Contextualization: Opium Wars
WORLD HISTORY PROJECTAP/ LESSON 6.5ACTIVITYCONTEXTUALIZATION: OPIUM WARSUnless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Contextualization: Opium Wars”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/1PurposeIn this activity, you will continue to work on your contextualization skills by analyzing the conditions that led to the Opium Wars. In doing this, you will gain an understanding of how modern empires contested the authority of other empires and regions ofthe world. In prior contextualization activities, you have examined contextualization on a fairly large, often global scale. In this activity, you will zoom in a bit to examine the local contexts and conditions that allowed for the Opium Wars.PracticesCausation, CCOTYou’ll be analyzing the causes and consequences of the Opium Wars in China to better understand the historical context and processes that led to these wars and how the wars’ consequences shaped both China and Western powers long after they ended. With thisanalysis, you’ll begin to see the changes and continuities that resulted as well.ProcessIn this activity, you will use the event cards to complete the Contextualization Tool. Then, you’ll use the information from your completed tools and evidence from the article “Opium Wars and Economic Imperialism” to write a multi-paragraph response that answers the following question:What were the broader temporal (time), spatial (location), and cultural contexts that made it possible for the Opium Wars to occur?Now, your teacher will either hand out or have you download the Contextualization—Opium Wars worksheet and have you work in pairs to complete the Contextualization Tool, which is included in the worksheet. Start by writing the dates and location for the Opium Wars and then divide the event cards into broad and narrow context.Once everyone has divided their cards, join up with another pair to form a group of four and follow the directions below:1.The first pair places two event cards on the funnel.2.Students must give a short reason for their placement of each card.3.The next pair can move any of the event cards they think were placed incorrectly by the prior pair, but if they do that, theyhave to provide justification for why they moved from broad to narrow context or vice versa.4.Then, this pair places two event cards that have not yet been placed on the funnel.5.Pairs will follow the same process, alternating turns until all event cards have been placed on the funnel.
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 6.5ACTIVITYCONTEXTUALIZATION: OPIUM WARS2Then, return to your pair-partner to answer the remaining questions on the tool.Finally, use your descriptions of broad and narrow context on the tool and information from the “Opium Wars and Economic Imperialism” article to individually write a multi-paragraph response to the question posed at the beginning of this activity:What were the broader temporal (time), spatial (location), and cultural contexts that made it possible for the Opium Wars to occur?At this point in the course, you should be familiar with writing contextualization paragraphs. Remember that your paragraphs should include athesis statement that answers the question posed above. Your teacher will collect your tools and paragraphs at the end of theactivity to assess your understanding of the topic as well as your understanding of this historical thinking skill.
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 6.5ACTIVITYCONTEXTUALIZATION: OPIUM WARSEVENT CARDS3Europeans and Americansbenefitedfrom new technology created during the Industrial Revolution including steam-poweredshipsand advanced weapons.China restricted foreign accesstotradetotheport city of Guangzhou.Opium was cultivated in British-controlled India andsmuggledintoChina in an attempt to reverse Britain’stradeimbalance with China.Industrialized nations practiced economic imperialism and attempted to influence regions economically ratherthanthroughdirect rule of colonies.Industrialization began in Great Britain in the mid-eighteenthcentury and quickly spread tootherareasofEuropeand North America.British opium flooded Chinawithdevastating effects that included addiction and death.In 1840, a British steam-powered fleet arrived in China with powerful weapons.Industrialized nations established colonies around the world includingareasofAsia, Africa, the Americas, and Australasia using policies of direct and indirect rule.Chineseexportswere indemandaroundthe world, which allowed China to dominate tradefromitsearliest dynastiestothe early nineteenth-century Qing Dynasty.The demand for Chinese goods in GreatBritaincreateda trade imbalance, with the British East India Company spending17 million pounds on Chineseteafrom1821 to 1830.Qing official Lin Zexu destroyed 20,000 chests of British opium to halt illegal smugglingofthedrug.China mainly had sail-powered ships andChinesesoldiers carried bows and older muskets.
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 6.5ACTIVITYCONTEXTUALIZATION: OPIUM WARS4CONTEXTUALIZATION TOOLDirections:Respond to each of the prompts below.1.Write the date(s) and location(s) of the historical event being studied.2.Take the event cards and divide them up into broad and narrow context.3.Place them on the funnel in their appropriate location. Be prepared to explain your placement.4.Writeone to two sentences that describe the broad context.5.Write one to two sentences that describe the narrow context.Broad: Does the context represent broader themes, trends, events, eras, or regions related to the historical development at hand?Does it represent a long-term (underlying) cause or contributing factor?Narrow: Does the context represent themes, trends, events, eras, or regions that are more closely tied in time/place to the historical development at hand?Does it help us see the short-term (immediate) causes or contributing factors?
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 6.5ACTIVITYCONTEXTUALIZATION: OPIUM WARS56.Write one to two sentences analyzing how the broad and narrow context help you better understand the historical event.7.Use information from the Contextualization Tool and the article “Opium Wars and Economic Imperialism” to write a multi-paragraph response that answersthe following prompt: What were the broader temporal, spatial, and cultural contexts that made it possible for the Opium Wars to occur?
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT AP / LESSON 6.5ACTIVITYCONTEXTUALIZATION: OPIUM WARS6Historical Event/DevelopmentBroadContextNarrowContext