Comparative Practice 2012 WHAP/Napp

Comparative Practice 2012 WHAP/Napp

The Question:

Compare demographic and environmental effects of the Columbian Exchange on the Americas with the Columbian Exchange’s demographic and environmental effects on ONE of the following regions between 1492 and 1750.

Africa OR Asia OR Europe

The Basic Core Rubric:

1. Has an Acceptable Thesis. [1 Point]

2. Addresses all parts of the question, though not necessarily evenly or thoroughly.

[2 Points but Partial Credit May Be Given]

3. Substantiates thesis with appropriate historical evidence.

[2 Points but Partial Credit May Be Given]

4. Makes at least one relevant, direct comparison between/among societies. [1 Point]

5. Analyzes at least one reason for a similarity or difference identified in a direct comparison. [1 Point]

The Expanded Core Points:

Expands beyond the basic core of 1 – 7 points

Questions:

1- What must an acceptable thesis for a Comparative essay contain? ______

2- What does it mean that all parts of the question must be addressed although not necessarily evenly or thoroughly? ______

3- What is historical evidence? ______

4- How many direct comparisons must the student make? ______

5- What must the student analyze? ______

6- How might a student “expand” beyond the basic core? ______

Pre-Writing Reading:

“Even as epidemics sweptthrough the indigenous population,the New and the Old

Worlds were participating in avast exchange of plants and animals that radically altereddiet and lifestyles in both regions. All the staples of southern European agriculture – such as wheat, olives, grapes, and garden vegetables – were being grown in theAmericas in a remarkably short time after contact. African and Asian crops – such as rice, bananas, coconuts, breadfruit, and sugar cane – were soon introducedas well. Native peoples remained loyal to theirtraditional staples but added many Old World plants totheir diet. Citrus fruits, melons, figs, and sugar as well asonions, radishes, and salad greens all found a place inAmerindian cuisines.

In return the Americas offered the Old World anabundance of useful plants. The New World staples – maize, potatoes, and manioc – revolutionized agricultureand diet in parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Many experts assert that the rapidgrowth of worldpopulation after 1700 resulted in largemeasure from the spread of these useful crops, whichprovided more calories per acre than did any Old Worldstaples other than rice. Beans, squash, tomatoes, sweetpotatoes, peanuts, chilies, and chocolate also gainedwidespread acceptance in the Old World. In addition, theNew World provided the Old with plants that provideddyes, medicinal plants, varieties of cotton, and tobacco.

The introduction of European livestock had a dramaticimpact on New World environments and cultures. Faced with few natural predators, cattle, pigs, horses,and sheep, as well as pests like rats and rabbits, multipliedrapidly in the open spaces of the Americas. On thevast plains of present-day southern Brazil, Uruguay, andArgentina, herds of wild cattle and horses exceeded 50million by 1700. Large herds of both animals also appearedin northern Mexico and what became the southwestof the United States.

Where Old World livestock spread most rapidly, environmentalchanges were most dramatic. Many priestsand colonial officials noted the destructive impact ofmarauding livestock on Amerindian agriculturists. Thefirst viceroy of Mexico, Antonio de Mendoza, wrote to the Spanish king: ‘May your Lordship realize that if cattle areallowed, the Indians will be destroyed.’ Sheep, whichgrazed grasses close to the ground, were also an environmentalthreat. Yet the viceroy’s stark choice misrepresentedthe complex response of indigenous peoples tothese new animals.

Wild cattle on the plains of South America, northernMexico, and Texas provided indigenous peoples withabundant supplies of meat and hides. In the present-daysouthwestern United States, the Navajo became sheepherdersand expert weavers of woolen cloth. Even in thecenters of European settlement, individual Amerindiansturned European animals to their own advantage by becomingmuleteers, cowboys, and sheepherders.

No animal had a more striking effect on the culturesof native peoples than the horse, which increased the efficiencyof hunters and the military capacity of warriorson the plains. The horse permitted the Apache, Sioux,Blackfoot, Comanche, Assiniboine, andothers to moreefficiently hunt the vast herds of buffalo in North America.The horse also revolutionized the cultures of the Araucanian(or Mapuche) and Pampas peoples in South America.” ~The Earth and Its Peoples

Demographic Effects of Columbian Exchange on Americas: / Demographic Effects of Columbian Exchange on Africa: / Demographic Effects of Columbian Exchange on Asia: / Demographic Effects of Columbian Exchange on Europe:
Environmental Effects of Columbian Exchange on Americas: / Environmental Effects of Columbian Exchange on Africa: / Environmental Effects of Columbian Exchange on Asia: / Environmental Effects of Columbian Exchange on Europe:

The Essay’s prompt:

Africa OR Asia OR Europe

The Thesis Statement:

______

Write one body paragraph of the essay [Now, it is time to analyze the similarity or the difference – to explain how and why this similarity or difference occurred and how and why it impacted people in the empires]:

______

Checklist for the Essay:

An acceptable thesis statements needs to be comparative, stating at least one specific similarity and at least one specific difference.

Good essays do not include evidence that is outside the time period or any of the stipulated regions.

Every paragraph must be comparative.
A good response provides analysis and uses this analysis as an explanation of a reason for a similarity or difference

Rate Thesis Statement A:

“Between 1492 and 1750, Africa and the Americas experienced similarities in the introduction of new crops, movement of natives, and disease, while having differences in shift of gender population, amount of death, ethnicity change, and environment.”

My Grade for this Thesis Statement: ______

Rate Thesis Statement B:

“The Columbian Exchange had its positive and negative effects on regions such as the Americas and Africa. Demographic and environmental changes emerged with the Columbian Exchange. Being large continents, Africa and the Americas faced the effects of the Columbian Exchange?

My Grade for this Thesis Statement: ______

1. The largest decline in percentage of global population in history occurred as a result of
(A) Black Death in Europe
(B) Global flu pandemic of 1918 – 1919
(C) Spread of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa in the twentieth century
(D) Spread of syphilis in Renaissance Europe
(E) Epidemics in sixteenth-century Mesoamerica
2. In the period 1450–1750, which of the following, produced on large plantations by slave labor, were significant commodities in the growing world market?
(A) Grains such as wheat and barley
(B) Tropical fruits such as bananas and oranges
(C) Animal products such as wool and beef
(D) Cash crops such as sugar and tobacco
3. How were trends in New Spain and Brazil similar during colonization?
(A) Neither used slaves.
(B) Both European conquerors decimated native American populations.
(C) The societies both became ethnically homogeneous.
(D) Copper mining was a critical part of the economy in both colonies.
(E) all of the above / 4. Which of the following is most likely to have influenced eighteenth-century population trends in both Europe and China?
(A) A sharp decline in average global temperatures
(B) Introduction of Western Hemisphere crops
(C) Innovation in birth control measures
(D) Improvement in surgical procedures
5. Which of the following best characterizes world trade in the period 1450 to 1750?
(A) Commodities from Africa dominated trade with China and India.
(B) The demand for Asian commodities was financed by New World silver.
(C) International conflict declined because of growing cooperation among international traders.
(D) European dominance of China began.
(E)The African slave trade declined.
6. Which of the following characterized economic systems in Latin America during the sixteenth century?
(A) Focused on porcelain manufacturing.
(B) Incorporated forced labor.
(C) Redistributed land to peasants.
(D) Produced grain for the European market.
(E) Focused on small farms.