OLFU Library of his handwriting or signature
10. Library of Congress  Determine the provenance or custody:
genuineness
11. National Archives and Records
Administration  Determine the Semantics, meaning of a
text or word
12. Lopez Memorial Museum
 Determine the Hermeneutics, the
13. Ayala Museum ambiguities (the branch of knowledge
SECONDARY SOURCES that deals w/ interpretation, especially of
the Bible)
 Interpret and analyze primary sources.
 Internal Criticism – deals with problem of
 One or more steps removed from the event.
credibility. The tests of Credibility are:
 Printed textbooks.
 Determine the Character of the Author,
EXAMPLES OF SECONDARY SORUCES his reliability, and his Ability and
 Books with endnotes and footnotes Willingness to tell the truth
 Biographies  Determine the Corroboration, historical
facts rest upon the testimony of two or
 Reprints of artwork more reliable witnesses
 Journal/magazine article which interprets or HISTORICAL METHOD
reviews previous findings
- The process of critically examining and analyzing
 Conference proceedings the records and survivals of the past
 Literary criticism  The historian is many times removed from
 Book reviews the events under investigation
 Most works incorporating primary sources  They rely on surviving records
SECONDARY RESEARCH SOURCES  History is a reconstruction
 Books
 Periodicals/Magazines
 Indexes
 Databases