Historical

Method
Acton: The Cambridge Modern History

“Ultimate history we cannot have in

this generation; but we can dispose
of conventional history, and show the
point we have reached on the road
from one to the other, now that all
information is within reach, and every
problem has become capable of
solution.”
Source: What is History by E.H, Carr
Acton: The Cambridge Modern History

“By the judicious division of labour

we should be able to do it, and to
bring home to every man the last
document, and the ripest
conclusions of international
research.”

Source: What is History by E.H, Carr

George Clark: The Cambridge Modern History

“Historians of a later generation do

not look forward to any such
prospect. They expect their work to
be superseded again and again.”

Source: What is History by E.H, Carr

George Clark: The Cambridge Modern History

“exploration seems to be endless,

and some impatient scholars take
refuge in scepticism, or at least in the
doctrine that, since all historical
judgments involve persons and points
of view, one is as good as another
and there is no 'objective' historical
truth”
Source: What is History by E.H, Carr
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.
 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.”
Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)
as cited by Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan, Ph.D.
 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.”

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

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

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

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

Non-written Sources

●Oral history
●Artifact
●Ruins
●Fossils
●Art works
●Videorecordings
●Audiorecordings
Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,
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

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

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

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

Ph.D.
Four main categories of Primary
Sources?

❶ Written sources
❷ Images
❸ Artifacts
❹ Oral testimony

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

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.

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

Ph.D.
What are Secondary Sources?

Examples:
●History textbook
●Printed materials (serials,
periodicals which interprets
previous research)

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

Ph.D.
Practical Example:

●Topic: Tejeros Convention

●Primary Source:
Santiago Alvarez’ account
●Secondary Source:
Teodoro Agoncillo’s Revolt of
the Masses

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

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

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

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

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

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

as cited by Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan, Ph.D.
Test of Authenticity

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

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

as cited by Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan, Ph.D.
Test of Authenticity

❻Semantics
– determining the meaning of a text or
word
❼Hermeneutics
– determining ambiguities

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

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

Source: presentation of Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan,

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

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

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

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

as cited by Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan, Ph.D.
Test of Credibility

❺Corroboration i.e. historical

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

Source: Louis Gottschalk (Understanding History)

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