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Distinctions Between Primary and Secondary Sources

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38 views4 pages

Distinctions Between Primary and Secondary Sources

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Arianne Alovera
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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LESSON 2: Distinctions between Primary and Secondary Sources

Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:
1. identify primary and secondary sources;
2. explain the meaning of primary and secondary sources;
3. differentiate primary and secondary sources of historical records; and
4. demonstrate the ability to use primary sources to argue in favor or against a
particular issue.

PRIMARY SOURCES
Primary sources are people's original records of a specific event that have
gone through or witnessed. These could include letters, legislations, newspaper
articles, diaries, interviews, government documents, reports, photographs, literature,
and other creative outputs are examples of original works. Primary sources are
considered contemporary accounts of an event, personally written or narrated by a
person who directly experienced or participated in the said event. Aside from
eyewitness accounts, primary sources include photographs, voice and video
recordings, and other materials that document the event. These materials are
considered sources that directly narrate the details of the event. Some of these sources
can be in the form of diary and journal entries, letters, memoirs, journals, speeches,
interviews, official records such as government publications, minute reports,
artworks, and artifacts. In some instances, newspaper or magazine articles are also
considered primary sources as long as they were written soon after the events and not
as historical accounts.

To sum up, Primary sources are original, first-hand accounts of an event or


period that are usually written or made during or close to the event or period. These
sources are original and factual, not interpretive. Their key function is to provide
facts.

SECONDARY SOURCES

Secondary sources, on the other hand, serve as interpretations or readings of


primary sources. They explain a historical event by evaluating and interpreting the
records created during that period. Usually, the author of a piece incorporates his/her
insights and interpretations, thus detaching the original value of the component of the
subject being discussed. These sources may include studies, textbooks, journals,
commentaries, biographies, and literary and creative work criticism or reviews. Many
historical researchers also bank on secondary sources to get different perspectives on
a particular topic. However, relying too much on secondary sources may blur out the
actual details of particular historical events.
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For instance, if students want to study the Constitution from 1987, the Primary
sources include the Constitution itself, proclamations, speeches of the 48 legislators
who collaborated to draft it, and the Record of the 1986 Constitutional Commission.
On the other hand, its secondary sources could be things like published opinions about
the Constitution, annotations, and textbooks.

Therefore, primary and secondary sources should always be evaluated. Most


scholars use the following questions in evaluating 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 able to gather the details of the event?

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 many sources of
evidence?

In addition, when studying history, primary and secondary sources are both
crucial. However, it is preferred that students analyze and synthesize historical events
using primary sources. The following justifications support the use of primary
sources:
1. Students are encouraged to explore the material with active and in-depth
analysis and to respond thoughtfully when they have direct contact with the original
records and artifacts;
2. As students examine the context, purpose, meaning, bias, and perspectives in
their analysis of the past, critical thinking skills are developed;
3. A learner-led inquiry is being encouraged through the interaction with the
various historical sources;
4. People are beginning to understand that history is a reflection of the various
viewpoints of those who interpret historical events; and
5. Students can share the author's viewpoints because it recall a historical
incident.
If the evaluation of an available account shows any indication that it is
an interpretative work rather than a factual firsthand account, it is considered a
secondary source. Thus, when conducting historical research, it is important to
identify first whether the available sources are primary or secondary. This is to
determine how reliable and helpful these sources are.

WRITTEN AND NON-WRITTEN SOURCES OF HISTORY

Written sources are usually categorized in three ways:

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1. Narrative or literature, these are chronicles or tracts presented in a narrative
form, written to impart a message whose motives for their composition vary widely.
This includes scientific tracts, newspaper articles, ego-document, novels or films,
biography, panegyric, and/or hagiography. A narrative source is therefore broader
than what is usually considered fiction. (Howell & Preventer, 2001)
2. Diplomatic Sources, are understood to be those that document or record an
existing legal situation or create a new one, and it is these kinds of sources that
professional historians once treated as the purest, the “best” source. In short,
diplomatic sources are usually sealed or authenticated.
3. Social Documents are usually information pertaining to economic, social, political,
or judicial significance. They are records kept by bureaucracies. The best example is
government reports.

Meanwhile, unwritten sources are as essential as written sources. There


are two types: material evidence and oral evidence.

1. Material Evidence, also known as Archaeological Evidence is one of the most


important unwritten types of evidence. This includes artistic creations such as pottery,
jewelry, dwellings, graves, churches, roads, and others that tell a story about the past.
These artifacts can tell a great deal about the ways of life in the past, and their culture.

2. Oral Evidence is also an important source of information for historians. Much is


told by tales or sagas of ancient people and folk songs or popular rituals from the pre-
modern period of Philippine history. In the present day, interviews are another major
form of oral evidence.

Application
Direction: Name a historical event you wish to study, and identify the primary and
secondary sources of that historical event. Copy and answer on a whole sheet of
yellow paper to be passed on at our next meeting.

HISTORICAL EVENT:

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
______

PRIMARY SOURCES:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
______

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SECONDARY SOURCES:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
______

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