HISTORICAL

SOURCES
LESSON 2
Distinction of Primary and Secondary sources

Primary sources are those sources produced at the same time as

the event, period, or subject being studied. It contains original
information that is not derived from interpretation, summarizing or
analysing someone else’s work. Furthermore, they are first-hand
and not interpreted by anyone else

Secondary sources are those sources, which were produced by

an author who used primary sources to produce the material.
Historiography/historical method
(Internal and External)

History and historiography are two different things. History

is a discipline that focuses on studying the past; while
historiography or historical method is the history itself.
To make it clearer, historiography let the students have a better understanding of
history. They do not only get to learn historical facts, but they are also provided
with the understanding of the facts’ and historians’ contexts. The methods
employed by the historian and the theory and perspective, which guided him, will
also, be analyzed.
The following are some procedures for people who wanted to employ
historiography, as proposed by Bernheim(1889)and Langlois &
Seignobos(1898):
a. If the sources all agree about an event, historians
consider the event proved.

b. However, majority does no rule; even if most sources

relate events in one way, that version will not prevail
unless it passes the test of critical textual analysis.

c. The source whose account can be confirmed by

reference to outside authorities in some of its parts can be
trusted in its entirety if it is impossible similarly to confirm
the entire text.
d. When two sources disagree on a particular point, the historian
will prefer the source with most “authority” that is the source
created by the eyewitness.

e. Eyewitnesses are, in general, to be preferred especially in

circumstances where the ordinary observer could have accurately
reported what transpired and, more specifically, when they deal
facts known by most contemporaries.

f. If two independently created sources agree on a matter, the

reliability of each is measurably enhanced. g. when two sources
disagree and there is no other means of evaluation, then historian
stake the source which seems to accord best with common sense.
Aside from these procedures, historiography also involves the employment of internal and external criticisms.

● External criticism
 is the practice of verifying the authenticity of evidence by
examining its physical characteristics; consistency with the
historical characteristic of the time when it was produced;
and the materials used for the evidence.
● Internal criticism
 On the other hand, is the examination of the truthfulness of
the evidence. It looks at the content of the source and
examines the circumstance of its production
Other methods also used are as follows:

a. Positivism
b. Post colonialism
c. Annales School of Thought
d. Pantayong pananaw (for us-from us perspective)
The following are the other importance/values of history:

Disciplinary value Internationalistic

Informative value
Cultural and social
values
Political values
Nationalistic values
value
Educational value
Intellectual value
Ethical value
Vocational value