READINGS IN PHILIPPINE
HISTORY
Prof. Rolly Gacelo
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EVALUATION OF
PRIMARY &
SECONDARY SOURCES
AT THE END OF THIS LESSON:
• Identify the criteria in evaluating
primary and secondary source
materials
• Assess primary and secondary
source materials
• evaluate the provenance of primary
sources
When to consider
sources as
evidence in
historical
argument?
An
Introduction to
Historical Methods by
Martha C. Howell
and Walter Prevenier
It must be comprehensible in the most basic
level of vocabulary, language, handwriting.
Source must be carefully located in accordance with
place and time. Author, composer, writer and
location where it was piublished must be checked for
authenticity.
Authenticity must be checked and counterchecked,
including details of paper, ink, watermark and others.
HISTORIANS MUST BE ABLE TO
EVALUATING
PRIMARY SOURCES
SIXSIX
POINTS
OFOF
INQUIRIES
POINTS
INQUIRIES
1. Date - When was it produced?
2. Localization - Where did it originate?
3. Authorship - Who wrote it?
4. Analysis - What pre-existing material served as the
basis for its production?
5. Integrity - What was its orignal form?
6. Credibility - What is the evidential value of its content?
Actual letter of Rizal to his sister Maria
detailing his views on the latter's
marriage and showing his love for his
family while away in Hong Kong.
1. Date
2. Localization
3. Authorship
4. Analysis
5. Integrity
6. Credibility
EVALUATING
SECONDARY
SOURCES
Louis Gottschalk said secondary sources must only be used for
1. deriving the setting wherein
the contemporary evidence will fit
in the grand narrative
2. getting leads to other
biographic data
Louis Gottschalk said secondary sources must only be used for
3. acquiring quotations or citations
from contemporary or other sources
4. deriving interpretations with a
view of testing and improving them
but not accepting them as outright
truth
In the Philippines where there is
not enough documentation of oral
history, evaluation of sources must
be performed more sternly. This
applies to both PRIMARY and
SECONDARY sources.
Secondary sources can fill in the
gaps in the absence of primary
sources.
They can:
• improve background knowledge
• detect inconsistencies and errors
Evaluation based on seven (7) internal criteria/factors
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
genealogy of the document
genesis of the document
originality of the document
interpretation of the document
authorial authority of the document
competence of the observer
trustworthiness of the observer
How to assess
reliability of each type
of primary source?
1. PRIMARY: Assess how they are directly
related and closely related to the time of
the events they pertain in.
“Your advice for me to stay in Madrid
and write from there is very kind of
you, but I cannot even accept it. Life
is difficult in Madrid. All of us there
are but “vox clamantis in deserto”.*
My relatives preferred seeing me and I
feel the same way. In no place is life
as nice as the one in my country, with
my family right by my side. I’m still
not Europeanized, as Filipinos
say in Madrid. I always want to
return to my native country. As they
say, “the goat always goes to the
”
mountain”.**)
Rizal wrote to Blumentrit on his
26th b-day and talked about his
love for family and Filipino roots.
Take away from the letter
• Confirms his close relationship
with Blumentrit.
• Attested to Rizal's love for
country and family.
• He'd rather stay in Europe to
continue the Propaganda
movement
How to assess
reliability of each type
of primary source?
2. SECONDARY: Assess based on the elapsed time from
the date of the event to the date of their creation. This is
because as time passes, more materials are likely to be
available to come up with extensive outputs.
1942 (By Winston
Groom) revisits the
strategies, battles, and
fateful decision-making
that defined the turning
point of the war.
Crisis in the Philippines: The
Marcos Era and Beyond by John
Bresnan provides an overview of
the history of the Philippines from
the period of Spanish colonial
domination to the present and
analyzes the twenty-year Marcos
record and the causes of the
downfall of the Marcos regime.
EXAMINING AN AUTHOR'S ARGUMENT
When you analyze an argument, you break it down into each part and examine them by
themselves and in relation to the other parts of the argument.
An argument needs to include evidence in support of the writer’s claim or position.
3 major ways that authors present an argument:
•
Reasoning - the author presents a logical explanation of the argument.
•
Evidence - the author presents statistics, facts, and studies to prove his point.
•
Appeal - the author appeals to the reader's emotions to elicit empathy.
EXAMINING AN AUTHOR'S ARGUMENT
As good critical readers, it is important to consider the motives and qualifications of authors .
Authors typically attempt to convince the reader that their point of view is the correct one. When
examining a text, the reader should check to see if:
1) facts are provided.
2) the facts provided have been selectively picked from a broader set of data or factual
information and limited to only those that support the author's opinion or bias.
3) the facts presented explore perspectives other than the author's and examine different
positions and sides that can be taken in relation to the issue or argument.
4) the supporting facts pertain to the point being made and prove or support the author's
opinions, arguments, or conclusions.
THANKS!