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132 PERIOD 2 Colonial America amid Global Change: 1607–1754

(continued)
“Within a few decades during the middle of the eighteenth century, imported
These sample pages are distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
goods transformed monochrome spaces into Technicolor. . . . Imported
goods reflected cosmopolitan tastes and manners, so that an American who
managed to purchase a porcelain teacup or a modest pewter bowl could fancy
that he or she partook of a polite society centered in faraway places such as
Copyright (c) 2024 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
London or Bath. These wonderful objects arouse suspicion today that however
much local ministers may have once railed against the corrupting influence of
luxury, they did not really discourage the members of their congregations from
Strictly for use with its products. NOT FOR REDISTRIBUTION.
buying goods that yielded so much personal satisfaction.”
T. H. Breen, The Marketplace of the Revolution:
How Consumer Politics Shaped American
Independence, 2005
(A) Briefly describe ONE major difference between Bushman’s and Breen’s historical
interpretations of colonial society.
(B) Briefly explain how ONE specific historical event or development from 1650 to
1754 that is not explicitly mentioned in the excerpts could be used to support
Bushman’s interpretation.
(C) Briefly explain how ONE specific historical event or development from 1650 to
1754 that is not explicitly mentioned in the excerpts could be used to support
Breen’s argument.
In this particular question, part A calls for you to think historically using com-
parison, while parts B and C assess your content knowledge and your skill in using
evidence to support an argument. In the following steps, we’ll walk through how to
approach each one.

Step 1 Read both excerpts and summarize their viewpoints
Read each secondary source carefully, and take a moment to clarify the general topic
or development that both historians are writing about. It may be helpful to annotate
the prompt so that you can keep it in mind as you think about each source individ-
ually. For example, notice that both historians discuss the existence of consumable
goods, even luxuries, in the homes of average colonial Americans. Note also that
both historians talk about relatively small objects such as eating utensils, bowls, and
teacups.
Now that you have focused on the general topic under discussion by both his-
torians, jot down a quick summary of what each one has to say about that subject.
Remember, you are looking for one major difference in the historians’ interpreta-
tions, although the historians will have points in common as well. Rarely will two
sources express polar-opposite views of a given historical development. Your sum-
mary of each historian’s claims, like the example that follows, should address the dif-
ferences so that you maintain a focus on the specific task at hand. For example, while
both historians agree generally:

Richard Bushman argues that small luxury goods (“tokens of gentility”) were found
in the homes of most Americans. T. H. Breen also argues that items of gentility
were found in the homes of average British colonists [points in common].

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