Organize the Evidence for Thinking through Sources 4

Organize the Evidence for Thinking through Sources 4

The following exercises provide an opportunity to use the sources collectively to respond to a guiding question.

Guiding Question: How did the growth of Boston’s population and commercial economy in the first half of the eighteenth century transform the values and influence of the colonial elite, the experiences and opinions of non-elites, and the city’s religious and political life?

Instructions: Below are three topics that might find a place in organizing an essay responding to the guiding question. This exercise asks you to identify which sources would provide relevant evidence for that topic. Select the best answers for each question. Choose ALL that apply. Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

Question 4.19

1. Which of the sources provide specific evidence about Boston’s status as a bustling cosmopolitan center with a wealthy consuming class? Choose ALL that apply.

Document 4.1: Ship Arrivals and Departures at Boston
Document 4.2: Goods for Sale
Document 4.3: Advertisement for Musical Instruments
Document 4.4: Chest of Drawers
Document 4.5: Advertisement for Runaway Slave
Document 4.6: Letter from a Boston Protester

Question 4.20

2. Which of these documents provide specific evidence about Boston’s elites’ desire to display their status through the goods they bought and used? Choose ALL that apply.

Document 4.1: Ship Arrivals and Departures at Boston
Document 4.2: Goods for Sale
Document 4.3: Advertisement for Musical Instruments
Document 4.4: Chest of Drawers
Document 4.5: Advertisement for Runaway Slave
Document 4.6: Letter from a Boston Protester
Correct: Document 4.3: The advertisement for musical instruments and other luxury goods was aimed at Boston’s elites, who could purchase such items to display their status. Document 4.4: The chest of drawers is an example of the fine furniture Boston’s elites could buy to display their wealth. Document 4.5: This advertisement shows that Boston elites could both afford slaves, who did their work and displayed their status, and afford advertisements to recover runaways.
Incorrect: Document 4.1: The list of arriving and departing ships does not provide evidence about Boston elites’ consumption patterns. Document 4.2: The list of goods for sale includes primary foods and various forms of raw materials. It does not include luxury goods or indicate who consumed the goods for sale. Document 4.6: This letter does not provide evidence about Boston elites’ desire to display their status through the goods and services they consumed.

Question 4.21

3. Which of the following documents provide specific evidence of the emergence of resentment toward and resistance against the power of Boston’s elites? Choose ALL that apply.

Document 4.1: Ship Arrivals and Departures at Boston
Document 4.2: Goods for Sale
Document 4.3: Advertisement for Musical Instruments
Document 4.4: Chest of Drawers
Document 4.5: Advertisement for Runaway Slave
Document 4.6: Letter from a Boston Protester
Correct: Document 4.5: This advertisement shows that slaves in Boston resisted their elite owners by running away. Document 4.6: This writer shows that he and other non-elites resented and resisted the power of the city’s elites.
Incorrect: Document 4.1: The list of arrivals and departures does not shed light on the emergence of class resentments in Boston. Document 4.2: The list of goods does not shed light on the emergence of class resentments in Boston. Document 4.3: The advertisement demonstrates the availability of luxury goods but does not address the issue of class resentment. Document 4.4: The image reveals the kinds of goods elites consumed but does not illustrate class resentments.

Thinking through Sources forExploring American Histories, Volume 1Printed Page 26