HISTORICAL METHOD
Historical Sources Historical Criticism
I. History as Reconstruction
II. The Historical Method
III. Historical Sources [Written and Nonwritten; Primary and Secondary]
IV. Historical Criticism [External and Internal]
History as Reconstruction - the historian is many times removed from the events under investigation
historians rely on surviving records
History as Reconstruction - “Only a part of what was observed in the past was remembered by those
who observed it; only a part of what was remembered was recorded; only a part of what was recorded
has survived; only a part of what has survived has come to the historian’s attention.” Louis Gottschalk,
Understanding History
History as Reconstruction -“Only a part of what is credible has been grasped, and only a part of what
has been grasped can be expounded or narrated by the historian.” Louis Gottschalk, Understanding
History
What is the Historical Method?
Historians have to verify sources, to date them, locate their place of origin and identify their intended
function
The process of critically examining and analyzing the records and survivals of the past Louis Gottschalk,
Understanding History
Historical Sources
Sources – an object from the past or testimony concerning the past on which historians depend in order
to create their own depiction of that past.
Written Sources
1. Published materials Books, magazines, journals, Travelogue transcription of speech
2. Manuscript [any handwritten or typed record that has not been printed]
/Archival materials /Memoirs/diary
Non - written Sources
Oral history
Artifact
Ruins
Fossils
Art works
Video recordings
Audio recordings
What are Primary Sources?
Testimony of an eyewitness
A primary source must have been produced by a contemporary of the event it narrates Louis Gottschalk,
Understanding History
What are 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. [Link]
What are Primary Sources?
Primary sources are characterized by their content, regardless of whether they are available in original
format, in microfilm/microfiche, in digital format, or in published format.
[Link] 1
Main Categories of Primary Sources
1. Written sources
2. Images
3. Artifacts
4. Oral testimony
What are Secondary Sources?
A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are one or more steps
removed from the event. Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources
in them. [Link]
What are Secondary Sources? Examples:
History textbook ,Printed materials ,(serials, periodicals which interprets previous research)
Example/Worksheet Topic: Tejeros Convention Primary Source: Santiago Alvarez’ account Secondary
Source: Teodoro Agoncillo
What is Historical Criticism?
In order for a source to be used as evidence in history, basic matters about its form and content must
be settled
1. External Criticism
2. Internal Criticism
What is External Criticism?
The problem of authenticity To spot fabricated, forged, faked documents To distinguish a hoax or
misrepresentation 20 Tests of Authenticity
1. Determine the date of the document to see whether they are anachronistic
e.g. pencils did not exist before the 16th Century
2. Determine the author
e.g. handwriting, signature, seal Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History 21 Tests of Authenticity
3. Anachronistic style e.g. idiom, orthography, punctuation
4. Anachronistic reference to events e.g. too early, too late, too remote
5. Provenance or custody e.g. determines its genuineness
6. Semantics – determining the meaning of a text or word
7. Hermeneutics –determining ambiguities Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History
What is Internal Criticism?
The Problem of Credibility
Relevant particulars in the document – is it credible?
Verisimilar – as close as what really happened from a critical examination of best available sources
Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History 24 Tests of Credibility
1. Identification of the author e.g. to determine his reliability; mental processes, personal attitudes
2. Determination of the approximate date e.g. handwriting, signature, seal Louis Gottschalk,
Understanding History 25 Tests of Credibility
3. Ability to tell the truth e.g. nearness to the event, competence of witness, degree of attention
4. Willingness to tell the truth e.g. to determine if the author consciously or unconsciously tells
falsehoods Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History 26 Tests of Credibility
5. Corroboration i.e. historical facts – particulars which rest upon the independent testimony of two or
more reliable witnesses Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History
