Readings in Philippine History

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Distinction of Primary and Secondary Resources

Module 2 Week 2 Distinction of Primary and

Secondary Resources

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. Discuss the primary and secondary resources of history
2. Determine the different primary and secondary resource of history
3. Appreciate the importance history in social and national life of the
Philippines
4. Determine the branches of social sciences

Historical Resources
Historian’s most important research tools are historical sources. In general, historical
can be classified between primary and secondary sources. The classification of sources
between these two categories depends on the historical subject being studied.

Category of Historical Resources

A. PRIMARY RESOURCES
 Primary sources are usually defined as first-hand information or data that is generated by
witnesses or participants in past events.
 Those sources produced at same time as the event, period, or subject being studied. These
materials are often located in the Special Collections of a library, rather than in the general
collection.
 Are characterized not by their format but rather by the information they convey and their
relationship to the research question. They include letters, diaries, journals, newspapers,
photographs, and other immediate accounts. The interpretation and evaluation of these
sources becomes the basis for research.
Examples:
If a historian wishes to study the Commonwealth Constitution Convention of 1935, his
primary resources can include the minutes of the convention, newspaper clipping, Philippine Commission
reports of the U.S Commissioners, records of the convention, the draft of the constitution, and even
photographs of the events.
The same goes with other subjects of historical study. Archival documents, artifacts,
memorabilia, letters, census, and government record, among others are the most common examples of
primary resources.

Course Module
 Figure1. Alibata

Figure2. Philippine Artifact

Figure3. Philippine Event

B. SECONDARY RESOURCES
 Those sources, which were produced by an author who used primary sources to
produce the material. In other words, secondary sources are historical sources,
which studied a certain historical subject.
Example:
The subject of Philippine Revolution of 1896, students can read Teodoro Agoncillo’s Revolt
of Masses: The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan published originally in 1956.
 Readings in Philippine History
3
Distinction of Primary and Secondary Resources

Figure 4. The Revolt of the Masses by Teodoro Agoncillo

We should not be confused between the difference of primary and secondary resources, as
mention above, the classification of sources between primary and secondary depends not on the period
when the source was produced or the type of the source but not on the subject of the historical research.
Both primary and secondary sources are useful in writing and learning history. However,
historians and students of history need to thoroughly scrutinize these historical sources to avoid deception
and to come up with the historical truth,
The historian should be able to conduct an external and internal criticism of the sources
especially primary resources which can age in centuries.
A. External Criticisms - sometimes called as “lower criticism”
- is the practice of verifying the authenticity of evidence by examining its
physical characteristics; consistency with the historical characteristics of the time when it was produced:
and materials used for evidence.
- Form and appearance and more particularly to question of authorship and
textual circumstances such as time, place and purpose.
- External criticism applies "science to a document." It involves such physical
and technical tests as dating of paper a document is written on, but it also involves a knowledge of when
certain things existed or were possible, e.g. when zip codes were invented.*

Course Module
 B. Internal Criticism- Sometimes called as “higher criticism”
- The examination of the honesty of the proof, it takes a gander at the substance
of the source and analyzes the condition of its generation. It takes a gander at the honesty and factuality of
the confirmation by taking a gander at the creator of the source, its unique situation, the motivation behind
its creation, the information which educated it, and its planned reason among others
- Inner feedback searches inside the information itself to endeavor to decide
truth- - realities and "sensible" understanding. It incorporates taking a gander at the evident or conceivable
thought processes of the individual giving the information.

References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals
1. Antonio, Eleonor D., Dallo, Evangeline M. at et al... ; 2010; Kayamanan (kasaysayan ng
Pilipinas); Sampaloc, Manila; Rex Book Store, Inc.
2. Agoncillo, Teodoro A.; 2010; Philippine History; South Triangle, Quezon City; C & E
Publishing, Inc.
3. Candelaria, John Lee P., Alporha, Veronica C.: Reading in Philippine History; Sampaloc
Manila : REX Book Store, Inc.
Online Supplementary Reading Materials
1. https://www.researchgate.net/application.TemporarilyBlocked.html
2. https://www.slideshare.net/myboyfriend10/external-and-internal-criticisms
3. http://vccslitonline.vccs.edu/mrcte/intextcr.htm