Historical Method

Historical
Method
History as Reconstruction
■ the historian is many times removed from

the events under investigation
■ historians rely on surviving records
Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

as cited by Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan, Ph.D.
■ “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.”

■ “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.”

What is the Historical Method?
■ Historians have to verify sources, to date

them, locate their place of origin and
identify their intended functions
Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

Ph.D.
Historical Method is…
■ The process of critically examining and

analyzing the records and survivals of
the past

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.
Source: Howell and Prevenier (From Reliable

Sources an Introduction to Historical Method ) as
cited by Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan, Ph.D.
Historical Sources
■ Tangible remains of the past
Source: Anthony Brundage (Going to Sources) as

cited by Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan, Ph.D.
Written Sources
❶Published materials
●Books, magazines, journals,
●Travelogue
● transcription of speech
❷Manuscript [any handwritten or typed record that
has not been printed]
●Archival materials
●Memoirs, diary
Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan, Ph.D.

Image source:
http://www.museumofplay.org/collections/archival-artifacts-
play
Non-written Sources
●Oral history
●Artifact
●Ruins
●Fossils
●Art works
●Videorecordings
●Audiorecordings
Ph.D.
What are Primary Sources?
■ Testimony of an eyewitness
■ A primary source must have been

produced by a contemporary of the
event it narrates

■ 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.

Ph.D.
■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.

Ph.D.
Image source: http://www.micrographics.co.nz/microfilm/overview/
Image source:
http://microfiche.scanning360.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/03/Microfiche.jpg
Four main categories of Primary
Sources?
❶ Written sources
❷ Images
❸ Artifacts
❹ Oral testimony

Ph.D.
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.

Ph.D.
What are Secondary Sources?
Examples:
●History textbook
●Printed materials (serials, periodicals
which interprets previous
research)

Ph.D.
Practical Example:
●Topic: Tejeros Convention
●Primary Source:
Santiago Alvarez’ account
●Secondary Source:
Teodoro Agoncillo’s Revolt of the
Masses

Ph.D.
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
❶ External Criticism
❷ Internal Criticism
Image source:
https://redeeminggod.com/problems-
historical-criticism/
Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan, Ph.D.

What is External Criticism?
■The problem of authenticity
■To spot fabricated, forged, faked

documents
■To distinguish a hoax or

misrepresentation

Ph.D.
Test of Authenticity
❶Determine the date of the document to

see whether they are anachronistic
e.g. pencils did not exist before the 16th Century
❷Determine the author
e.g. handwriting, signature, seal

❸Anachronistic style
e.g. idiom, ortography, punctuation
❹Anachronistic reference to events
e.g. too early, too late, too remote
❺Provenance or custody
e.g. determines its genuineness

Image source: https://www.historyextra.com/period/qa-when-were-punctuation-marks-first-used/
Example of Anachronism
- a chronological inconsistency in some
arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of persons,
events, objects, or customs from different periods
Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anachronism#/media/File:Leonardo_da_Vinci_(1452-1519)_-

_The_Last_Supper_(1495-1498).jpg
❻Semantics
– determining the meaning of a text or
word
❼Hermeneutics
– determining ambiguities

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

Ph.D.
Test of Credibility
❶Identification of the author

e.g. to determine his reliability; mental processes,
personal attitudes
❷Determination of the approximate date
e.g. handwriting, signature, seal

Test of Credibility
❸Ability to tell the truth

e.g. nearness to the event, competence of witness,
degree of attention
❹Willingness to tell the truth
e.g. to determine if the author consciously or
unconsciously tells falsehoods

Test of Credibility
❺Corroboration i.e. historical facts

– particulars which rest upon the
independent testimony of two or
more reliable witnesses

Three Major Components of Effective
Historical Thinking
❶Sensitivity to Multiple Causation
❷Sensitivity to context
❸Awareness of the interplay of continuity
and change in human affairs
Source: presentation of by Ma. Florina Orillos-

Juan, Ph.D.
Ex: Using Historical Context
"Sally hid her hands behind her

back and crossed her fingers
before she answered.”
"My daughter will be heading to

California shortly after she
marries.”
Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-
historical-context-1857069
Reference:
● Historical Method (Historical
Sources/Historical Criticism)
by Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan, Ph.D.

Historical Method

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Historical

■ the historian is many times removed from

■ historians rely on surviving records

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

■ “Only a part of what was observed in the

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

■ “Only a part of what is credible has been

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

■ Historians have to verify sources, to date

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

■ The process of critically examining and

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

■ Sources – an object from the past or

Source: Howell and Prevenier (From Reliable

■ Tangible remains of the past

Source: Anthony Brundage (Going to Sources) as

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan, Ph.D.

■ A primary source must have been

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

■ A primary source is a document or

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

■Primary sources are characterized by

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

■ A secondary source interprets and

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

●Topic: Tejeros Convention

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

■In order for a source to be used as

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan, Ph.D.

■The problem of authenticity

■To spot fabricated, forged, faked

■To distinguish a hoax or

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

❶Determine the date of the document to

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anachronism#/media/File:Leonardo_da_Vinci_(1452-1519)_-

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

■The problem of credibility

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

❶Identification of the author

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

❸Ability to tell the truth

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

❺Corroboration i.e. historical facts

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

Source: presentation of by Ma. Florina Orillos-

"Sally hid her hands behind her

"My daughter will be heading to

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