Understanding Primary and Secondary Sources

Understanding Sources

• Sources are essential for studying and writing history.
• They provide a window into the past.
• Sources help historians understand events and uncover new information.
• They help verify the authenticity of other historical documents.
• A source is anything from which information can be obtained, including people, places, or objects.
• A historical source is an original material containing historical information.
• Primary sources are direct accounts of events by those who witnessed them.
• They consist of eyewitness accounts, diaries, letters, legal documents, photographs, and more.

Secondary Sources

• Secondary sources are materials created after an event by those who didn't experience it firsthand.
• They rely on information from primary sources.
• Examples of secondary sources include editorials, articles, documentaries, historical studies, biographies, literary criticisms, and book reviews.

The Difference Between Primary and Secondary Sources

• Primary sources provide raw information and firsthand evidence.
• Secondary sources provide second-hand information and commentary from other researchers.
• Primary sources are more credible, but both are important for good research.

Accessibility of Official Records

• Official government records should be accessible to the public.

Ferdinand Magellan

• Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who sailed for Spain.
• He led the first circumnavigation of the Earth, though he died in the Philippines.
• Magellan proposed sailing westward to find a strait through South America to reach the Spice Islands.
• His expedition was funded by Spain and faced challenges from Spanish and Portuguese authorities.
• Magellan's fleet departed from Sanlúcar de Barrameda on September 20, 1519.
• He named the Pacific Ocean "Mar Pacifico" due to its calm waters.
• His journey to the Philippines was part of his larger expedition to the Spice Islands.
• Magellan's fleet encountered difficulties crossing the Pacific Ocean due to scurvy and starvation.

Fray Juan de Plasencia

• Plasencia was a Spanish Franciscan friar who spent most of his missionary life in the Philippines.
• He was born in the early 16th Century as Juan Portacarrero in Plasencia, Spain.
• He founded numerous towns in Luzon and authored several religious and linguistic books, including Doctrina Christiana.
• He was a keen observer and gifted writer and submitted reports to his superiors about his missionary work and observations of the Filipinos.
• Plasencia's work, " Relacion de las Costumbres de Los Tagalogs", is a primary source that provides valuable information about the pre-colonial Tagalog society.

Historical Context of Plasencia’s Writings

• During the first century of Spanish rule in the Philippines, Spaniards were reluctant to live outside of Intramuros, leaving local politics largely to the Filipino gobernadorcillos.
• Friars were tasked with supervising the gobernadorcillos to ensure their loyalty to the Crown.
• This resulted in friars holding significant administrative power at the local level.
• They were involved in electing local officials, collecting taxes, educating youth, and performing other civic duties, becoming influential figures in the ir communities.
• As missionaries, friars were required to report to their superiors about the natives, their way of life, and their conversion progress.

Customs of the Tagalogs

• The "Customs of the Tagalogs" by Plasencia described the pre-colonial Tagalog way of life.
• It covered topics such as clothing, religious practices, and social customs.
• The Tagalogs had a complex social structure, including political and economic organization, a tax system, an indigenous calendar, and established customs and traditions.

Kartilya ng Katipunan

• The Kartilya was a printed document distributed to members of the Kataastaasang Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK).
• The Katipunan was a revolutionary society founded by Andres Bonifacio on July 7, 1892 to fight for Philippine independence from Spain.
• The main goal of the KKK was to separate the Philippines from Spain and develop Filipinos as citizens of their own nation.