Primary and Secondary Sources - Comprehensive Study Notes
Primary Sources
Definitions
A primary source is an original object or document; first-hand information.
A primary source is material written or produced in the time period that you may be investigating or researching.
Primary Sources are the evidence of history, original records or objects by participants or observers at the time historical events occurred or even after events like memoirs and oral histories.
Primary Sources Examples
Diaries and/or journals
Example: Anne Frank was a teenager during World War II. She kept a diary or journal years before she died in a concentration camp. Her diary was later published as the “Diary of Anne Frank”. This is a primary source.
Example: Dr. Jose Rizal kept a diary about what he does in his daily life.
Autobiographies and/or Memoirs
Example: Former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile wrote a memoir during his younger days including the Japanese Occupation, his being a student, a law student, public official, and up to being a senator.
Speeches
Examples of Speeches:
Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address”
Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”
All of the President’s Inauguration Speeches
Historical documents
Examples: Declaration of Independence, Constitution (primary documents)
Other Primary Sources would include: Birth Certificates; Government records; Deeds; Court documents (Court Decisions); Military records; Tax records; Census records; Art
Published first-hand accounts, or stories
Example: 2008 Presidential candidate Senator John McCain talked about his “own” experiences as a Vietnam prisoner of war. It is a primary source because he was there, experienced the events and shared it first hand.
Television footage of McCain at the time he was released is also a primary source because it was filmed when it occurred.
Sound Recordings and interviews
Example 1: During the Great Depression and World War II, radio was used to broadcast President Roosevelt’s messages; these radio addresses are primary sources.
Example 2: During the 2008 election Barack Obama had many interviews that were televised; those interviews are primary sources.
Photographs and videos
Photographs of the Filipino expatriates in Europe (Madrid, Spain) are cited as primary sources.
Letters or correspondence
Example: Letters of Dr. Jose P. Rizal to his siblings, relatives, friends, and compatriots.
Dr. Jose Rizal (as a Primary Source)
Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda
Included primary items: Diary of Dr. Jose Rizal; Poems written; Letters written to friends and family.
Poems by Dr. Jose Rizal
Mi Ultimo Adios (My Last Farewell)
To the Youth (Sa Aking MGA KABATA) – a piece addressing the youth and national language.
The To the Youth piece discusses national identity and language; includes lines that reflect patriotism and national awakening.
Rizal’s last letter to his family (A mi familia)
Core themes: forgiveness for the pain caused; acceptance of death; dying with a clear conscience; urging family to live in peace and harmony; urging them to bury him with a stone and cross; request to remember him and to keep language of love in memory.
Key phrases (translated concepts): forgiveness among family; preservation of tranquility before death; preference for dying over living in suffering; urging unity and harmony; care for parents; bury me in the earth with a cross; nothing more than name and birth/death dates; request to surround grave later if desired.
Rizal’s last letter to Blumentritt (before execution)
Date and setting: Fort Santiago, 29 December 1896.
Message: He expects to die; claims innocence of rebellion; asks friend to live well; signs off with regards to family; expresses forgiveness and tranquil conscience.
Andres Bonifacio’s letter to Emilio Jacinto
Content is a detailed political-military correspondence discussing revolutionary strategy and organization.
Key themes include the state of the nation under threat, concerns about governance, and the need for unity and planning in the struggle against the Spaniards.
Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan context (Pages 18–21)
Silang, Dasmariñas, Ynama (Ymus), Magdiwang, Magdalo – towns involved in resistance against the Spaniards.
Pulong (council) discussions about governance and leadership; Emilio Aguinaldo’s rising prominence.
The formal election of leaders: Emilio Aguinaldo as Presidente de la Republica; Mariano Trias as Vice Presidente; Artemio Rikarte as General en Jefe; Emiliano R. de Dios as Director de Grra (likely a misspelling for Gobernación/Grave—contextual).
The controversy surrounding Director del Interior and other offices; disputes lead to heated public declarations and accusations; internal tensions between Magdiwang and Magdalo.
The Magdiwang vs. Magdalo factions and the politics around leadership, loyalty, and revolutionary authority.
Action of arms: two hundred Remington rifles and about two hundred pistols mentioned; plans to support a broader insurgency; demands for funds and matériel; the role of Guevarra and other leaders.
Manifiesto Revolucionario and Batangan court proceedings (Pages 21–22)
The revolutionary manifestos and communications were circulated (in English and Filipino) for distribution and organization.
The Batangan Court uprising and the attempt to consolidate leadership under a provincial government; defense of arms and funding for defenses; concerns about the ability to continue the struggle under external control.
The text includes ideas about arming forces, gathering money, and the political rationale for continuing the revolution.
The document also notes the use of coded alphabets and secret circles (e.g., alphabet de numero for correspondence in Hong Kong; secrecy around Mamerto Natibedad).
LagunA COPPERPLATE INSCRIPTION (Laguna Copperplate Inscription)
Inscription section discusses the Laguna Copperplate Inscription; the text notes the inscription is written in Kawi Script – a writing system developed in Java, using a mixture of languages including Sanskrit, Old Javanese, and Old Malay.
The inscription is not in Filipino; it is a historical artifact from a much earlier period, illustrating early writing in the region.
PIGAFETTA’S JOURNAL
Written by Antonio Pigafetta (1491–1531), an Italian scholar and explorer who travelled with Ferdinand Magellan (Portuguese) under the Spanish Crown during their voyage around the world.
Pigafetta kept an accurate journal of the exploration; his account is a primary source for Magellan’s voyage.
Secondary Sources
What is a Secondary Source?
A secondary source is something written about a primary source.
Secondary sources are written "after the fact" – that is, at a later date.
Usually the author of a secondary source will have studied the primary sources of an historical period or event and will then interpret the evidence found in these sources.
You can think of secondary sources as second-hand information.
How to think about secondary sources
If I tell you something, I am the primary source. If you tell someone else what I told you, you are the secondary source.
Secondary source materials can be articles in newspapers, magazines, books or articles found that evaluate or criticize someone else's original research.
Examples of secondary sources
Biography: A biography is when you write about another person’s life. Example: Alice Fleming wrote a biography on the life of Martin Luther King Jr. This is a secondary document because it was written about him after he died.
Almanacs, encyclopedias, history books (textbooks), etc. are all secondary sources because they were written after these events occurred.
Information sources that can be both primary or secondary
Newspaper, Social media posts, and Magazine articles can be a primary or secondary sources.
If the article was written at the time something happened, it is a primary source (e.g., articles on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s inauguration in 2022 are primary sources).
If a reporter in 2022 wrote about President Magsaysay’s inauguration using information written by someone else, that would be a secondary source.
Primary sources: what they do
Primary sources provide a window into the past, produced by people who lived during that period.
They can give a very real sense of what it was like to be alive during a long-past era.
They offer unfiltered access to the record of artistic, social, scientific and political thought and achievement during the specific period under study.
Questions of creator bias, purpose, and point of view are relevant.
Primary sources are often incomplete and have little context.
Secondary sources: what they do
Can provide analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of the original information.
Best for uncovering background or historical information about a topic and broadening understanding by exposing you to others’ perspectives, interpretations, and conclusions.
Allows readers to get expert views of events and often bring together multiple primary sources relevant to the subject matter.
Reliability and validity are open to question, and they often do not provide exact information.
Do not represent first-hand knowledge of a subject or event.
There are countless books, journals, magazine articles and web pages that attempt to interpret the past; finding good secondary sources can be an issue.
References (example sources used in the material)
Alleman, Melanie. "Elementary Lessons for Primary and Secondary Sources." Digital Wish. Digital Wish, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
"Primary vs. Secondary Sources." - Twin Cities Library, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Saint Mary’s University, 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
"Why Use Primary Sources?" The Library of Congress. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
Cross-Referenced Content and Connections
Connecting primary and secondary sources
Primary sources provide raw data and firsthand accounts that secondary sources interpret and analyze.
When studying Rizal, Bonifacio, or LagunA artifacts, primary source materials (diaries, letters, manuscripts, inscriptions, and journals) offer direct windows into historical moments; secondary sources help contextualize these documents within broader historical narratives.
Real-world relevance and ethical considerations
The ethical implications of presenting primary sources include acknowledging author bias, cultural context, and the purpose of the document.
When interpreting controversial figures or events (e.g., revolutions, protests), multiple primary sources should be consulted to build a balanced picture.
Quick Reference: Key Dates and Figures (selected)
29 December 1896: Rizal’s execution, Fort Santiago.
24 April 1897: Circulation date associated with battlefield communications (as per Bonifacio texts).
1491–1531: Pigafetta’s life and the Magellan voyage reportage timeframe.
1896: Rizal’s last letter to Blumentritt written just before execution; the year of his death is 1896.
1997 or earlier: Date lines referring to the LagunA Copperplate context; the Laguna Copperplate Inscription predates modern independence movements and is attributed to earlier Southeast Asian polities.
Years and events cited in the Bonifacio letters describe late 1890s revolts against Spanish rule in the Philippine archipelago.
Appendix: Notable Terms and Concepts
Primary source: original items or firsthand accounts from the time period under study.
Secondary source: analysis, interpretation, or synthesis based on primary sources.
Katipunan: a revolutionary society in the Philippines during the late 19th century, with internal factions Magdiwang and Magdalo.
Pulong: council or assembly within revolutionary provinces.
Gobernar/Director del Interior: offices referenced during revolutionary governance discussions.
Laguna Copperplate: artifact with inscription in Kawi script; shows early writing and legal/documentary culture in pre-colonial Philippines.
Pigafetta’s Journal: primary source documenting Magellan’s voyage and early contact between Europe and the Philippines.