“Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. ”

1. “Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. ” E. Napp Bertolt Brecht

2. Continuity and Change Over Time • The Continuity and Change Over Time (CCOT) essay question tests the student’s ability to trace a broad trend or development over a long period of time • The CCOT lends itself to a topical approach • Topics may include cultural interchange, global trade, the movement and migration of peoples, the role of minorities in a given society, the status of women, environmental issues, biological developments, changes in technology, artistic and cultural attitudes, and scientific innovations E. Napp

3. General Tips For Writing A CCOT • Students should take 40 minutes to complete the CCOT essay • Students should spend 5 of the 40 minutes reading the question, reflecting on the question, and organizing thoughts concerning the essay • The CCOT will request that students analyze the evolution of a trend or phenomenon over a long period of time • Students will be asked to focus on a particular nation or geographical region and may be given a choice regarding which nation or region must be included in the essay E. Napp

4. The requirements for the CCOT are more straightforward than those for the DBQ. However, students must concentrate on showing what changed and how it changed as well as what remained the same. E. Napp

5. Thoughts To Consider Before Writing • What were things like at the beginning of the assigned period? • What changed? • How and why did it change? • What were things like at the end of the assigned period? • What differences did those changes make? • What remained the same? E. Napp

6. Definition: Change To make different in some particular ~Merriam-Webster dictionary Definition: Continuity Uninterrupted connection, succession, or union ~Merriam-Webster dictionary E. Napp

7. SO, Wait A Minute • It’s not just about change but about what remained the same • Don’t forget the continuity part of the Continuity and Change Over Time Essay E. Napp

8. Let’s Practice! E. Napp

9. From The 2005 World History AP Examination (Courtesy Of College Entrance Examination Board): Analyze the social and economic transformations that occurred in the Atlantic world as a result of new contacts among Western Europe, Africa, and the Americas from 1492 to 1750. E. Napp

10. Read The Directions Carefully • Analyze social and economic transformations • But also analyze continuities • As a result of new contacts among Western Europe, Africa, and the Americas • From 1492 to 1750 E. Napp

11. Facts About 1492 • The Spanish, distracted by the Reconquista, were not as quick as the Portuguese to start exploring • Falling behind meant that, if the Spanish wanted their own sea route to Asia, they would have to try something different • The result was the famous voyage of the Italian captain Christopher Columbus in 1492, sponsored by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella • What Columbus proposed was to sail west to reach China and India • What made his proposal striking was his belief that the world was small enough that an expedition would be able to sail from Spain to Asia without getting lost or running out of food and water E. Napp

12. Columbus set sail in August 1492, and his ships reached the islands of the Caribbean on October 12 • Columbus was convinced that he had found the Indies, but the Spanish and Portuguese realized quickly that what he had found were lands completely unknown to them • The two countries turned to the pope to determine who would be allowed to claim which parts of the New World • In lines of demarcation agreed to in 1494 and 1529, the pope gave jurisdiction over most of South America and all of North America to the Spanish • The Portuguese received Brazil E. Napp

13. So, the year 1492 was a significant turning point in world history. It brought the largely isolated Americas into permanent contact with Europe and Africa • It led to the destruction of autonomous and independent civilizations and societies in the Americas • It led to the encomienda system of Indian slavery and the deaths of large numbers of Native American Indians due to conquest and disease • It led to the importation of African slaves to replace a dying Native American Indian population • It led to the enrichment of Western European nations as silver and cash crops like sugar and cotton benefitted Europeans through their mercantilist practices E. Napp

14. And after 1750, the Industrial Revolution will begin in England and spread to Western Europe and the Americas • Therefore, this CCOT essay’s time period is from the arrival of Columbus in the Americas until just before the Industrial Revolution begins • It is an essay about the conquest and colonization of the Americas, primarily by Spain and Portugal, and the tragedy of the Atlantic Slave Trade and Triangular Trade as well as mercantilism • It is an essay about the consequences of the Columbian Exchange and the intensification of global trade • It is a time period long before the independence movements of the 1800s E. Napp

15. So, Consider the Colonial Social Class Hierarchy When Writing • Peninsulares • Creoles • Mestizos • Indians • Africans E. Napp

16. Consider the Columbian Exchange E. Napp

17. Consider the Transatlantic Slave Trade E. Napp

18. Consider Mercantilism E. Napp

19. Consider the Impact of Disease E. Napp

20. Consider Triangular Trade E. Napp

21. Consider Religious Conversion E. Napp

22. Yes, These Are Significant Changes But There Are Continuities • Cultures do not simply cease to exist because of conquest and forced conversion • Cultural syncretism can and does occur Definition: Syncretism the fusion of two or more originally different inflectional forms ~Merriam-Webster Dictionary E. Napp

23. Consider Religious Syncretism E. Napp

24. But Do Not Consider Events After 1750 • This time period does not include the Scramble for Africa, the Berlin Conference, Industrialization, and the New Imperialism • Therefore, particularly regarding Africa, remember that African merchants participated in the Atlantic Slave Trade in exchange for European goods • Dates are important and this time period from 1492 until 1750 is the time of the conquest and colonization of the Americas, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the Age of Mercantilism, and the beginning of colonial aspirations of several European nations E. Napp

25. Before Writing, Let’s Review The Scoring Guide • Basic Core (For a possible total of 7 points) -Acceptable Thesis (1 point) -Deals with all parts of the question, though not necessarily evenly or completely (2 points – partial credit can be given) -Backs up thesis with appropriate historical evidence (2 points – partial credit can be given) - Uses historical context to illustrate continuity and change over time (1 point) -Analyzes the process of change and continuity (1 point) E. Napp

26. The Expanded Core for CCOT • A score of 7 must be earned before a student can gain expanded-core points (Total of 2 points) Examples of Expanded Core: -Begins with an explicit, analytical, and comprehensive thesis -Deals with all aspects of the question -Gives ample historical evidence to back up thesis -Creatively links topic to relevant ideas, trends, and events E. Napp

27. Key Ingredients • Thesis • Addressing all parts of the question • Historical evidence to support thesis • Using historical context to illustrate continuity and change over time • Analyzing the process of continuity and change • And for expanded core points: Analytical, Comprehensive, Ample Evidence, Creative E. Napp

28. Take A Moment To Organize Your ThoughtsAnd Then Begin Writing! E. Napp

29. How Many Facts Can Be Recalled? • Facts will provide the evidence needed to support the thesis • So, ultimately, it is important to recall as many facts as possible that will support the thesis • It is also important to recall facts for all regions listed in the question: Western Europe, Africa, and the Americas • Points count • Choose to win E. Napp

30. Sample Thesis Paragraph The year 1492 was a significant turning point in the Atlantic World and world history. The unexpected arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas eventually led to profound social and economic transformations that greatly altered societies in Western Europe, Africa, and the Americas. As a result of new contacts in the Atlantic World, some societies benefitted economically and socially while others were greatly weakened, damaged, or even destroyed. Yet in the midst of these significant changes lingered aspects of earlier cultural realities. While it was predominantly a period of great change, certain realities from earlier days remained. E. Napp

31. Facts Matter • To write a Continuity and Change Over Time essay, facts are critical • Unlike the DBQ, the only information the student has to answer the question is the information the student has remembered • And the best way to remember information is to practice and interact with it regularly E. Napp

32. “Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” E. Napp Aristotle