Final

As this class comes to a close I can sincerely say I have learned a lot.  I am happier to say that this time around, I really believe I will retain what I have learned.  The last time I took a world history class was either in high school or junior college and that was almost twenty years ago.  I’m not proud to admit it but I was never good at remembering historical facts or dates so a lot of the information felt new.  In fact many times this semester I found myself shying away from participation due to fear of saying something “stupid”.  It was never the other students that made me feel that way, just my own insecurities. 

This class has helped my meet the learning outcome of being able to effectively communicate historical knowledge orally and in writing.  Through the weekly blogs I was able to connect feelings and current situations to historical events and I was able to write three papers about very interesting subjects related to world history.  I especially enjoyed learning about religions and the section on Islam.  It helped me get a better understanding of the religion and some of the misunderstandings the world has about Muslims today.  The reading analysis papers were fun to write because they were about current events that could possibly change history book in the future.  I hope that Putin makes the right decision!  The debate about Mongols being civilized was entertaining but educational.  I feel I can defend the fact that Mongols were civilized because of their political structure, their military smarts, how they were masters of their environments, and how they brought about a version of a food producing revolution.   My favorite group project was the skit from the Epic of Gilgamesh.  It was a good time to see people come out of their comfort zones but we really understood what it meant to Mesopotamians to be civilized when the project was complete.  Another outcome I think I was able to achieve during this class was the ability to interpret evidence and present a sustained argument using facts.  I think I did that in my “kelp highway” paper.  The social research project was one of my favorite things to do because I got the chance to get personal with my father about a subject that he rarely talks about.  I learned so much about him from our interview.  Our interview took over an hour and a half.  He gave me much more information than I needed for the report but it was such a great experience for the both of us.  I don’t think he’s ever opened up to anyone about Vietnam like he did to me.  I feel honored that I will now have his piece of history with me to share with my kids.

Overall, taking this class was a very good experience.  I was very nervous about the reading and assignments and did the best that I could.  This class was beyond intensive in its reading assignments and course work but I understand how these classes work and its part of the deal.  Thank you Patti for making the hours go quickly and keeping the class flowing at a great pace.  The group work, discussions, and lectures gave the class variety and helped us get to know our classmates.

Chapters 17, 18, 20

Ch. 17 - Revolutions

There was a lot to take in from this chapter but I enjoyed learning more about the Haitian Revolution.  Due to the ideas and examples from the French revolution, it seems an uprising in Haiti was inevitable.  Slaves, whites, and mulattos were all looking for the same thing – power.  Beau use of the slave revolt in Haiti, this was the first time that Africans who were brought to the Americas were “free”, independent citizens.  Haiti was the first country to declare all people equal regardless of color, race, or class.  Yikes, perhaps I should have listened better in high school history as I thought it was the USA who was first.  So why is Haiti now the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere?    According to www.ciaa.gov, Haiti is plagued by deforestation, natural disasters, and an inability to recover quickly enough before the next disaster strikes.  A land that was once rich with coffee and sugar is no more.  It is now a country in ruins with 80% living under the poverty line. 

Ch. – 18 – Social Protest

I’m a union girl.  I am a public employee and I am also a union member.  Both of my grandfathers, my father, my mother, my husband, and my sister are all union people.  I guess that means that all of us don’t/didn’t have very high paying careers (I’m giggling out loud).  Anyhow, just as those workers during the industrial revolution, I have a sense of security knowing it’s there for me.  I am protected, so to speak, from unfair treatment on the job; I’m afforded health care benefits, and a competitive wage.  I pay dues for these benefits but I believe in them.  Many argue that the union is a crutch and it allows bad employees to keep their jobs.  I argue that the union keeps things fair for the “working class”.  Without unions, workers are more disposable, in my opinion.  Cheap labor has always been in demand and probably always will.  We talked about “exploitation” as a good word but in this case I feel many laborers/working class peoples are exploited because they are not fortunate enough to have the backing of a union.  I’m thankful I do.

Ch. 20 – Colonial Encounters

1946 wasn’t that long ago…  To think that only 66 years ago there was still forced labor happening in Africa is upsetting.  Black Africans suffered so much at the hands of the white man.  The idea of statute labor is appalling.  Basically, if you were black you were considered a “native”.  All natives were required to provide unpaid labor in order to build roads, buildings, and other public projects.  The British officials would come around and gather them up like animals and put them to work.  It is no wonder that Africa is in the state it is today.  It will take decades for that country to recover.  The apartheid was almost predictable and although it officially ended in 1994, the county as a whole is a very violent one with several groups trying to gain power by force.  It’s no wonder after what they have been through as a people. 

Interview Questions

Interview Questions

For my research paper, I will be writing about my father’s experience in the Vietnam War.  He was a young man, fresh out of high school when he was called to serve.  He did what he felt was his duty at the time.  Unfortunately, when he arrived home to San Francisco after being in Vietnam, his homecoming was less than welcoming.  He arrived home to a city (and country) in protest over the war.  I will tell his story and others about their experiences in Vietnam and how they adjusted after coming back home.

Questions:

What made you join the army originally?  How old were you?

How did you feel when you got the news that you would be going to Vietnam?

Were your friends and family supportive?

Looking back, how do you feel about the experiences you had in Vietnam?

Do you think it changed you? Positively or negatively?  Both?

How did you feel when you arrived home and found that people were angry with the Vietnam War?

Did you still feel supported?  Did you feel like America turned its back on its soldiers?

How do you feel today looking back?

Unfortunately my interview had to be put on hold as my father had to travel to Puerto Rico for family business.  I will be conducting my interview this weekend.

Chapters 14, 15, 16

Ch. 14 The Early Modern Word

One of the key topics that got my interest this chapter is what the author called “the great dying”.  The correlation between European settlers and the death of Native Americans is astounding. The Western world was well populated, perhaps up to 80 million, before the European acquisition.  The Western Hemisphere was free from major disease and of course animal born disease.  Once Europeans made their appearance whole populations were devastated by disease and hunger.  I was appalled to learn that only 50 years after Columbus’ arrival, the people of the Caribbean islands disappeared.  Although the text talks about death of populations from disease it didn’t really talk about the slaughter of Native peoples.  About six years ago, I had a Native American family in my preschool program.  Every November, I would typically do some sort of Thanksgiving craft and activity.  Luckily for me, the parent of my student asked if she could bring in books about Native Americans and come in to share their culture with us.  She also gave me some adult reading about Native American’s views on Columbus, pilgrims, and Thanksgiving.  I hate to admit that I was so naïve but I really had little understanding about the devastation that Native Americans suffered after Columbus arrived.  I was never taught in grade school that Columbus “destroyed lives” and that pilgrims in fact enslaved the Native Americans and often exploited them.  I have a very different opinion now and also a better understanding of history thanks to that mother.  I hope as my children learn world history the books they use will tell the whole story and not just the Europeans’ story.

Ch. 15 Global Commerce

After further reading in chapter 15, I was pleased to find that Stayer properly acknowledged the exploitation of Native Americans by Europeans.  Due to European demands for fur, Native Americans engaged in animal massacre in order to obtain specialty items in return.  Because of the fur trade, some species of animals were completely wiped out.  Europeans were able to essentially bribe Native Americans with rewards such as alcohol, guns, and a false sense of dependence.  All of these factors combined ultimately led to the decimation of Native American societies.  The slave trade from Africa was also hard to read about.  The text brought up the topic of slavery and racism.  Scholars believe that because slaves from Africa were “black” it was easier for Europeans to disassociate themselves from them as being human beings.  In fact it is suggested that Africans were seen as not even human (pg. 452).  I can only imagine the pain, fear, and humility of Africans who were ripped out of their homeland to live out their lives under the harsh hand of a slave owner.  Awful.

Ch. 16 Religion and Science

The scientific revolution really stirred things up for Christians.  The discovery that the earth was a planet that revolved on its axis just as other planets was surprising and disturbing at best.  To accept that the “sun was at the middle of all things” (pg.480) went against what Christians had always known to be true.  The idea that earth was no longer the center of the universe was initially seen as an opposition to the church’s foundation.  I found it interesting however that none of the scientists rejected Christianity.  In fact Galileo said that science and faith were compatible and that one could not exist without the other.     

Islam, Pastoral Peoples, and the 15 Century

Chapter 11  Islam

Muhammad was the man believed by many to be a messenger from God.  Believers called him a prophet.  Muslims believe that through Muhammad’s revelations from God, which lasted over twenty years, he revealed the religion of Islam.   His revelations were recorded in the Quran which are the scriptures that Muslims base their faith on.  Muhammad claimed he was the last of the prophets to reveal himself and that in fact there was only one God – Allah.  According to the text, Muhammad and his followers did not view his teachings as a new religion but as a return to the “pure religion of Abraham” which Christians, Jews, and Arabs had deviated from.  Unlike Christianity, Islam was not separated by religion and politics.  All aspects of life revolved around Islam, be it religious, political, or military based.  I can appreciate Muhammad’s teachings.  They addressed social injustices, inequality, and commercialism.  He recognized that the path to God was to fight against these injustices in life.  Unfortunately, after Muhammad’s death, the absence of his leadership led to the divide between Muslims.  It was sad to learn that in less than 25 years after his death, Muslims were divided by a civil war.  In today’s world, I find it unfortunate that extremists have taken Muhammeds teachings and used them as an excuse to harm innocent people (including themselves) in the name of God.  If I understand correctly, Muhammed would have never defended harming another human over a personal belief.

Yin and Yang

Yin and Yang

There is no arguing that during the classical era men were viewed as superior to women.  Men controlled politics, property, and people.  Men were allowed to make decisions about their wives, sisters, and daughters as if they were objects.  Patriarchies were varied within each civilization but the roles of women were the same – to be subservient to their men.  I personally think men were nervous about giving power to women because they were afraid of the possibility that women might be able to outwit them.  This proved true during the collapse of a dynasty (in China) as men often blamed women for their influence in politics.  Instead, men left women with such tasks of housekeeping and child bearing.  It kept women in a safe place from having too much power. 

I feel embarrassed saying this but before reading the text, I was always under the impression that “Yin and Yang” complimented each other.  I thought it meant one could not exist without the other.  I didn’t realize that Yang was the masculine symbol that was related to Heaven and strength and that Yin was the feminine symbol related to the earth and weakness.  The idea that women must be “obedient” to their fathers, husbands, and sons is hard to imagine.  I can only imagine how a woman would feel after carrying a child in her womb to find out it was a girl and that she must place her baby on the floor to show she was weak.  Luckily, after the collapse of the Han dynasty in China, “Confucianism was discredited” according to the text.  Patriarchy certainly did not end after that in China, but roles were changed and the idea that men were superior slowly faded as women took on new roles in that society.   

Chapter's 1-3

As I read the first three chapters I kept getting the feeling that although humans have come some far, our lives with so much technology can really make things complicated.  The relationships between human beings in the Paleolithic era seemed the most civil.  There didn’t seem to be any formal rulers which allowed them to live in an egalitarian society.  I appreciated that men and women shared job responsibilities and they seemed to possess similar skills.  History has shown us that through the ages, men have typically been the leaders and women have taken a more passive role.  The roles of women have been changing in the last couple of centuries but in my opinion women still have a long way to go to be viewed as equal.  I hope I live to see the first female US president but I won’t hold my breath.  I also appreciated that the Paleolithic peoples respected the earth.  Since they were nomadic, they moved as the seasons changed and the food sources changed.  I’m sure this was a very hard life but it I admired how they did not seek to upset the earth by trying to change it.

Reading about the Neolithic era made me think about our society today.  The text said that farmers were “actively changing nature” for the benefit of man.  While there were many impressive discoveries I couldn’t help but think about hybrid-fruits and vegetables that are grown today.  I always wonder when I see things like “grapples – grape apples” or “craisins – cranberry raisins” if they are really safe for us to eat.  If they are not naturally growing why are we creating a man-mad fruit?  The text also talked about the domestication of animals and how they were bred to produce more of what farmers wanted.  I couldn’t help thinking about today’s concerns like cows with hormones and meats pumped with antibiotics.  I’m glad I live in a world with so many so-called advances but many times I wonder if our society is going too far.

First Post!

This is my very first blog ever!