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sociology, or it might come from the humanities, such as art
history or literary studies, or it might even come from the Historians make connections with other
times, places, or issues to help identify
natural sciences, such as biology or chemistry. Or, you might larger patterns and achieve a coherent
need to apply insights from evidence in one historical period understanding.
to developments in another period or to a similar develop-
ment in another region.

You might link some moment in the past to a contemporary issue, such as the climate change and
environmental degradation discussed in Chapter 20 to the industrialization of Chapter 10. In so do-
ing, you are using the past to shed light on the present. You will have taken a major step in historical Historical Thinking Skills: A Primer
thinking, as making connections is a key part of what historians do.

EXERCISE: Look at the section on pages 258–270 in Chapter 7 and answer the question:
this sample.
“How did empire and trade shape new economic, cultural, and social developments?”
Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
This section provides the information that you need to answer the question, but you
Worth Publishers.
could extend your answer in a number of ways by making connections with other
chapters. You can find information in Chapter 3 about European colonies and trade in
For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.
an earlier era, or in Chapter 14 about colonies in a later period. The question asks
Uncorrected proofs have been used in
about Europe, but you could also examine the effects of European colonialism on the
rest of the world, about which there is information in Chapters 3, 7, 14, 18, and 20. This
question and most of the information in this section are primarily about economic and
social developments, but embedded in the section is information about intellectual
by Bedford, Freeman &
developments, especially in the short section titled “The Atlantic Enlightenment on
page 267,” which you could connect with the discussion of the Enlightenment in Europe
in Chapter 6. The section contains several paintings from the era, so you could examine
what art history adds to our understanding. It also contains graphs and statistics drawn
from economics, yet another field of inquiry.

Copyright ©
SKILL 6: ARGUMENTATION
Distributed
Historians make arguments about what life was like in the
past, how or why things changed, and why those changes mat- Historical arguments are logical and
reasoned cases for an interpretation of
ter. By “arguments” in history, we do not mean emotional a particular historical question or issue
pitches for an opinion, but logical and reasoned cases for an based on supporting evidence gathered
interpretation of a particular historical question or issue based from primary and secondary sources
on supporting evidence gathered from primary and secondary used in a critical and coherent manner.
sources used in a critical and coherent manner. Crafting a per-
suasive historical argument draws on the other historical thinking skills, and it also involves creativity,
because you apply insights from historical evidence to a new setting, or in a different way.

Argumentation is a complex, sophisticated skill that you will develop with practice over the
course of the school year. Your teacher will likely employ various methods to help you develop
this skill, from oral discussions to writing and journaling activities to practicing AP®-style
Document-Based Questions. Argumentation includes four components. First, you need to
articulate your argument in a clear, concise, compelling way. If you are doing this in answer to an
exam question, teachers typically identify this argument as your thesis — a short, explicit
statement of your interpretation that appears near the beginning of your written response. For
example, you might be asked to connect the growing ethnic diversity in Europe discussed in

HTS-7

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