The Opium Wars

The Opium war was between China and England. It started in 1839 and ended in 1842. China was isolated for many years, the British wanted to trade with China for there most popular natural resource which was tea. But China did not want any help from them. So, in order to get the tea, British started to sell Opium to the Chinese people. When the British offered opium the Chinese gladly said yes. Opium was a type of drug that was very strong and easy to get addicted to. It was used for medications and to take the pain away. Opium can be dangerous, but the British felt the rulers in China had no right to keep opium from their people. Western Civilization had grown.

As time went by they decided to make a new product using opium. The governments signed a peace treaty that allowed the British to use five ports instead of one. They mixed tobacco with Opium and promoted smoking Opium in China. Over two million pounds of Opium were being sold to China every year. The British were successful with the new ideas that China was coming up with. In 1838, efforts to trade opium were ended, and anyone who was trying to trade it would be killed. China was forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842, and the British supplementary Treaty of the Bogue in 1843.This war was called the Opium wars because it was a fight for Opium. China wanted it out while the British wanted it in. The British won this war due to their high technology and powerful army. As a result the Chinese lost power of an important Island call Hong Kong.

Film Lesson " Mountains Of The Moon"

While searching for the Nile River Europeans faced many obstacles and hardships while going thought Africa. They were curious in finding the largest river in the world which was the Nile River. One major conflict was the native tribes. They were fascinated seeing”white people”in there territory because they never had seen anyone like them. They felt threatened by the Europeans so they would then frighten them with there spears. The Europeans which were Richard Burton and John Speke weren’t use to the living conditions in Africa. They had a lot of walking to do while carrying heavy equipment. While they were sleeping many Africans would come to steal there belongings. John got infected by a bug that got inside his ear and got shot with an arrow that went right through his face. To get to the Nile River they had to pass through the Sahara dessert which was very difficult. They were thirsty and tired of walking. When ever they found a lake to finally drink from it was infected with dead animals. While being on this long journey they saw lions which they had to escape from. They had to be careful and cautious because there were many diseases that were easy to catch and easy to get infected by. Towards the end of there journey they finally found the source of the Nile River which is Lake Victoria.

The third largest river which is named Lake Victoria was named after the British. They named it after there English Queen. It was weird that it was named after Victoria because this land was already discovered, people already lived there, and it was in the middle of Africa. Europeans decided to name it after a queen even though it wasn’t there property. The lake should have been named by the Africans because this was there land, country, and territory. Still today the lake is named Victoria.

Europeans had many technological advantages over African people that made it easier to conquer Africa. One of there technological advantage was there weapons. They carried guns and shields which were very dangerous and powerful while the Africans had arrows. They also carried telescopes, compasses and magnifying glasses to help them during there journey. They had important and advanced equipment which helped them conquer Africa.

The Meiji Restoration of Japan

Japan was a very important country during the late 1850’s. Japan is an archipelago which means that it is made up of many different little islands. They were independent and isolated from most of the world. Mathew Perry was an American and a commodore who traveled in many ships. He threatened to destroy Japan. Mathew "bullied" the Japanese into singing a treaty by impressing them with the technologies that the Americans enjoyed. He used America’s technology because it was more advanced and better than Japans. They sent many ships in order for Japan to end the nation’s self-imposed isolation and open it to trade.The Japanese were very impressed by the technology of the American steam ships. Japan had great pride in their cultural heritage. On March 31, 1854 a treaty was signed between the United States and Japan that opened two ports to the United States and acted as a catalyst towards Japanese. They would establish their own treaties with the Japanese.

The Meiji Era had a great effect on Japanese economy. A new emperor came in charge called Meiji. His plan was to reclaim he's divine right to rule and restructure the society. The Meiji Restoration was to turn Japan into a modern country. Japan had been in isolation for so many years that their army and technology were very weak. Perry purposely dropped 26 miles off the coast of Tokyo, to impress the Japanese. The Japanese were impressed, on how far the ships were able to travel in such a short time.

When the Meiji period ended, with the death of the emperor in 1912, The Japanese economy became better during the years because of there trading with the United States. They developed more contact with the outside world to get more involved in trade. They were able to modernize because they established a parliament, developed transport and communication systems; they had better and more advanced technology and a more powerful army and navy. Thanks to the Meiji restoration Japan became a more modernized country.

Karl Marx and communism

Karl Marx's ideas were so influencing that they were soon called communism. Communism is the idea of everybody being equal. Social classes were now all the same and everybody was paid the same amount of money. The government controlled its people. Even thought Marks ideas were so strong and many people believed and supported it many communist countries didn’t use his ideas. Mark believed that workers would take over landowners and there government. He believed that factory workers could start a revolution and take over the factory owners since they had a higher amount of population.

The community was made up of two types of social classes which were the proletariat and bourgeoisie. The proletariats were the workers. They basically worked the entire day to whoever paid them the most amount of money. The bourgeoisie were the business and factory owners. He didn’t like the way that the proletariat class was being treated. The idea of communism was for everything to be equal. Society would only produce what it needed and there would be no private ownership. Everything would be owned by the government or state not by the people.

Many people loved the idea of communism, because this way, they would finally get the rights they always wanted. Marx hated the Industrial Revolution, he wanted Communism to be world wide, because this way everyone else would be able to enjoy what he thought was the best way of life. Marx wanted the best for his people. He viewed the “poor people” as good people because they worked really hard. He viewed the rich people as the “bad people” because they abused the power over the factory workers, and used Capitalism in their favor to make more money. Karl Mark was one of the most influential people in the 19th history.

Karl Marx and the Industrial Revolution

Karl Marx was a German who disagreed with the industrial Revolution and his ideas impacted the lives of many other people. He wanted workers to have the power in factories instead of landowners. Marx's ideas were so important and influential that they were named communism. He believed that workers had the power so they would control the government. During the Industrial Revolution social classes were very important. He felt that the Industrial Revolution allows the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. The two different social classes were the bourgeoisie who were the landowners and the proletariat who were the workers .He believed that since there were more workers than land owners the workers would all stick together and make a revolution.

Karl Mark disagreed with the Industrial Revolution. He thought that wealth should be spread equally, to help others advance. With his idea of communism, people would live fair more equal lives. Karl noticed how hard children had to work and weren’t able to go to school. Although he died in 1883, his ideas were still able to form the basis of the Bolshevik Revolution.

Nationalism and the Creation of Italy

“Nationalists believed that people of a single nationality, or ancestry, should unite under a single government”. Nationalism is the belief and pride over your country. People support and make contributions to make there country better. People who share common history and culture like to root and stick together. The nation has its own independent government and is called a nation-state. Things that support and create nationalism is the language, culture, history, religion, money, and territory. A big cause of Nationalism was the French Revolution. This Revolution contributed to everybody being equal and having the same rights.

An example of how I am nationalistic is how I show my pride by celebrating July 4th which was the day that America got its independence. I watch the fireworks and show off the flag colors. I speak the conmen language which is English and I pay using Dollars. Everybody in this country pays taxes to the government .I root for my country when there playing in competitive sports like the Olympics. By doing all of these things I show support for my country and my pride of being American.

Nationalism was used to create the Nation of Italy. Italy was one of the countries to form crumbled empires. Before Italy became a nationalistic, it was very separated; each region had its own ruler or king. Italians were tired of being ruled by foreign rulers. Giuseppe Mazzini was a ruler who supported nation-states. He believed that this was the best hope for social justice, democracy, and peace in Europe. His main goal was to unite Italy. However many wars broke out because of disagreements between Giuseppe Garibaldi and Giuseppe Mazzini who was an idealist. Piedmont-Sardinia was the largest and most powerful state in Italy. Camillo di Cavour worked very hard in order to expand Sardinia's power. He not only achieved his goal but he united Italy. Above all Italy was able to become an independent nation thanks to Giuseppe Garibaldi and Camillo di Cavour.

Simon Bolivar and The Latin American Revolution

Simon Bolivar is one of the most important leaders that struggled for most of South America’s independence. He was the leader who led the American Revolution and argued for the Spanish American independence. Simon Bolivar was considered responsible for fighting for the independence of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia. He defeated the Spanish through surprise attacks, and wise decisions in the battle. He was a Leader who accomplished many things through his hard work and success.

Simon was influenced and inspired by the French and American Revolution. He believed that people should have the power. As he traveled to Italy and France he studied philosophies of Rousseau, Locke, and Voltaire. In 1810 Simon revolted against the Spanish and gained Caracas. A year later, Bolívar fought for Spain’s independence but didn’t win it. He didn’t give up and in 1813, He led another force into Venezuela and he gained control over the country.

Bolívar proclaimed the establishment of The Republic of Colombia. He was not successful in the role of government leader. He then became dictator of Peru and then President. Peru was then broken up and became a separate state named Bolivia. On August 6, 1825, at the Congress of Upper Peru, the Republic of Bolivia was created. The constitution showed the influence of the French and Scottish Enlightenment. Bolivia was named after Simon who fought for it's independence and is known as the Liberator of South America. By 1828 he successfully controlled Colombia. Before his death, Simon accomplished and freed many countries from South America. He fought for the independence of six nations and is now known as one of the most important political leaders in history.

Robespierre and the Reign of Terror

The French Revolution was a huge change that brought together liberty and equality. Lower classes finally had more power and equality. Kings and higher classes lost most of there power .As a result the Reign of Terror occurred. It was a period of violence with the enemies of the Revolution. A limited Monarchy was set up. A legislative Assembly was set up to work with and share power with the King. The kings didn’t like this at all because they wanted to have absolute power over everything. King Louis XIV wanted to do anything to get his power back. While France was figuring out was to do, a new gang called the Jacobins took over. Who ever disagreed with there opinions would get there head chopped off. The guillotine was the machine that they used to cut off people heads. Anybody that disagreed with them or went against them would have there head chopped off.

After the Jacobins cut King Louis XIV head off people were shocked and afraid of France. As time passed by and leaders struggled to get power Maximilien Robespierre gathered control and was later ruling France. Kings, queens, and jacks were removed for faces of revolutionaries, the calendar was changed, and church’s in Paris were closed. His rule was called the Reign of Terror. It was named like this because people were executed, and scared. They didn’t want to have there head chopped off. Even people who worked with the government were scared of Maximilien. During the Terror, approximately 3,000 people were executed in Paris. People were tired of being scared so they organized a conspiracy towards him and he was executed. He was killed by having his head chopped off and finally the Reign of Terror was over.


The Terror was designed to fight the enemies of the revolution. The French Revolution promised democracy, but it did not happen immediately. The region of terror represented something horrible in the lives of many people. This ruler killed many people. After his death the Tower was still used but not as much as before.

The French Revolution

1. During the French revolution there were many different kind of social classes. The three estates were the clergy, nobility, and the bourgeoisie. Many people in France were critical of the nobility which were the upper class. It numbered around 400,000 people. They were wealthy and had a lot of money so they didn't have to pay taxes. They were one of the members of society that had many privileges. They didn’t have to do military service. They holded positions of importance like officers in an army. Kings didn't have to pay taxes either they recieved them.They lived in beautiful palaces and took control of all of France. They ruled absolutely everything. The peasents were treated unfair because they were poor. They were the church peasants and the lowest class. They made up 90% of the population. They had to pay taxes and feudal dues. They had to use the lord’s mill, oven, and winepress and pay for it.

2. Something that the French peasants might have been mad about in 1969 would be that they were really poor and they had to pay taxes and feudal dues to the king. They had to work really hard and give most of there money to the king who was already rich. They were the lowest class with the most population and yet had to pay so much money. They were forced to do military service and could not hunt or fish on noble’s estates.

3. The point that the cartoonist is trying to make is that the peasant is carrying the Nobel and the lord. There mad that they have to pay taxes and that the king has to pay nothing. All the poor people had to pay 50% of taxes. “One hopes this will end soon” is the quote they use to describe the cartoon. The peasants want this unfairness to go away it is too much for them to carry. The money that was collected from them went to the nobles, king and lord. They hope for the king to loose absolute power so that they won’t have to pay anymore taxes.

4. The lives of the French peasants was very bad. All there money went to the kings. They had to pay taxes and feudal dues to the king. They had many dues to pay. For example the 20kg of wheat, three chickens and 60kg of oats. Peasants only lived with a cow, a little peace of land, and a poorhouse. They were being crushed with all the things they had to pay.

5. Sources A, B, and C represent why poor people in France resented the rich. Peasants worked really hard and all they got for there income was 200 livres while the priest and marquis got about 20,000 livres. “The taxes and feudal dues are crushing us.” Peasants had little to enjoy because all there money went to the king. They were left with almost nothing from there income. All peasants hoped for the King to loose absolute power so that they wouldn’t have to pay taxes and feudal dues. They had no freedom.

6. Voltaire wanted France to have a more “democratic” form of government. Someone that agreed with him were the peasants. They wanted to choose there own government they didn’t want to have a king or someone to rule over them. They didn’t want to have to pay taxes. They wanted a normal good life. If they didn’t like there government they had the right to change him over someone else.

7. The pamphlet was banned in 1775 because it went against what the French people believed in. The king didn’t really care what the peasants thought because he had absolute power over everything. All he cared about was that he received his taxes and feudal dues. The peasants wanted to fight for there rights and in what they believed in was fair. The other states wanted to ban it because they wanted the peasant to do all the work. The king didn’t do anything because he depended on all the peasants.

John Locke and "The Enlightenment"

John Locke was one of the most important people during the enlightenment. John was a positive thinker of nature; he concluded that all humans were equal. According to John people should not let each other bet told what to do. He wanted people to do there things on there own will. John was a big influence to modern democracy. He proposed the 3 most important natural rights which are life, liberty and property.

John argued that government and authority were based on Natural law .The purpose of authority was to protect humanity and equality between all people. John’s argument and opinion were so strong that Thomas Jefferson support it and wrote about it in the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson explains how if the government ever fails doing his job then the people have the right to“abolish it and institute a new government.” He describes how all rights were given by god.

Everybody is born with the most important rights which are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. The government comes from the people because they have the right to choose who they want to rule there country. John Locke came up with human right and democracy. He believed that people should choose who they want to be ruled by. Thanks to John Locke we are all able to express our feelings and opinions toward our government. John’s idea of having people go against there government helped to inspire the revolution in Europe and America. His idea was that man can learn and improve through conscious effort. Locke tried to determine what the limits of human understanding were. As a result he established that we are all the creators of moral and political ideas.

Copernicus and the trial of Galileo

The scientific Revolution was a great deal on how the world once started. People debated on whether it started from evolution or creationism. The scientific Revolution led to many new things in our world today like the Solar System. During the 16th century in the years of 1610-1642 people had many debates on whether the sun or the earth where in the middle of the universe.

The geocentric and the heliocentric were two very important theories of the solar system. Heliocentrism was the theory that the sun was in the center of the solar system. The sun-centered solar system became important by Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei. In the other hand, Geocentrism is the view that the earth is in the center of the universe, and that the universe including the sun, stars, and planets revolved around the earth. We all now know that the true theory is heliocentric and it came from Copernicus .He observed eclipses and oppositions of planets. He was the first astronomer to understand that the earth was at the center of the universe. His observations led him to conclude that there was something wrong with the geocentric theory.

Nicolaus didn’t have much to back up his opinion and understandment. Before the Scientific Revolution started, many people believed in Geocentrism. Years after the scientific Revolution people started to believe in the heliocentric theory. Galileo confirmed and backed up Copernicus by concluding that he was right. He backed him up right after he discovered the telescope. The Roman Catholic Church disagreed with what Galileo was supporting. The RCC still believed in Geocentrism. The trial of Galileo was an important trial against Galileo and the Catholic Church. They put him on trial for what he believed in and stopped selling all his books. The day after his death Pope urban had concluded that the earth was at the center of the solar system. The result of Galileo's trail was the ending of the Italian Renaissance and the end of his liberty.

Scientific Revolution: The scientific method

For centuries, people based their beliefs on their interpretations of what they saw going on in the world around them without testing their ideas. People would read the bible for answers to all there questions. The Greek and Christianity believed that the earth was located at the center of the universe and that other planets revolved around it. Aristotle theory was that heavy object reached the land faster than a lighter object. His theory was believed by people for 1500 years. Years later they conducted an experiment and found out that there observations were not true. The questioning of everything and how things worked was later solved by the Scientific Revolution.

The scientific method is a way to ask and answer scientific questions by making observations and doing experiments. The scientific method has four steps to its process. Scientist first get there theory or the question they have in mind. They then get a hypothesis/educated guess, and they design an experiment. They would record data and repeat it several times to make sure there conclusions are accurate and similar. This was a great way to support opinions and understandings. Scientist use the scientific method to search for the cause and effect in an experiment.

Aristotle had a theory that heavy objects fell faster than lighter objects. And for about 1,500 years, people believed him. An example of an experiment that uses the scientific method would be to find out if a cube of clay or if a piece of wood would float or sink. I would first conduct a question and support it with my hypothesis. I Would then do my experiment at least 3 times to make sure my answer is accurate. My last step would be to accumulate all my data and form a conclusion.

Evolution Vs. Creation

Evolution and Creation are two very different topics about how the world once was created. Evolution refers to ancestors and is reffered to as a Big bang because it came out of know were. Little by little it starts changing it's trait. Evolution is a change over generation. In the other hand, Creation is the religious belief that God started and formed everything. People believe that god created the entire world in just 7 days. This has been one of the world's biggest mystery, how we were all once created.

Evolution goes on that the world just came to be. They believe that everybody came from the same ancestor. They believe that these mutations are passed on. A process known as natural selection is the reason why there are so many different creatures in the world today. As these beneficial mutations were passed on over time it would result in an entirely different organism. The founder of this theory was Charles Darwin. He believes that if a species develops a new characteristic it will be able to pass it on to there next offspring. Evolution helps us to understand the history of our life. The central idea of biological evolution is that all life on Earth shares a common ancestor.They believe that the "BIG BANG" started everything. Darwins theory talks about how things are still evolving slowly but surely. One of Darwins most important theorys was variation. He believes that there is variation in every population. Darwin imagined it might be possible that all life is descended from one original species. He supports his theory by observing that fossils are similar and closely related.

Creation is the belief that human life came to be because of God. They believe that he made it and created everything in it. Some of the religions that believe in this theory are judiasm, chistianity, and Islam. They believe that god created adam and eve who which later created us. God created heaven and Earth for evil and good. A book of the bible called Genesis tells the story of God creating the world and the first humans in seven days.

I believe that we came to be because of creationism. I believe that God was the creator of heaven and Earth. God had power and imagination to create all of us and everything beside us. I believe that what we do now will affect us in our other life. God created us and made us who we are. I believe in God and i pray to him. God sacrificed his life so that all of us had a chance to live. Our decisions will lead us to what we are going to be in life. Every step we take will lead us to another place and another decision.

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