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MODULE 2.8 Comparison in Period 2 133

(continued)
There is an important point of difference between them:
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Bushman claims it would be a mistake to assume that most Americans were
“genteel.” Breen, on the other hand, argues that these items allowed average
British colonists to imagine themselves as part of a broader genteel culture,
making gentility a more important part of their identity than Bushman claims
Copyright (c) 2024 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
[points of difference].
Part A asks you for the major difference between their interpretations. While
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Bushman and Breen agree about the existence of a few luxury items in American
homes, Bushman claims that it is a mistake to assume the few luxury items in colo-
nial homes made Americans genteel, but Breen implies that these few items allowed
colonists to connect with faraway gentility in Europe, thereby making these items an
important part of average colonists’ identity.

Step 2 Use Claim, Support, Explain to answer each part of the prompt
The next step is to apply the CSE strategy (claim, support, explain) to part A:
Briefly describe ONE major difference between Bushman’s and Breen’s historical
interpretations of colonial society.
Start by writing a claim that states a difference between Bushman’s and Breen’s
interpretations. You may find it helpful to use words such as but, although, whereas,
while, on the other hand, or however. For example, “While Bushman argues X, Breen
claims Y.”
However, it is not enough to merely state a claim about the difference between
the two historians’ interpretations. You must prove to your reader that your claim is
valid, and to do this, you will need to support your claim with evidence from both
passages. Finally, you should explain how the evidence you connected to your claim
proves it.
So your CSE for part A might look like this:
While Bushman argues that colonists owned a few luxury goods and therefore could
not be called “genteel,” Breen argues that access to trade goods shaped colonists’
identity and allowed them to feel connected to European gentility [claim]. For
example, Bushman notes that while many colonies had teacups and utensils
for eating, true gentility was reserved for the gentry, who were much wealthier.
However, Breen argues that because colonists could afford simple luxuries like
pewter bowls, they could imagine themselves part of a larger genteel culture in
faraway places in England [support with evidence from the secondary
sources]. Bushman understands these small luxury goods only in terms of their
economic value, which therefore lack enough worth to offer any hope of gentility
for colonists. On the other hand, Breen claims that with these few luxury goods,
colonists imagined themselves part of a larger genteel culture, and therefore
believed themselves to be genteel despite their lowly economic status [explain].
Now you’re ready to move on to part B of the question:
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 Bush-
man’s interpretation.

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