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

(continued)
Start by brainstorming evidence from your knowledge of history that you can
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use to support Bushman’s argument. Select the best historical example you can think
of to showcase that knowledge. One strategy for doing this is to consider the context
that shaped the topic under discussion by both historians. For example, for this part
of the question, we can think of a few pieces of evidence that come from this module:
everyday lives [explain].Freeman & Worth Publishers.
• The majority of colonists was agriculturalists and relatively poor compared to
elites in the colonies.
Strictly for use with its products. NOT FOR REDISTRIBUTION.
• Most goods that were consumed in average colonial homes, like clothing, were
made at home.
• Throughout the eighteenth century, colonial elites increasingly held a larger por-
tion of the colonies’ wealth.

As you did with part A, apply CSE to part B. Make a claim that answers the
prompt — that is, present a historical event or development that supports Bushman’s
interpretation. Then, using your knowledge of history, support your claim with evi-
dence that demonstrates your claim. Lastly, explain how the evidence you chose to
include proves your claim. The following example is a strong answer to part B:

Bushman’s argument can be supported by noting the few luxury goods average
colonists owned [claim]. While luxury goods increasingly became accessible to
some colonists after 1650, for the majority of British Americans the everyday
goods they used, like clothing, were overwhelmingly made at home [support]. This
shows that for most Americans, a genteel lifestyle was still very far from their
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Notice how this response supports Bushman’s argument that while some genteel
items found their way into the homes of colonial Americans, the bulk of their goods
were made at home. This piece of historical evidence best supports Bushman’s con-
tention that even though average colonists might have had a few luxury items, the
items that they lived in (their clothes) were still homespun and far from genteel.
Now let’s try part C using CSE:
Breen’s argument can be supported by noting that luxury goods became
increasingly accessible in the colonies after 1650, even though many colonists
remained relatively poor [claim]. Rising access to simple luxurious items that
were produced in England and shipped to the colonies over the Atlantic in exchange
for raw materials proved popular among even subsistence farmers, though they
likely could have survived without them [support]. This shows that colonists, even
those who weren’t wealthy, invested in goods that made them feel able to partake
in the genteel culture they imagined in colonial cities and the faraway dining tables
of London [explain].

You will find opportunities to practice this type of Short-Answer Question in
each Period of this textbook. As you practice, remember to systematically CSE each
of the three parts.

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