Write a 2-3 page paper in a reasonable font and observing all the normal rules of grammar and style. Be sure to base your answer to this question on primary sources that you read for last week. DO NOT rely on textbooks, introductions, lectures, non-primary websites, or any other source. Use specific examples from the sources that you read for last week. BE SURE to use footnotes to indicate where you got your examples!
Remember that the goal of this paper is to practice supporting your answer to the question asked with the primary sources that we have read in this class. Make sure that you have a clear, one sentence answer to the question asked and that you provide primary source evidence for in the body of the essay. Be sure that you explain how your evidence proves your main thesis.
The Question: For the past few weeks, you have been reading sources related to the Middle East between 1258 and 1900, and many of those sources focus on economics or activities related to making a living. Many scholars focus on the changes that take place in the economy of the Middle East in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Compare the documents from weeks seven, eight, ten and eleven, and answer the following question: What changes in the economy of the Middle East in the seventeen-hundreds and the eighteen-hundreds and what stays the same?
Remember that in order to show change or continuity, you have to show what things were like early and what things were like late; it is not enough to show one or the other, you need to show both.
Remember not to use introductions, footnotes, or outside sources. This is an exercise in answering historical questions based on limited primary sources. If you cannot say something based on the primary sources that we read in class, then do not say it.
Remember that economics takes in a lot of different aspects of life- so farming and agriculture are part of the economy, as well as trade, crafts, and manufacturing. Finally, domestic work also counts as part of the economy, so look for things like weaving, preparing food, and being a housekeeper.