The Republic of South Africa had gained independence from Great Britain in 1910, but the majority of the people were still not free. When Great Britain ceded power to the country, they handed over power to a government that represented only twenty percent of the population. It was a white government, also know at the time as Boers, or Afrikaners (white african). This white minority came from Dutch Settlers. Under this government, blacks and coloreds, were not treated fairly and not given the same job opportunities. It wan't until Nelson Mandela's ANC political party liberated the country. In 1994, South Africa held it first truly free elections.
I have lived in South Africa for a short period of time and I am married to a South African, and from what I have heard about apartheid, is that people had it better off during apartheid then now. Of course, the horrible treatment of black people during this time should never have been condoned. But now crime is every where in South Africa, murder and rape is commonplace and the police are not capable of solving the crimes. I have heard from black people in South Africa that they felt safer under Apartheid then they do now. The problem with the country today is the high level of corruption within the government and the lack of education for the country's citizens and leaders. Their current president Jacob Zuma never made it passed the 4th grade. What seems to be happening of there is that once you make it into a high ranking postion you get all of your friends and family members jobs in government, which no one is qualified in doing.
What is happening now in South Africa is that the people in charge continue to blame poverty, lack of jobs, crime, housing issues, on the effects of Apartheid and because the majority of the country is not educated they believe them. When the leaders are just distracting the citizens of the truth that the leaders are stealing from them. South Africa is a beautiful place to live, but it is walking a tight rope right know, it will either succede in it goal of being a true "rainbow nation" no longer using race as a political tool or it will fall down the same path that it's neighbor to the north is going down, Zimbabwe. Only time will tell.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Quiz #2
Quiz # 2
1. During the Classical Era. How was human population distributed around the world?
What would cause one continent to have a much greater population then another?
During the classic era, Eurasia contained around 80 percent of the world population. This
means that around 167 million people lived in Eurasia around 600 C.E. The next closest
continent, in terms of population, was Africa. During the same time within the Classical
Era, Africa contained 24 million people or 12 percent of the world population. This
uneven balance of population was due to in part to the Agricultural Revolution, when
rich agricultural environments thrived and out of these environments grew civilizations.
Also the absence of resources played a role in the lack of development for Africa and the
Americas.
2. Give an example of a civilization that was in Africa during the Classical Era and list a
couple of characteristics about it.
The Nubian civilization was a monarchal governed society, from 300 B.C.E to 100 C.E,
in the Nile Valley near Egypt. The Nubian both fought and traded with Egypt and at the
same time maintained their own culture and civilization characteristics. When Egypt
became under the rule of a foreign rule, Nubian civilization was focused at the city of
Meroe, it was a flourishing city from 300 B.C.E to 100 C.E. Meroe and other cities had
many areas of expertise from, merchants, weavers, potters, masons. They had a very
good iron manufacturing system, where they made tools and weapons. Its demise was
came around 340 CE when a neighboring civilization.
3. What was the role of caste to give structure in India’s civilization?
The caste system was a way to create social status and structure within the society. Your
social status was determined at birth and moving out of your class was nearly impossible.
This system created major inequalities but also gave an identity and a purpose to
everyone. The idea behind the caste system was the better you do your duties within
your social class the more likely you will advance to the next social level in your next
life. Marriage between classes was very difficult and interaction between classes was
also frowned on.
4. Discuss the similarities and differences of Jesus and Buddha. Consider their upbringings
and teachings.
It is amazing to see how similar and different Jesus and Buddha really were. Jesus was
born 500 years after Buddha in a small village to peasants, while Buddha was born into
a wealthy family. In both of their teachings, they focused on love and compassion and
not wealth, power, or status. Buddha taught “loving kindness” while Jesus taught “love
thy neighbor” Buddha believed in ethical living and mindfulness to end suffering while
Jesus believed in more of Jewish tradition and in miracles. A major difference though
is the amount of time they spent teaching, Jesus was only in the public for three years
before being executed for his beliefs, while Buddha died of nature causes after 40 years
of public service.
1. During the Classical Era. How was human population distributed around the world?
What would cause one continent to have a much greater population then another?
During the classic era, Eurasia contained around 80 percent of the world population. This
means that around 167 million people lived in Eurasia around 600 C.E. The next closest
continent, in terms of population, was Africa. During the same time within the Classical
Era, Africa contained 24 million people or 12 percent of the world population. This
uneven balance of population was due to in part to the Agricultural Revolution, when
rich agricultural environments thrived and out of these environments grew civilizations.
Also the absence of resources played a role in the lack of development for Africa and the
Americas.
2. Give an example of a civilization that was in Africa during the Classical Era and list a
couple of characteristics about it.
The Nubian civilization was a monarchal governed society, from 300 B.C.E to 100 C.E,
in the Nile Valley near Egypt. The Nubian both fought and traded with Egypt and at the
same time maintained their own culture and civilization characteristics. When Egypt
became under the rule of a foreign rule, Nubian civilization was focused at the city of
Meroe, it was a flourishing city from 300 B.C.E to 100 C.E. Meroe and other cities had
many areas of expertise from, merchants, weavers, potters, masons. They had a very
good iron manufacturing system, where they made tools and weapons. Its demise was
came around 340 CE when a neighboring civilization.
3. What was the role of caste to give structure in India’s civilization?
The caste system was a way to create social status and structure within the society. Your
social status was determined at birth and moving out of your class was nearly impossible.
This system created major inequalities but also gave an identity and a purpose to
everyone. The idea behind the caste system was the better you do your duties within
your social class the more likely you will advance to the next social level in your next
life. Marriage between classes was very difficult and interaction between classes was
also frowned on.
4. Discuss the similarities and differences of Jesus and Buddha. Consider their upbringings
and teachings.
It is amazing to see how similar and different Jesus and Buddha really were. Jesus was
born 500 years after Buddha in a small village to peasants, while Buddha was born into
a wealthy family. In both of their teachings, they focused on love and compassion and
not wealth, power, or status. Buddha taught “loving kindness” while Jesus taught “love
thy neighbor” Buddha believed in ethical living and mindfulness to end suffering while
Jesus believed in more of Jewish tradition and in miracles. A major difference though
is the amount of time they spent teaching, Jesus was only in the public for three years
before being executed for his beliefs, while Buddha died of nature causes after 40 years
of public service.
The Atlantic Slave Trade RA #1
The Atlantic Slave Trade
The Atlantic Slave Trade was the most destructive phenomenon to ever hit the African continent, the effects it had on the societies living there can still be felt today. The New World colonies of North and South America were producing large quantities of sugar, tobacco and cotton and as these farming economies grew, so did their need for cheap labor.
At first, before the 1500’s, slavery wasn’t uncommon and many different cultures around the globe would deal or trade in slaves. These slaves were typically captured soldiers from feuding societies. These slaves, once sold, typically had more freedom then the slaves from the future Atlantic slave trade. Depending on the society they lived, slaves could hold military and political positions. At the same time, depending on where they lived, their children had the possibility of being born free. During this time, slave trading was done on a much smaller scale and it wasn’t until the mid-fifteenth to the mid-nineteenth century that the slave trade became big business. The slave labor had dried up in Southern Russia, so Africa became the target of slave traders. Africans made great slaves because they were immune to tropical and European diseases, non-Christians and black. An historian wrote, “That it is easy to tolerate the brutal exploitation of Africans, by imagining that these Africans were an inferior race, or better still, not even human.” (p.552 WW)
The most noticeable impact the colonies had on the slave trade was the increase in volume and it is “estimated that 11 million people” (p. 449 WW) that were shipped from Africa and brought to the Americas. The slaves that made it to the Americas were considered the lucky ones because millions of more people died during the long journey across the Atlantic Ocean or died while trying to avoid capture. Unlike the slaves before them, the New World slaves didn’t have any freedoms and were limited in the positions they could hold. Slaves of the New World were treated like “dehumanized property, lacking any rights in the society of their owners.” (p.450 WW)
It was the Africans themselves that sold their country man to the slave trader. Societies in Africa at the time were very scattered. Africa was mainly made up of little tribes or clans distributed thought out the continent. Africans, at the time, didn’t have a sense of community outside of their own tribe; they had “no concept of an African identity.” (p. 455 WW) Africans had no problem selling someone from outside their tribe; typically these people would be “prisoners of war, criminals and debtors” (p. 455 WW). Examples have been found that show large more powerful tribes attacking a neighboring tribe for the sole purpose of taking prisoners to be sold as slaves. The slave trade caused tribal conflicts throughout Africa, which hurt the development and stability of the continent. Africans should have been unifying their continent; instead, they were busy fighting each other, trying to make a profit.
Today, in Africa you can see the side effects of a continent that has been exploited over and over again. The Atlantic slave trade was just the beginning. The slave trade opened the door for other countries to come in and take advantage of the African people and Africa’s natural resources.
References
1. Robert W. Strayer, (2009) Ways of the World, A Brief Global History.
Boston, MA: Bedford’s / St. Martin’s
2. Website: http://africanhistory.about.com/od/slavery/tp/TransAtlantic001.htm
The Atlantic Slave Trade was the most destructive phenomenon to ever hit the African continent, the effects it had on the societies living there can still be felt today. The New World colonies of North and South America were producing large quantities of sugar, tobacco and cotton and as these farming economies grew, so did their need for cheap labor.
At first, before the 1500’s, slavery wasn’t uncommon and many different cultures around the globe would deal or trade in slaves. These slaves were typically captured soldiers from feuding societies. These slaves, once sold, typically had more freedom then the slaves from the future Atlantic slave trade. Depending on the society they lived, slaves could hold military and political positions. At the same time, depending on where they lived, their children had the possibility of being born free. During this time, slave trading was done on a much smaller scale and it wasn’t until the mid-fifteenth to the mid-nineteenth century that the slave trade became big business. The slave labor had dried up in Southern Russia, so Africa became the target of slave traders. Africans made great slaves because they were immune to tropical and European diseases, non-Christians and black. An historian wrote, “That it is easy to tolerate the brutal exploitation of Africans, by imagining that these Africans were an inferior race, or better still, not even human.” (p.552 WW)
The most noticeable impact the colonies had on the slave trade was the increase in volume and it is “estimated that 11 million people” (p. 449 WW) that were shipped from Africa and brought to the Americas. The slaves that made it to the Americas were considered the lucky ones because millions of more people died during the long journey across the Atlantic Ocean or died while trying to avoid capture. Unlike the slaves before them, the New World slaves didn’t have any freedoms and were limited in the positions they could hold. Slaves of the New World were treated like “dehumanized property, lacking any rights in the society of their owners.” (p.450 WW)
It was the Africans themselves that sold their country man to the slave trader. Societies in Africa at the time were very scattered. Africa was mainly made up of little tribes or clans distributed thought out the continent. Africans, at the time, didn’t have a sense of community outside of their own tribe; they had “no concept of an African identity.” (p. 455 WW) Africans had no problem selling someone from outside their tribe; typically these people would be “prisoners of war, criminals and debtors” (p. 455 WW). Examples have been found that show large more powerful tribes attacking a neighboring tribe for the sole purpose of taking prisoners to be sold as slaves. The slave trade caused tribal conflicts throughout Africa, which hurt the development and stability of the continent. Africans should have been unifying their continent; instead, they were busy fighting each other, trying to make a profit.
Today, in Africa you can see the side effects of a continent that has been exploited over and over again. The Atlantic slave trade was just the beginning. The slave trade opened the door for other countries to come in and take advantage of the African people and Africa’s natural resources.
References
1. Robert W. Strayer, (2009) Ways of the World, A Brief Global History.
Boston, MA: Bedford’s / St. Martin’s
2. Website: http://africanhistory.about.com/od/slavery/tp/TransAtlantic001.htm
Martin Luther and the Ninety-five Theses
Protestant Reformation destroyed the unity of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the early sixteenth century, when a man named Martin Luther documented abuses by the church, in a document called the Ninety-five Theses. He posted this document on the front door of a church in Wittenberg. What he posted wasn't that ground breaking, he mentioned the corruption of the clergy and the "selling of indulgences". These immoral behavior had been taking place for years and people had become numb to it. What scared the church and started revolutionary ideas was Luther's idea about salvation. The church's stance was that salvation had to come through the church, while Luther's idea was that "faith was a free gift of god" and was "not the teaching of the Church, but the Bible only". This idea that salvation can be found anywhere and not just from the church effectly striped the chruch of its authority. It was not Luther's intention, but Kings used this idea to take back lands and taxes that the church claimed and common people began to revolt against corruption within the Church.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Chapter 11 Topic
In Chapter 11, of Ways of the World, the author goes into detail about the different role males and females played in the Islamic tradition. I find this to be very interesting and relevant to today and at the same time find it very shocking. There are still parts of the world where governments, cultures, or tribes still follow these strict Islamic Laws/Beliefs. In these places, abuse of women is rampant. Just like a thousand years ago women are promised equality when the reach heaven, but during their time on Earth equality is just a dream. In the Quran, men are considered superior and have authority over women. According to the Quran, it is okay to beat women until they do want the man wants. The Quran does give women some rights but those rights are limited and not the same as man's. For example, men are allowed to practice polygamy while women aren't. Honor killings that took place thousand years ago are still found throughout the world today and in some places are condoned. A least five times a year I read that some poor 13 to 18 year old girl was stoned to death or beheaded because she had a boyfriend or didn't want to be part of an arranged marriage. This is wrong and needs to be stopped.
I truly cannot understand why Islamic beliefs haven't developed more over time to allow for better treatment of women. I believe that you can tell a lot by a religion by the way they treat their followers as well as non-followers. Take for example Christianity, it looked a lot different a thousand years ago, and if it hadn't of changed, as its followers changed, it wouldn't be as prevalent as it is today. It would probably still believe that Earth is the center of the universe and that Science is a sin. For a religion to thrive it needs to accommodate the needs of everyone and not just the men, eventually Islamic beliefs will have to change or Islam will start to break apart. You are starting to see change happening all over the world, especially in the Middle East. More and more people are gaining access to the internet and by doing so are increasing the communication between themselves. I have been seeing women advocacy groups starting to pop up all across these Islamic countries. Soon, these groups will have more power and will have to be listened too.
But what do I know? This is just my opinion.
I truly cannot understand why Islamic beliefs haven't developed more over time to allow for better treatment of women. I believe that you can tell a lot by a religion by the way they treat their followers as well as non-followers. Take for example Christianity, it looked a lot different a thousand years ago, and if it hadn't of changed, as its followers changed, it wouldn't be as prevalent as it is today. It would probably still believe that Earth is the center of the universe and that Science is a sin. For a religion to thrive it needs to accommodate the needs of everyone and not just the men, eventually Islamic beliefs will have to change or Islam will start to break apart. You are starting to see change happening all over the world, especially in the Middle East. More and more people are gaining access to the internet and by doing so are increasing the communication between themselves. I have been seeing women advocacy groups starting to pop up all across these Islamic countries. Soon, these groups will have more power and will have to be listened too.
But what do I know? This is just my opinion.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Chapter 7 Questions
Chapter 7 Questions
1. During the Classical Era. How was human population distributed around the world? What would cause one continent to have a much greater population then another?
2. Give an example of a civilization that was in Africa during the Classical Era and list a couple of characteristics about it.
3. Give an example of a civilization in North America during the Classical Era and list a couple characteristics about it.
1. During the Classical Era. How was human population distributed around the world? What would cause one continent to have a much greater population then another?
2. Give an example of a civilization that was in Africa during the Classical Era and list a couple of characteristics about it.
3. Give an example of a civilization in North America during the Classical Era and list a couple characteristics about it.
Chapter 7 Summary
Chapter Seven, in Ways of the World, discusses the different civilizations during the Classical Era and compares each civilization with their counter parts on the other continents, but mainly focuses on Africa and the Americas. The chapter starts off by giving the reader an idea about how many people lived in the world and how they were spread out on the different continents. Eurasia from 400 B.C.E to 1000 C.E contained the majority of the population, ranging from 83% to 77% over those 1400 years, while the rest of the world made up the rest. Africa over the same time varied from 11% to 15%, North America varied from 0.7% to 1%, Central and South America varied from 5% to 6%, and Australia/Oceania varied from 0.7% to 0.4%. The total population over that same time period varied from 153 million to 253 million. The book claims that this is the reason why most historians focus more attention on Eurasia then the Americas or Africa. A big reason for the uneven population was access to domesticated animals and natural resources, like iron. When historians refer to Africa, Eurasia, the Americas during the classical era they are speaking about the geographic location of the people, not a cultural identity. Especially in Africa, where there were many different environmental variations that created differences between the societies living in Africa. These environmental variations played a major role in the development of the societies that lived within them, for example, the area of Africa along the Equator, due to the extreme weather is a very poor location for growing crops and this climate is also known for its disease carrying insects and parasites, which is still a problem today. This location of Africa was also in a good location for trade due to its close proximity to Eurasia. The book then proceeds to give examples of different of civilizations in Africa, beginning with the Nubian civilization, a monarchal governed society, from 300 B.C.E to 100 C.E, in the Nile Valley near Egypt. The Nubian both fought and traded with Egypt. Next, was the Axum civilization, located in the Horn of Africa and thrived on a plow based farming system and a very successful port where it took part in Red Sea and Indian ocean commerce. Christianity was introduced to this area by the merchants that came to trade, once introduced Christianity thrived; this happens right around the same time as the Roman Empire’s belief in Christianity took hold. In West Africa, along the Niger River, from 300 B.C.E – 900 C.E, there was a great period for growth. A dry spell, in the Southern Sahara, that lasted about five centuries after 500 B.C.E, forced people down to the more fertile areas along the river. This people came with domesticated animals, agricultural skills, and knowledge of iron tools. These groups of people formed a network of cites, that were ran independent of each other and no of them had a political structure. The most important of these cites had to have been the city of Jenne-jeno, which was estimated to have held up to 40,000 people. Civilizations of Mesoamerica came next. Civilizations of Africa and Eurasia benefitted from geography that promoted trade and transfer of ideas, but because of the vast ocean between the two continents, the Americas would have to wait a longer time to learn from their counterparts. The Maya, one of Mesoamerican major civilizations, has been traced back to 2000 B.C.E. It was during the classical era that their most notable achievements happened. During the time between 250 and 900 C.E the Maya developed a mathematical system, calendars, and predict planetary movements. They also development the most advance writing system in the Americas as well as Architecture and advance landscaping technology. Around the year 840, the Maya suffered from severe drought and lost about 85% of its population. Just north of the Maya, in Mexico, there was the great city of Teotihuacan. The city was started in 150 B.C.E and it is estimated that this city held 100,000 to 200,000 people around the year 500 C.E. It was the largest city in the Americas by far. It had an advance infrastructure with a grid like design. The book then moves on to talk about the Civilizations of the Andes. The most well know of the Andes civilizations is of course the Incas, but before them and one of the world’s first civilizations was the Norte Chico. The Norte Chico dates back to around 3000 B.C.E. The book focuses on the Classical Era, and on two civilizations specifically the Chavin and the Moche, these civilizations came before the Incas but after the Norte Chico. The Chavin lived in the costal and mountainous regions of Peru between the years 2000 B.C.E and 1000 B.C.E. As a society they were a violent and religious group. Human heads were found were used as trophies. By 750 B.C.E the Chavin had shrunk to a population of about 2,000 to 3000 people. While the Chavin was slowly fading out the Moche civilization was flourishing between 100 and 800 C.E. This civilization had an advance irrigation system that used run off from the Andes to water their crops. This society was ruled by warrior-priests, which lived atop pyramids. The people in the society were very advance craftsman. The area they lived in was very vulnerable to extreme weather and scholars believe that this weather weakened them and this led to aggression from neighboring civilizations. Moving, now to North America during the Classical Area, you would find two different cultures, The Ancestral Pueblo and the Mound Builders of the Eastern Woodlands. The Pueblo people lived in the southwestern region of North America. This area was very tough area to live and raise crop, so it took a while for the crops to adjust and it wasn’t until around 600 to 800 C.E did village life begin. The different settlements or villages were linked together by trade. As dependence on agriculture and population grew, these aboveground structures, known as pueblos, also grew. The pueblos acted as hubs that linked settlements together on over 25,000 square miles. But because of war, drought and internal conflict by 1200, these great houses had been abandoned and the people moved out to smaller communities. The Mound Builders of the Eastern Woodlands lived in the area around the Mississippi Valley and were mainly hunters and gathers. However by 2000 B.C.E, the people living here learned how to domesticate local crops, these crops were not sufficient enough to live off of but went nicely with the food they were already living on. These people got their names from the very large and striking burial mounds and geometric earthwork. Around 800 C.E this culture learned how to harvest corn which allowed for larger populations and more complex societies to emerge. The dominant center was Cahokia and it was there that a pyramid the was 1,000 feet wide, 100 feet tall and 700 feet wide became a the largest structure north of Mexico and the focal point for a community in that numbered in the 10’s of thousands.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Beginning of Land Ownership
First off I have to say that this is a very cool idea! I have never been part of a blog so this is going to be a great experience.
In Chapter One, the author talks about the Agricultural Revolution as the time when human civilizations began, but he also makes a point to say that some scholars believed this to be false and that some civilizations had developed years before. For me, I believe that no matter when human civilization began, the agricultural revolution was a major turning point for the way humans lived. It started the idea of land ownership and property value, which led to the different tribes defending the land and/or seeking out more land. This is the first example in human history when you start to see different human tribes fighting for land. This is important because this is the time when you start to see human behavior similar to what we see today. Wars over land still happen today just like they did when it started those thousands of years ago.
In Chapter One, the author talks about the Agricultural Revolution as the time when human civilizations began, but he also makes a point to say that some scholars believed this to be false and that some civilizations had developed years before. For me, I believe that no matter when human civilization began, the agricultural revolution was a major turning point for the way humans lived. It started the idea of land ownership and property value, which led to the different tribes defending the land and/or seeking out more land. This is the first example in human history when you start to see different human tribes fighting for land. This is important because this is the time when you start to see human behavior similar to what we see today. Wars over land still happen today just like they did when it started those thousands of years ago.
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