Reflective Essay: My AP World History Test

How do major events and advances in technology affect different groups? In the 1800s, a transcontinental railroad was built. It connected the coasts of the US for the first time and, in the process, changed the lives of many. These changes, however, were both negative and positive. The railroad offered multiple benefits and opportunities to white settlers.

1.) The desire to find new trade routes to Asia was one of the motivations for European explorations. Europeans were seeking the wealth of Africa and Asia. They wanted profit, they wanted gold. The spice market was also a huge profit of trading and several countries tried to gain control of spice trade. Another motivation was God and religion. Europeans wanted to spread the teachings of the Gospel to other parts of the world. They believed it was their duty to spread the word of God. Lastly, land was another motivation for European explorations. Some rulers, especially the King of Spain, and the King of Portugal, wanted to claim as much land as they could. The more land and money a country owned, the better their chance of domination in Europe.

6. What specific actions did Hammurabi take in his attempt to provide for the good order of society and the basic welfare of his subjects?

When it comes to modernization, the paths taken by Japan and China were strikingly similar. Well, I say paths taken, however I would argue that it was more along the lines of them being forced upon paths out of necessity in order to survive in a world in which the Western powers of Europe and the United States were increasingly encroaching and interfering in East Asia. The paths I will be looking at for these two nations will both begin with the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan and the Kangxi emperor in China, and several aspects of how these nations and forms of governance operated, as well as large changes in governance. I will look at how these two nations and the West interacted, and how their interactions began to change as time went on. From

1. Humans first appeared on Earth during the Paleolithic Era. The evidence of burial grounds, stone tools, and other items shows a general migration path of humans out of Africa, and support the theory that these groups were nomadic hunters and foragers. Early humans were mobile and could adapt to different geographical settings from savannah to Ice Age tundra. Anthropologists infer that these bands were relatively egalitarian.

Historians have learned a great deal about the Crusades from chroniclers like William of Tyre and Ibn al-Qalanisi. Today, reporters and newscasters travel all over the world to report on international events, including conflicts. Reporters and world leaders use social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook to connect with the public. Imagine what we might know had there been access to television, cell phones, and social media in the 13th century.

1. The Columbian Exchange was when diseases, crops, cattle, and other aspects of life were transferred between the existing civilizations of the Western and Eastern hemispheres. This also brought new diseases to each location, killing natives as they were not immune to such illnesses due to lack of exposure. Population increased as new crops and animals increased the global food supply. Mercantilism resulted in increased colonialism due to the economic success of the Columbian Exchange.

Throughout history, economic and social changes have shaped the way the world was and influenced the world today. Two major periods of change are the Middle Ages, which lasted between the 5th and 15th century, and the Industrial Revolution in England, between 1790 and 1870. Changes and outcomes during those times have shaped the way we live today.

The countries of South America, Africa, and Asia were under the shadow of the more powerful European and American countries before and during the World Wars. Before the wars European nations colonized other countries such as Asia, South America, and especially Africa. It was a means for European countries to advance their global power. Meanwhile, the Africans and other native people, had been treated as weak and disrespectable, hurting African, Asian, and South American pride. After WWII, the countries each tried to gain independence from their European leaders, and as they did so, some of the new leaders envisioned unity, such as the pan-African vision. The desire for unity was commonly motivated by a longing for significant world power along

Religion and economics influenced the development of medieval Europe and Japan through Religious pastors, trade routs that went different places, pastors that went on trade expeditions, and leaders that put their own spin on society.

As the Spring term comes to a close, my Inside-Out class is learning about the trade interest of various empires and settlements in the world during the early 1700s. When I started studying this new topic one of my biggest questions was “ Why did countries go out of their way to not trade with certain countries even though they need their products?” I understand that back then some countries did not have the best relationships with each other, but I don't see why they could not put aside their differences for things that they needed in the trade. Slavery was also a big deal for trade because slaves were one of the few things that were exempt from restrictions and in the article I read about there was a lot of intolerance for African Americans and Indians in the 17th century as well. It seems that the game we are playing in class and the article I read is heavily based on the significance of trade in several parts of the world and lack of tolerance between countries and races.

In 1837, the country of Texas attempted to join the United States as a slave state; however then President Jackson feared that adding another slave state would disrupt the balance of power in the senate and in a sense ignored the issue which was not brought up again until the elections of 1844. During the elections, James Knox Polk, a slave owner, represented the Democratic Party and Henry Clay represented the Whig Party. The two largest issues at the time of these debates were the annexation of Texas and “Manifest Destiny,” the idea that it was America’s God given right to expand from coast to coast. At the time, James Polk was considered the first “dark horse” candidate, which meant that he essentially came from nowhere and nobody thought

Europe was not always like how it is now. At first, there was no such thing as zero. Roman numerals started at one because they didn’t get what zero was. Since then, Europe has revolutionized. By the year 1300 Europe was flourishing and eventually conquered most of the known world. It was not easy but, they were able to do it. Without knowing, Europe was a perfect place to win many different wars and to conquer different places. When the Europeans came to Central America, they were deeply tricked into war by the Inca Empire. The leader sent them gift baskets and told them to meet them at a certain place. When the Europeans arrived they saw that they were about to be in a combat zone against 80,000 men, meanwhile they only had 168 (Guns,Germs,

1) Some examles of a primary source document are diaries, manuscripts and letters 2) Political maps show the boundaries and locations of countries, states, cities, towns and counties. Topographic maps show information including roads, elevation, rivers andother water bodies and political boundaries. A cartographic map graphically represents a geographical area, usually on a flat surface and may involve political, cultural, or other non­geographical divisions of a geographical area. 3) A nomad is a member of a group that has no permanent home, wandering from place to place in search of food and water. 4) The key discovery of the Neolithic Revolution is agriculture andthe domestication of animals. This was beneficial becasue it allowed nomads to not

On June 26th, I started my first online college class. I thought World History would be a great place to start and relatively easy course to pass. I had no idea how the class would make significant changes in my life. This class was far from a few easy credits I thought I would acquire in the short 8 weeks. The few weeks with Professor Jared Harrington increased my literacy towards topics I would have given up in the past. This class affected my world view, improved me as a student, a learner, enlightened my view on world religions, forced me to analyze information from readings, and helped me formulate my own thoughts. The amount of material covered in this course was immense and I now believe I have a better view of religion, its role in history, and where the world is heading due to all the historical events of the past.