History as the Story of Humanity - Essay Example

PART I Question A During the 18th Century, regional variation was seen in British North America. For this reason, it is possible to divide the English colonies into four regions based on their social, economic, political and cultural development throughout the colonial period. These variations are thought of to have led to the sectional conflicts witnessed in America, which eventually culminated into the civil war. The regional variation traced their roots to the differences witnessed in the histories, economies and societies of the regions (World History Now 1). Demographic differences have a hand in the regional variation observed in British North America. Colonies at the south had high mortality rates, prevalence of diseases, gender imbalances, and reproduction rates were very low. Northern colonies, on the other hand, had lower mortality rates with more women and children. Their populations grew naturally at faster rates. The demographic differences influenced population and migration patterns across the divide. The south-north divide was also characterized by social and cultural differences. Elites in the south amassed land, wealth, slaves and authority at the expense of the poor hence creating inequalities in terms of economic and social spheres. In the north, however, agriculture was practiced as a family affair hence minimum inequality was experienced. The north-south divide also had a political perspective. New Englanders in the north frequently had town meetings where they practiced corporate governance and cemented the social covenant. Moreover, Congregational churches grew in the north implementing Puritan principles. On the contrary, the south and middle colonies had royal and proprietary governments in that order. Moreover, they never organized themselves through town meetings but county or parish. Overall, religious devotion intensified in the north similar to educational opportunities. Aside from the variations, the regions had certain factors in common. English was the dominant language in most of the colonies although there were traces of Africans, Indians, creole and other European languages. Protestantism dominated most colonies in different forms: Anglicanism, Congregationalism and religious toleration. Moreover, most colonists succumbed to the notion of being the King’s loyal subjects – their regimes resembled the Anglo-American regime politically and legally. Despite all these, the patterns of settlement kept the north-south divide growing. New England: Cultural and geographical disparities pushed New England to one extreme of the divide. The experience of England was quite exceptional. It was not founded on profitability like other northern colonies but religious experimentation. From Massachusetts to New Haven, the founders intensified religion and corporate settlements. The economy slowly evolved from subsistence farming to commercial farming, fishing and lumbering to facilitate exportation. This increased trade led to the growth of cities such as Newport and Boston. Moreover, commercialization triggered social stratification, specialization and economic growth. Politics took a new turn due to the rise in individualism, with discord and factionalism reigning. Moreover, religious divisions also emerged in this region as seen through increased Congregationalism and declining church membership. Chesapeake: settlements here, notably Maryland and Virginia represented the colonial development significantly. Much of the region was sparsely populated, with large plantations of tobacco taking up most land. This crop was grown for exportation purposes. Therefore, Maryland and Virginia had weaker communal life compared to the north. However, the succeeding periods saw a sense of communal life and stability. This region, therefore, became the epitome of cohesion and order. The racial segregation of labor increased tobacco production in this region and later led to diversification of the economy. Middle Colonies: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York shared unique histories and geographical features. However, they were characterized by religious, ethnic and linguistic diversity not common to other regions. Despite this diversity, the region exhibited a hybrid culture. There developed a commercial society, with family farms producing fine quality grain and livestock products both for subsistence consumption and exportation purposes. Several industries sprang up in the region including food, timber and iron industries. The region may have had political and religious differences, but it showed greater commitment to pursuing individual and family happiness. Lower South: Carolinas and Georgia had their share of diversity. It adopted the tropical slave society where plantation agriculture was practiced. Rice and indigo were the staple crops in this region. The demographic pattern of the region was quite unusual – blacks exceeded whites in number. The region had little adherers to religion due to its history as conviction zone for religious dissenters. However, the society was highly stratified – planters, lawyers and merchants formed much of its population hence making it the wealthiest in British North America. Convergence: the faster pace of development in the regions soon nurtured some sort of unity in terms of social life and culture hence streamlining all the colonies to the metropolitan Britain reference point. The colonies bought British and European products in large quantities, a factor that promoted them to the global consumer revolution at that time. Elite Americans were dedicated to adopting the British way of life, including speech, dressing and custom. The intensified emulation soon embraced the British political structure. The convergence process soon erased the earlier regional diversity hence unifying all the colonies. However, western expansion into America in the 19th Century reignited sectional conflicts among societies, leading to the civil war and the ultimate Revolution. PART II Chapter 1 i. Methods of adaptation ii. The Stone Age iii. Archaeology iv. Anthropology Chapter 2 i. The Fertile Crescent ii. Egyptian astronomy iii. Kingdoms of Egyptian civilization iv. Origin of Americas Chapter 3 i. Cradle of civilization ii. Effects of African civilization iii. City state iv. Pacific War Chapter 4 i. Cyrus the Great ii. Dynasty iii. Greek War of Independence iv. Italo-Turkish War Chapter 5 i. Peloponnesian War ii. Alexander the Great iii. Hellenistic philosophy iv. Hellenistic culture Chapter 6 i. Religious tolerance ii. British Raj iii. The Warring States Period iv. Cultural assimilation Chapter 7 i. Romulus ii. Res publica iii. Pompey the Great iv. Persecution Chapter 8 i. African slave trade ii. Scramble for Africa iii. Iron Age iv. Horn of Africa Top Ten List The Stone Age: this period refers to the period when early humans depended on stone as a means for tool making. It marks a critical step in early man civilization. Any student unaware of this cannot make sense of early civilizations. Archaeology: this is the study of ancient remains of human beings. Without archaeologists, much of history of man could be unknown. Archaeology has contributed much to historical development. Egyptian astronomy: The dedicated works of Egyptian astronomers were at the heart of Egyptian civilization and helps understand how civilization penetrated this mighty land. Cradle of Civilization: this concept is important because it takes students to the roots of the civilization process (Mesopotamia), making them understand the spread of civilization to various parts of the world. Cyrus the Great: he was a prominent Asian ruler who revolutionized the Asian political structures that followed. His governance system was adorable, leading to his success in ancient Asia. Hellenistic philosophy: this comprises a wide range of schools of thought that permeated the period immediately preceding the emergence of the Roman Empire including pythagoreanism, cynicism, sophism, and stoicism. It is important for students to understand these schools of thought and the influence they had. Religious tolerance: this concept derives from the Indian civilization process. Students should understand that differences in religion are not a factor to divide people. India survived despite having four different religions. Romulus: he is the founder of Rome. Roman history cannot be better understood without looking into his regime and the influence he had. Persecution: this term refers to the massive killings experienced in Rome during the emergence of Christianity. It will help students understand the changes that occurred in Rome prior to it being the strongest empire. African slave trade: the trade was a significant factor that fueled civilization in Africa. It eventually gave birth to the colonization process that cemented the civilization process. Works Cited World History Now. History as the Story of Humanity. Weebly 2014. Accessed 20 October 2014 from http://historyonlinenow.weebly.com/introduction.html Read More