188 ChApTEr 7 | reForM anD reaCtion | period Four 18 0 0 –1848Putting it All togEthEr
revisiting the Main Point
•
Characterize the social debates in the early nineteenth century as featured in
this chapter. To what extent did political ideology, economic necessity, and
sectional interests drive these debates?•
In what ways did groups that were left out of the liberties granted to Americans
during the Revolution use the language of the Revolution to demand those rights?•
Establish and analyze the changing definitions of freedom following the
Revolutionary War.Patterns in historical argument
One challenge of writing historical arguments is using evidence and explanations
as effective support. Chapters 1 through 6 focus on organizing evidence and de-
veloping a thesis, and Chapters 7 through 12 provide instruction on how to use
evidence to support your thesis.
Perhaps the strongest use of evidence from history is the discovery of patterns—
repetitions among events or phenomena that reinforce your point. For example, both
Frederick Douglass (Doc. 7.9) and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Doc. 7.10) argue for
greater liberties, and although the people involved in each document differ (African
Americans and women), the reinforcement of similar circumstances allows your
evidence to form a stronger case about the Second Great Awakening, a period of
religious revival in the United States that ran from the 1820s to the 1850s, as a time
of social reform as well. Review your textbook or class notes on the Second Great
Awakening if you need a reminder about this important religious movement.
Although historical themes build on each other (as in the example about liberties
that is cited above), attempting to force evidence into a single, limited framework
might lead you to fall into the either/or fallacy. Also known as the black-or-white
fallacy, this logical error ignores the gray area of facts and ideas that do not fit into
a predetermined category. For example, Lyman Beecher’s (Doc. 7.5) call for the
end of debtors’ prisons is primarily an economic one, but it echoes other reform-
ers’ pleas for sympathy and condemnation of the moral aspects of inequality. Also,
effective combinations of evidence invite a fuller evaluation of the evidence.
When you discover breaks in the pattern, you are able to discover a gray area
and look for evidence and explanations that provide a different perspective or
point of view. In some cases, it may be an opposing point of view, but be wary
about trying to fit all evidence into just two sides.Buil Ding AP®
writing sKills08_STA_2012_ch7_169-190.indd 188 19/03/15 4:33 PM