CHAPTER 2 – THE DIFFERENT HISTORICAL SOURCES AND CRITICISM Diary a form of autobiographical writing is a regularly kept record of the
is a regularly kept record of the diarist’s
2.2. TYPES OF HISTORICAL SOURCES
SOURCES
A source is anything that has been left behind by the past. It might be a
document, but it might alternatively be a building or a picture or a piece of ephemera –
a train ticket perhaps or a plastic cup. They are called 'sources' because they provide us
with information, which can add to the sum of our knowledge of the past.
CATEGORIES OF SOURCES
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.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOURCES
A. PRIMARY SOURCES
A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during
the time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time period
and offer an inside view of a particular event. Primary sources give us first hand, you-
are-there insights into the past. They are also the most important tools an historian has
for developing an understanding of an event. Primary sources serve as the evidence an
historian uses in developing an interpretation and in building an argument to support
that interpretation.
OTHER EXAMPLES OF PRIMARY SOURCES
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.
Memoir is a history or record composed from personal observation and experiences.
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.
activities and reflections. Written primarily for the writer’s use alone, the dairy has a
frankness that in unlike writing done for publication.
Personal Letter is a type of letter (or informal composition) that usually concerns
personal matters (rather than professional concerns) and is sent from one individual to
another.
Correspondence is a body of letters or communications. If you have ever had a pen
pal or an email friend, you have written plenty of correspondence.
Interview is a conversation where questions are asked and answer are given. It refers
to one-on-one conversation with one person acting in the role of the interviewer and
the other in the role of the interviewee.
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 internet, and face-to-face on
busy street corners in malls. Survey research is often used to assess thoughts, opinions,
and feelings.
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.
Photographs and posters are often considered it can illustrate past events as they
happened and people as they were at a particular time.
Paintings a form of visual art where paint or ink is used on a canvas or more often in
the past, wooden panels or plaster walls, to depict an artist’s rendering of a scene or
even an abstract.
Drawing s form of visual art in which a person uses various drawing instruments to
mark peer or another two-dimensional medium.
Speech is a form of communication in spoken language, made by a speaker before an
audience for a given purpose.
B. SECONDARY SOURCES
A secondary source is a document or recording that relates or discusses information
originally presented elsewhere. Secondary sources involve generalization, analysis,
synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of the original information.
EXAMPLES OF SECONDARY SOURCES
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, conclusion, or reliability and
record your reactions to the source.
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. It includes 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. Periodicals are newspapers,
magazines, and scholarly journals-all of which are published “periodically”. (News
Paper, Magazines and Journals).
Literature review is an evaluation report of information found in the literature related
to your selected area of study. (Film Review and Book Review)
C. TERTIARY SOURCES
It provides 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.
EXAMPLES OF TERTIARY SOURCES
Library is a collection of sources of information and similar resources, made
accessible to a defined community for reference and borrowing.
Archive is an accumulation of historical records or the physical place they are located.
We find primary sources in the archives. There are many kinds of archives, such as
those maintained by a religious order, which are called religious archives. In the
Philippines, the Dominicans have the Dominican Archives which is found in the
University of Santo Tomas. The Jesuits have theirs at the Ateneo de Manila
University. Some schools have their own respective archives such as the University of
the Philippines.
Museum is an institution that cares for (conserves) a collection of artifacts and other
objects of artistic, cultural, historical or scientific importance.
Historical Society (sometimes also preservation society) is an organization dedicated
to preserving, collecting, researching and interpreting historical information or items.
2.2. HISTORICAL CRITICISM AND BIAS
Historical criticism, also known as the historical-critical method or higher
criticism, is a branch of criticism that investigates the origins of ancient texts in order
to understand "the world behind the text".
TYPES OF HISTORICAL CRITICISM
EXTERNAL CRITICISM refers to the genuineness of the documents a researcher
uses in a historical study. It asks if the evidence under consideration is authentic. The
researcher checks the genuineness or validity of the source. It is what it appears or
claims to be? It is admissible as evidence.
INTERNAL CRITICISM refers to the accuracy of the contents of a document.
Whereas external criticism has to do with the authenticity of a document, internal
criticism has to do with what the documents says.
HISTORICAL BIAS
Bias is an inclination of temperament or outlook to present or hold a partial
perspective and a refusal to even consider the possible merits of alternative points of
view.
Merriam Webster: A tendency to believe that some people, ides etc. are better than
others that usually result in treating some people unfairly.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF BIASES
 Gender bias refers to a person receiving different treatment based on the
person's real or perceived gender identity.
 Cultural bias Is a tendency to interpret a word or action according to
culturally derived meaning assigned to it.
 Religious bias against individuals on the basis of religion or belief
 Racial bias is a system of structuring opportunity and assigning value based
on physical properties such as skin color and hair texture. This “system”
unfairly disadvantages some individuals and groups and damages their health
and mental health.
 Political bias.  emerges in a political context when individuals engage in an
inability or an unwillingness to understand a politically opposing point of
view.
Chapter 3
ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS OF HISTORICAL SOURCES
HISTORICAL SOURCES
Historical source is original source that contain important historical information. These
sources are something that inform us about history at the most basic level, and these
sources used as clues in order to study history Historical sources include documents,
artifacts, archaeological sites, features.
DEFINITION OF THE DIFFERENT HISTORICAL SOURCES
 CHRONICLE is an account or record of series of events means to write
about them or show them in broadcast in the order in which they happened.
 DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES a paradigm on equality, drawing on
the establishement and emerging principles of a law.
 MEMOIRS a historical account or biography written from personal
knowledge or special sources.
 PROCLAMATION a public official announcement, especially one dealing
with a matter of great importance.
 CARTOONS a simple drawing showing the features of its subjects in a
humorously exaggerated way, especially a satirical one in a newspaper or
magazine.
 SPEECH the expression or the ability to express thoughts and feelings by
articulate sounds.
 PAINTINGS a picture created by putting paint on a surface, or the activity or
skill of creating pictures by using paint.
 FILM is also called as movie, motion picture or moving picture, is a visual
art-form and usually with sound, that make up a story.
PAINTING
SPOLIARIUM (1884) by Juan Luna
The painting features a glimpse of Roman history centered on the bloody carnage
brought by gladiatorial matches. Spoliarium is a Latin word referring to the basement
of the Roman Colosseum where the fallen and dying gladiators are dumped and devoid
of their worldly possessions.
At the center of Luna’s painting are fallen gladiators being dragged by Roman
soldiers. On the left, spectators ardently await their chance to strip off the combatants
of their metal helmets and other armory. In contrast with the charged emotions
featured on the left, the right side meanwhile presents a somber mood. An old man
carries a torch perhaps searching for his son while a woman weeps the death of her
loved one.
The Spoliarium is the most valuable oil-on-canvas painting by Juan Luna, a Filipino
educated at the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura (Philippines) and at the Academia de
San Fernando in Madrid, Spain. With a size of 4.22 meters x 7.675 meters, it is the
largest painting in the Philippines. A historical painting, it was made by Luna in 1884
as an entry to the prestigious Exposicion de Bellas Artes (Madrid Art Exposition, May
1884) and eventually won for him the First Gold Medal.
THE MAKING OF THE PHILIPPINE FLAG by Fernando Amorsolo
The making of Philippine flag is a masterpiece painting by Fernando Amorsolo in
Philippines. Fernando Amorsolo was one of the most important artists in the history of
painting in the Philippines. No doubt he created such a wonderful artwork. The
painting shows three women namely Marcella Marino de Agoncillo (on the right side)
refer as the mother of the Philippine flag, with the help of Lorenza and Delfina
Herbosa de Natividad which is actually the daughter of Marcela. They was tasked by
Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo to sew the first flag for the new republic. The clothes that the
women are wearing are an older style, more vintage and really depict the traditional
styles. The skirts the women’s are wearing are long and their tops were like a
traditional “kimona”. The three women are sewing passionately which demonstrates
elegance.the painting was not that kind of vibrant in the eyes but canset your mood in
calm. The setting is inside of a house which is more like a “Bahay Kubo” The main
colors that was used in painting was brown, red, blue and yellow. The mood and visual
effect that this painting can be considered is calm and serene.
The painting shows a contrasts of colors of brown to yellow, it is not a harmonious.
The artist balanced his characters and the background in his painting which makes the
painting balanced.  There are no real lines in the painting because it is painted in a
pointillist style. The colors of the author set the moods of the audiences as warm by the
usage of brown and yellow colors. The yellow background signifies that it a beautiful
sunny day. The colors of the characters were also contrasted with the background
which made the painting calm as it seen. The artist shows rough texture in some parts
of the painting namely the dresses as well as in the backgrounds. The artist uses a
different color values for the dresses also to differentiate it from the background. That
made the painting realistic scene.
It is believed that Fernando Amorsolo made this painting to show the citizen of the
Philippines of how the Philippine flag was made and to remind them the traditions and
customs that we did not realize it becomes faded. To take care and give importance the
National flag which it symbolizes as white triangle stands for equality and fraternity;
the blue field for peace, truth and justice; and the red field for patriotism and valor.
The eight rays of the sun stand for the first eight provinces that the colonizers have put
under martial law. The three stars symbolize Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. These just
shows us to loved our country, be proud of it do not be ashamed because our ancestors
risked their lives for the freedom from the hands of the colonizers. It is really shown in
the painting of Amorsolo that he is a nationalistic person some his paintings portray
and commemorate the different tradition, cultures and customs of Filipino.