The Write Side of History
WORLDHISTORY PROJECT1750 / LESSON 1.6OPENERTHE WRITE SIDE OF HISTORYUnless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “The Write Side of History”, OER Project, www.oerproject.com/PurposePractice your analysis skills as you read a letter written by an [imaginary] eighteenth-century teenager. See what clues you can find about how people lived, worked, and interacted in the eighteenth century. What you uncover will help prepare you for a deeper understanding of the Ottoman, Mughal, and Tokugawa empires.Process1.You’ve just uncovered old letters written by ordinary teenagers living inside powerful Eurasian empires hundreds of years ago. Pick one of the following empires (or your teacher may assign you one).•Ottoman•Mughal•Tokugawa2.Which empire did your letter come from? Circle or colorit in on the map. 3.Make one prediction about how the empire’s geographic location might affect its government, economy, or trade with other countries.
WORLDHISTORY PROJECT1750 / LESSON 1.6OPENERTHE WRITE SIDE OF HISTORY4.As you read, look for examples of the three frames (if you can, highlight with different colors):For communities, look for clues such as: Government, family life,or gender roles; apprenticeships or guilds (crafts, jobs); religious groups or traditions; social ranks (nobles, merchants, workers, samurai,for example); local leaders, schools, or templesFor networks, look for clues such as: Foreign merchants or travelers; import or export of goods; foreign books, ideas, or languages; mentions of ports, markets, roads, or messengers; cultural exchange (art, architecture, religion, theater)For production and distribution, look for clues such as: Descriptions of working with textiles, ceramics, or tiles,for example; markets, ships, traders, or delivery to powerful people; mentions of taxes, rules, or prices; evidence of who does the labor vs. who controls the trade5.Use all the clues you found to write two or three sentences describing how this young person’s life in the empire was shaped by connections beyond its borders—in what they made, believed, and how they interacted with others. 6.Share your sentences with the class and listen for similarities and differences as your classmatesshare information about their empires.
WORLDHISTORY PROJECT1750 / LESSON 1.6OPENERTHE WRITE SIDE OF HISTORY