History’s Sources

By Prof. Jet Castillo

Question

• Have you ever

wondered how we got
our history?
Answer
• They were written by historians who used materials called SOURCES.
• There are 2 types of SOURCES:
PRIMARY SOURCES
• These are materials produced by people directly involved in the event
being studied (Gottchalk, 1950).

SECONDARY SOURCES
• The testimony of anyone who is not an eyewitness, one who was not
present in the event of which he tells (Gottchalk, 1950).
Examples of Primary Sources
1. Eyewitness accounts
1. Eyewitness accounts
• Pedro Janolino was the Kawit
Company commander, the first man to
strike Gen. Antonio Luna with a bolo
to the face, in his assassination.
• He was interviewed by journalists and
historians in the 1920s regarding his
involvement in the assassination, and
how the event transpired.
2. Primary documents
• Diaries, letters, treaties, contracts,
government records, and the likes
2. Primary documents
• In his book, Memoirs of the Revolution, Emilio
Aguinaldo admitted he ordered the killing of Andres
Bonifacio.
• In his letter to his sister, we know that Rizal was a
smoker.
• In the diary of an early Spanish conquistador, we
know that the ancient Filipino men were circumcised.
• In a World War 2 US Military file, we know that Sir
Jet’s grandfather and grand uncles were USAFFE
soldiers.
3. Photographs • They tell us how our heroes
really looked like
• Reflect social conditions,
historical realities, and
everyday life.
3. Photographs
• Thru this photo, we
know that…
• Rizal has a large head
• He faced west, based
on the shadows
• There were
streetlights already
• There was a dog in
Rizal’s execution
4. Old sketches and drawings
• Also indicate the conditions of life of societies in the past.

Rizal’s sketch of the

city of Aden, Yemen,
in 1882.

We can see how

Arabic architecture
looked like during that
time.
4. Old sketches and drawings
• The Boxer Codex – a book of colored sketches made by a Spaniard. It
shows how the ancient Filipinos looked like in 1590.

Tagalogs Visayans had tattoos Negritos

5. Old Maps
• Thru this old map (left)
we can see that
Intramuros used to be an
island!
5. Old Maps

• The Scarborough Shoal and the

Spratly Islands were already part of
Philippine territory, according to this
old Spanish Era map.

Notice the 3 sets of dots near Palawan

6. Editorial Cartoons
• Show political expression and
propaganda during a certain
time.
6. Editorial Cartoons
• In this 1898 caricature, US Pres.
McKinley is shown saving the
“savage” Filipino from falling into
trouble.
7. Material evidence of the past
• Cave drawings, artifacts, fossils, ancient writings, and the likes
7. Material evidence of the past
• The Manunggul jar shows what our ancestors believed in. The
spirit of the dead are carried by rowers to the after-life.
• Bonifacio’s skull had smashed teeth because he
was bayoneted in the mouth when he was arrested.
• Rizal’s skull shows he was a cross-bite.
8. Statistical tables, graphs and
charts from old journals.
8. Statistical tables, graphs and
charts from old journals.
9. Video and Audio Recordings
9. Video and Audio Recordings
• Video review of the Ninoy
Assassination helped us answer
many questions.
10. Music and Arts
• They are
reflections of
the period when
they were
created.
10. Music and Arts
• In this Amorsolo painting, we
can learn the way of life of
people about a century ago.
• They use bila-o, bandana, clay
stove, and non-mechanized
farming.
• Women don’t wear pants and
shorts.
List of Primary Sources
1. Eyewitness accounts 6. Caricatures (Editorial Cartoons)
2. Written documents 7. Material evidence (artifacts)
3. Photographs 8. Graphs and Charts
4. Drawing and sketches 9. Video and Audio recordings
5. Old maps 10. Music and Arts
How about Secondary Sources?
• The testimony of anyone who is not an eyewitness, one who was not
present in the event of which he tells (Gottchalk, 1950).
Examples of Secondary Sources
• Textbooks
• History books
• Interview with a secondary
source (a person who was
not present in the historical
event he is talking about).
Summary

Primary Sources Secondary Sources

• materials produced by people • testimony of anyone who is not
directly involved in the event an eyewitness