Historical Sources Overview

Historical Sources

• Historical sources include materials used to write history, classified into three categories: published materials, manuscripts, and non-written sources.

Published Materials

• Books: Provide comprehensive information on historical topics.
• Magazines: Contain articles on current events and historical topics.
• Reading Journals: Designed for recording and reflecting on reading experiences.
• Travelogues: Describe personal travels, offering historical insights into specific places or time periods.

Manuscripts

• Archival Materials: Include letters, diaries, photographs, and other documents maintained in archives.
• Memoirs: Personal accounts of one’s life, valuable for historical insights.
• Diaries: Personal journals capturing thoughts and experiences, providing unique historical perspectives.

Non-Written Sources

• Oral History: The study of the past through collected oral accounts, important for unrecorded events.
• Artifacts: Objects made or used by past societies, revealing cultural and lifestyle details.
• Ruins: Remnants of past structures, informative about architecture and technology.
• Fossils: Preserved remains of ancient organisms, offering insights into the history of life on Earth.

Primary Sources

• Defined as materials produced by individuals directly involved in an event or topic.
• Examples include:
  • Eyewitness accounts
  • Diaries and letters
  • Legal documents
  • Photographs

Categories of Primary Sources

• Written Sources: Materials written by eyewitnesses or participants.
• Images: Visual documents created by firsthand participants.
• Artifacts: Materials made by direct participants.
• Oral Testimonies: Documented conversations from firsthand eyewitnesses.

Types of Primary Sources Used

• Fossil Remains
• Artifacts and Ruins
• Royal Decrees and Laws
• Official Reports
• Chronicles
• Friar Accounts
• Maps and Memoirs
• Personal Accounts
• Newspapers and Magazines
• Legislative Journals
• Court Records and Speeches
• Personal Letters
• Online Databases, Blogs, and Documentary Films
• Recorded Interviews

Repositories of Primary Sources

• In NCR:

  • National Archives of the Philippines
  • National Library
  • National Historical Commission
  • National Museum Complex
  • Private Museums (e.g., Lopez Memorial Museum, Ayala Museum)
  • Key University Libraries (University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila, De La Salle University, University of Santo Tomas)

• Outside NCR:

  • Local Archives
  • Local Libraries
  • NHC Branch Offices
  • Local History Museums and Shrines
  • Local University Libraries

• International:

  • Library of Congress (USA)
  • National Archives and Records Administration (USA)
  • Archivo General de Indias (Spain)
  • Archive General de la Nación (Mexico)

Secondary Sources

• Defined as materials that analyze and interpret primary sources, providing contextual understanding of historical events.