Writing – LEQ Evidence, Historical Reasoning, and Complexity Part I
STUDENT MATERIALSSTUDENT MATERIALSS-1WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 4.3 ACTIVITYWRITING—LEQ EVIDENCE, HISTORICAL REASONING, AND COMPLEXITY PART 1Preparation• Download the WHP LEQ RubricPurposeThis activity is designed to further your understanding of the elements of a strong essay by providing a more detailed look at the Evidence, Historical Reasoning, and Complexity rows of the WHP LEQ Writing Rubric. Through analysis of a strong sample essay, you will have a chance to see what well-supported evidence looks like in writing. This will help you learn how to make well-developed and supported statements in your own LEQ responses later in this course, as well as on the AP® World History: Modern exam. ProcessIn this activity, you will take a detailed look at the Evidence, Historical Reasoning, and Complexity rows of the WHP LEQ Writing Rubric and analyze a sample student essay against the criteria provided in the rubric.This will be a similar activity to one you did in Unit 3, where you analyzed a sample DBQ to look for evidence, sourcing, and complexity. This time, you will look for evidence and the use of historical reasoning, as well as complexity, in a student essay that was written in response to the Unit 2 LEQ prompt: Develop an argument that evaluates the similarities and differences between various networks of exchange from c. 1200 to 1450.Take out the Writing—LEQ Evidence, Historical Reasoning, and Complexity worksheet and download the WHP LEQ Writing Rubric. With your class, examine the Evidence, Historical Reasoning, and Complexity rows of the rubric. Once you’ve gone over the rubric, your teacher will have you get into groups. With your group, find the thesis or main claim in the essay. Once you have identified the main claim, circle it on your worksheet. Be prepared to discuss the claim you decided on with your class.Now, work with your group to complete steps 2 through 4 of the worksheet. Identify evidence in the essay that supports an argument that is relevant to the prompt. Next, look for use of historical reasoning. Discuss with your group whether the author has used the appropriate form of historical reasoning—such as causation, comparison, or CCOT—that frames and supports the argument they’re making. Finally, review the essay for complexity. You should be looking for a logical argument that recognizes historical complexity (such as explaining both similarities and differences, or discussing multiple causes or effects). Note in the margins where you find it. Be prepared to share your findings with the class.
Name:Date:Name:Date:STUDENT MATERIALSS-2WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 4.3 ACTIVITYWRITING—LEQ EVIDENCE, HISTORICAL REASONING, AND COMPLEXITY PART 1Directions: After reading the essay, follow the steps below.1. Circle the thesis/major claim.2. Look for evidence in the essay and underline the use of evidence.3. Highlight portions of the essay where the author provides historical reasoning (such as causation, comparison, or CCOT). 4. Review the essay for complexity. Make a note in the margin areas where complexity (as defined by the WHP LEQ Writing Rubric) is demonstrated.LEQ Prompt: Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which networks connecting societies, and the patterns of trade between them, changed from c. 1200 to 1450 CE.From the evolution of Homo sapiens about 300,000 years ago until about 10,000 years ago when human communities first began to become more sedentary, our ancestors were foragers. These foraging groups gradually learned how to domesticate plants and animals and most eventually gave up their nomadic lifestyles, opting instead to become part of permanent agrarian communities. As food became more readily available, members of early farming communities were able to specialize inother occupations, such as that of artisans. As the desire for artisanal goods—among other products—increased across the known world, merchant groups and more distance trade routes were created. These networks developed independently in both Afro-Eurasia and the Americas, and existed from antiquity to 1450 CE and beyond. At times, these networks flourished but often these same once prosperous networks collapsed. There are many similarities between these networks regardless of their geographic location including the fact that goods, innovations, beliefs, and diseases were traded across local and regional networks of exchange, but at the same time, there were pronounced differences including environmental challenges faced by those who sought to participate in these networks, cultural differences such as languages and beliefs, and the level of support and stability provided by states and empires.Early trade routes crisscrossed over two major geographical features: land and sea. Running both north to south as well as east to west, these trade routes covered a vast expanse of land, connecting cities, states, and empires that otherwise would have had little to no contact with each other. The main goal of establishing these networks was to obtain raw materials including plants, animals, and metals that could not be found in one’s local
Name:Date:Name:Date:STUDENT MATERIALSS-3WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 4.3 ACTIVITYWRITING—LEQ EVIDENCE, HISTORICAL REASONING, AND COMPLEXITY PART 1environment. By the thirteenth century, local and regional networks existed across Afro-Eurasia, the Americas, and Pacific islands. Some of these networks extended across thousands of miles; however, most people traded in more localized areas, in particular for goods that were necessary such as foods and certain metals. Yet, there were other types of goods that traveled over vast distances. These goods were generally considered luxuries, or those sought after by elites willing to pay the high prices for moving goods across long distances. For example, luxury goods from East and Southeast Asia such as silk and spices were traded throughout Afro-Eurasia along the Silk Road and Indian Ocean routes. Merchants generally carried these goods across one section of routes to exchange with people who would then take them a bit farther, thus creating a long chain or relay of trade that extended across Afro-Eurasia. The long journey meant that the trade goods had to be of great value considering merchants had to travel across mountains, deserts, and rough seas.While thirteenth- and fourteenth-century networks of exchange existed across most of the world, they were confined to specific regions. Each region of the world also had their own challenges or limitations. For example, the creation of the trans-Saharan trade network posed many problems, as the desert covered millions of square miles. With oases sparse and far in between, crossing the Sahara would prove to be difficult. The trade routes in the Indian Ocean also had environmental challenges, including the ability to predict monsoon wind patterns and currents. Therefore, while ships had crossed the Indian Ocean for hundreds of years prior to the thirteenth century, merchants in this region were constantly learning from not only those who came before them but also from innovations in ship building and navigation that were acquired from different regions of Afro-Eurasia. Yet, even with these environmental challenges, Afro-Eurasian trade networks carried goods, people, and ideas across huge expanses of land and sea. In comparison, trade networks in the Americas were more localized. While networks did exist across hundreds of miles, when compared with those in Afro-Eurasia, they were much smaller. One of the main reasons for these differences was the fact that the Americas did not have the large pack animals, such as camels and horses that were native to Afro-Eurasia, until after the Columbian Exchange of the late fifteenth century. Therefore, most trade in the Americas had to be carried by humans who traveled on foot or by boat.Another difference between trade networks was the amount of support provided by stable states and empires. It was generally in the best interests of governments to protect these networks, as taxes paid for infrastructure such as roads and canals and salaries for government bureaucrats and the military. Stable states like the Mongol Empire made sure that merchants were protected as they traveled along the Silk Road routes. As a result,
Name:Date:Name:Date:STUDENT MATERIALSS-4WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 4.3 ACTIVITYWRITING—LEQ EVIDENCE, HISTORICAL REASONING, AND COMPLEXITY PART 1trade flourished between East Asia and the Mediterranean. The Mongols, who at this time controlled most of Asia, patrolled these routes, making sure that merchants could trade without being ambushed. The goal, of course, was to increase Mongol revenues through taxation of this trade but almost all of Afro-Eurasia, especially the wealthy, benefitted from this increased trade. However, there were other states that attempted to limit trade, in particular foreign trade. Demand for Chinese exports was incredibly high, but emperors also attempted to control trade with foreigners by limiting trade to a few port cities. In addition, many emperors focused more on supporting agricultural practices and innovations over merchants and trade. In other regions such as Africa, there was a combination of pastoral groups, small states, and large empires, which made travel across areas like the Sahara more dangerous, as these groups often competed for access and control of routes. For example, pastoralists were often those that transported goods across the desert in camel caravans, but these pastoralists could also be problematic for trade by launching ambushes on caravans. Therefore, a lack of large empires controlling the desert meant that trade was more difficult.The trade of tangible goods and the wealth generated from this trade for merchants and governments were not the only things to move along networks in this era. With the exchange of luxuries and goods also came the exchange of religious beliefs and ideas. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam spread widely throughout the Afro-Eurasian world. As a result, many communities developed syncretic belief systems in which they incorporated beliefs from multiple different religions into one. However, having a common religion became important along networks of trade as it created a common language among merchants and also increased trust between them. Islam, in particular, became the dominant faith across much of Asia and north Africa. Having a common faith and language facilitated trade across a geographic area that spanned thousands of miles. Islamic leaders had long encouraged trade, as Muhammad was a caravan owner himself, and therefore, the profession was considered a noble one. Promoting trade throughout the caliphate also strengthened the empire while regions that did not share similar beliefs did not benefit from this ease in travel and trade across networks of exchange.In conclusion, the development of long-distance trade routes along land and sea were instrumental in connecting communities, cities, and empires to one another through the trade of goods and exchange of religious beliefs and ideas. Empires like the Mongol supported these networks and provided protection for merchants, which facilitated trade during the thirteenth century. But in other regions like the Sahara, the lack of strong centralized states impeded trade. Environmental differences also contributed to the strength of networks in certain regions of the world, which impacted the
Name:Date:Name:Date:STUDENT MATERIALSS-5WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 4.3 ACTIVITYWRITING—LEQ EVIDENCE, HISTORICAL REASONING, AND COMPLEXITY PART 1size of trade networks such as the smaller networks of the Americas compared with those in Afro-Eurasia. Shared cultural or religious beliefs such as Islam in Asia and north Africa also allowed for ease of movement along trade networks. Therefore, while trade networks connected numerous societies across the world into regional networks of exchange, there were differences between the size of these networks depending on the influence of large states, shared cultural beliefs, and environmental factors.