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in fact, that we call it a revolution — the Industrial Revolution — and this book devotes all of
Chapter 10 to its origins, spread, and impact. But historians disagree about the most significant
causes for the way industry developed, and they often use different types of evidence to make
their arguments. Some highlight England’s river-accessible coal deposits, which provided a source
of power far greater than human or animal power. Others point to the English culture of innova-
tion, in which artisans and inventors read scientific works and looked for solutions to practical
problems. Still others emphasize the role of England’s overseas colonies, which provided raw
materials and markets for manufactured products.
Recently historians using both new and traditional sources have increasingly emphasized the role Historical Thinking Skills: A Primer
of war. Victories in warfare in the eighteenth century gave Britain the majority of trade in colo-
nial goods; the British economy boomed, wages went up, investors sought to lower production
costs by substituting machines for human labor, and the result was the Industrial Revolution. In
1750, Britain accounted for less than 2 percent of production around the world, while in 1880
this sample.
its share was more than 20 percent. Other historians, using material objects as a main source,
Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
Worth Publishers.
have highlighted the importance of changes in consumer demand as a spur to industry. What
consumers in Europe and the Americas wanted most of all was light, bright Indian cotton cloth.
For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.
English tinkerers and entrepreneurs invented machines that would produce such cloth, and the
Uncorrected proofs have been used in
British state protected their products, and later other manufactured goods as well, through tariffs,
trade policies, and sometimes war.
As you read or look at any primary or secondary source, identify and weigh the evidence on which it
is based. What evidence does the source provide? What claims and inferences does the source’s author
by Bedford, Freeman &
make? Is there evidence that presents a range of perspectives? Does the author take into account evi-
dence that might point to alternative explanations?

EXERCISE: “AP® Claims and Evidence in Written Sources” in Chapter 3 is an excerpt
from a letter Christopher Columbus wrote to a Spanish royal official on his return to
Spain after his first voyage, when he had reached what he thought were islands off
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the coast of Asia. It was quickly printed and translated, and it formed the basis of
educated people’s initial impression of what would soon be understood as a “New
Distributed
World.” Read the section that begins “The inhabitants of this island” and ends with
“the finest jewels in the world,” and then answer the first question: “What was
Columbus’s view of the Native Americans he met, and what does he want the
Spanish rulers to know about them?” What evidence does Columbus provide for the
claims he makes about Native Americans’ character and values? He says that he
has had “conversations” with the people he has met. Given that this was the first
European voyage to the “New World,” does this seem like a realistic claim? Read
the opening section of the letter, and then answer the second question, about the
wealth of the islands. Why do you think he writes so much about gold? How might
the fact that he is writing to the rulers of Spain shape what he describes? The third
question asks about Columbus’s treatment of the people he encounters. How does
he describe this and what evidence does he present? Read the last paragraph of
the excerpt carefully, in which Columbus mentions enslaving people and bringing
them back to the Spanish monarchs. How does this fit with his claims about wanting
to “win them to the love and service of their Highnesses”? Can you find other pieces
of evidence in the letter that seem contradictory?

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