...Human society is more than just an entity or a culture. It is a living, breathing, and ever evolving organism that never stops changing. Early human societies did not have the amazing technological advancements that we are privy to in today’s society. Early societies had to rely on the earth and environment for a stable, profitable foundation. There is an area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that once was the pinnacle of human society. In fact, this area is now known as Iraq; the birthplace of the world’s first civilization known as Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia is from Greek origin. It is translated to “Land between the rivers”, and these rivers were the main factor in the development and success of this thriving civilization. The biblical location of what many refer to as the Garden of Eden was located in Mesopotamia. These two rivers gave life to many civilizations in many ways. The Kingdom of Assyria, which is derived from the ancient city of Assur, was born from the banks of the Tigris River. The rivers flow from the north and run parallel to each other. Mesopotamia’s soil was so enriched over the years by the layers of silt left by the flooding and eventual receding of the two rivers making the soil left after the flooding perfect for crops. The flat plains of Mesopotamia proved to be very fertile thanks to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The hot, dry land of Mesopotamia was fertile due to the rich soil and with the use of irrigation crops were flourishing...
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...Themes in U.S. and World History Task 1 Desiree Dyches Western Governors University Themes in U.S. and World History A. Mesopotamia had a remarkable water origin that was of assistance to the wealth and spread of the territory. The Tigris and Euphrates are two rivers that “runs almost parallel” (2011, p. 15) of each other. Together they form a rich “alluvial plain – that is a plain of silt, sand, clay and gravel that is deposited by the two rivers” (2011, p. 15). People were able to create bricks with those raw materials and construct houses and alternative buildings on the land, forming a city-state. The people from Mesopotamian were able to use the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to get in touch with the north and south communicates. The people used the rivers to import and export uniting the city-states. Since Mesopotamia had a “hot, dry climate” (2011, p. 15). “The river would receive most of its water from winter rains and snowfall” (2011, p. 15). The people were able to use the gravel to construct irrigation systems (2011, p. 11). The two rivers also helped their farming and livestock. “The rich soil produced abundant crops of barley, emmer (a kind of wheat), beans, olives, and flax.” (2011, p. 20). The Mesopotamia people counted on the two rivers to be able to live and grow as a city-state. B. One example of diffusion that helped the human societies was the potatoes. There was “two hundred and thirty-five different species of potatoes” (Smith, 2011) potatoes...
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...Part A The California Gold Rush was an important discovery that contributed to the development and expansion of the United States. Prior to the Gold Rush California was a remote and sparsely populated area with no government control. People could come by sea or land which made it a great location when the Gold Rush exploded. The California Gold Rush brought 300,000 people across the United States to the West (Wikipedia, 2004). Of the 300,000 half arrived by sea and half came from the east overland on the California Trail and the Gila River Trail (Wikipedia, 2004). At first the gold nuggets could be picked off the ground. Later, gold was recovered from streams and riverbeds using simple techniques. Towards the end heavier equipment was used to retrieve the gold. When the gold was first discovered they wanted to keep it quiet. There was fear of what would happen to the land and agriculture if there was a mass gold search, but rumors spread and people saw the profits that could be made. Many hurried to set up stores to sell gold digging supplies and then announced and spread word of gold. It didn’t take long for this exciting news to take off. Soon all the newspapers along the east coast were reporting the findings and wealth to be made in California. The effects of the Gold Rush were substantial. In six years, San Francisco grew from a small settlement of about 200 residents to a boomtown of about 36,000 (Udall, 2003). Roads, churches, schools and other towns...
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...Ancestors in the Americas As compare to ancient times, I feel lucky today for being Asian. As we know, Asian American populations make up one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the United States, contributing to an increasing racial and ethnic plurality in communities across the nation. History has been told us that Asian Americans suffered too much inequality in the past and the landmark of them. Although racial discrimination still exists somehow in America, as a new immigrant, I feel such situation has been improved a lot. Language barriers, cultural disparity and other issues still become the problems for the connection between Asian Americans and the Americans, but most of us are trying to break out the barrier. By looking back to the history of Asian American, the documentary “Ancestors in the Americas: Chinese in the Frontier West” which directed by Loni Ding, reveals the arrival and harsh experiences of the large-scale Chinese immigrants on the West Coast of the United States during the 1850’s Gold Rush in California. Also, it portrays their role in developing the American West, and their battles to overcome racial discrimination. In order to have a better life for the family, the Chinese men determined to leave their families and sailed to the Gam Sann (Gold Mountain) with the “American dream”. Far from home, they always send money home without any hesitation. They separate for decades, sometimes forever. However, it is so hard to maintain life in America. They...
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...Many people did not believe industry was developed enough and this idea was plausible. The doubts stemmed from the obstacles of finance, natural barriers such as the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Mountains and the Mississippi River, and sheer impracticability. As years passed, the mass migration to the West especially due to the Gold Rush made the requisite for a transcontinental railroad crucial. “The project for construction of a great Railroad through the United States of America, connecting the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean, has been in agitation for over fifteen years.” (Judah) In 1862 and 1864, the Pacific Railway Acts were passed which granted the railroad companies twelve million acres of land and twenty seven million dollars from the government to support the construction of the railroad. Railroads were not considered a government service, so they had to be built privately by companies. But the government supplied the railroad companies with land and money grants to build. In 1863, the Central; Pacific Railroad Company and the Union Pacific Railroad Company began...
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...country by Spain until 1821 when they became a part of Columbia. In the year 1903 Panama became an independent republic and it established its modern governmental system. The executive branch of government is led by a President and Vice-President whom are “democratically elected for a five year term by direct vote”(Cite). There are several key elements that keep Panama afloat economically. The most important factor in Panama’s economy is the Panama Canal. This is one of the largest civil engineering projects completed and allowed an alternative to the ever-sought after Northwest Passage. The country has several exports that help the economy but nothing that drives it significantly. There are also many imports that the country has been made available to because of their massive trade route. In addition, there are areas like the Colón Free Trade Zone where increased trade is encouraged and achieved. This paper will discuss these major factors in Panama’s economy as well as more variables that can affect the country in the future. Panama is located at the connection of Central and South America with many lakes and rivers dividing the center of the country. In the early years of Spanish exploration, the conquistadors would explore new lands looking for easier trade routes to get gold back to Spain. When the Spanish...
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...had made land hard to come by. This combined with the desperation and increasing crime in the East forced people to consider moving West. The Crisis became a big PUSH factor in encouraging people to migrate westward. 1844 Joseph Smith Died As the Prophet and founder of the Mormon Church he was the leader of many thousands of believers. He led them in a desperate search for a safe haven for the community to settle. Smith would not lead his Mormons West as he thought it unfit to build the Zion for the coming of Jesus. Smith was shot dead in 1844 as he tried to escape from jail. Brigham Young was the new leader of the Mormons and chose to lead them West, to Great Salt Lake where they settled successfully. This was an important turning point for the Mormons. 1848 Gold Rush 1848!! Before Gold was discovered in 1848 by James Marshall, around 5,000 people per year were drifting west across the Great Plains. However with the discovery this increased tenfold by the following year.The 50,000 miners were hunting for their fortunes in California –many found one. The first miners – the ‘49ers – proved that large numbers of settlers could travel and live in the west. The paths and routes they used were easily found by later families who travelled west. By 1850 California was a US state. The 1848 Goldrush speeded up the settling of the west by Americans. 1851 First Fort Laramie Treaty Under new treaty...
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...The following pages will show the territory gained by each nation, and will explain why the race to gain colonies played a part in the build-up of international tensions which eventually resulted in World War One. During the late 1800s, relations between Britain and France were strained by a series of disputes over African colonies. Both nations hoped to control Egypt and Morocco and this caused many bitter arguments. These were eventually settled in 1904 by the Entente Cordiale. This “friendly understanding” said that Britain should control Egypt and France should control Morocco. However, Germany strongly objected to this agreement… Kaiser William II was jealous of the empires of both France and Britain and tried to break up the “friendly understanding” between them. On two occasions, in 1905 and 1911, German claims over Morocco raised international tension. Indeed, the “Agadir Incident” of 1911 caused Britain to hint that war might result if Germany continued her claims. This crisis passed, but these disputes simply made international relations worse. The bad feeling they created (combined with other factors) made the possibility of war more likely. Archeological records show that the indigenous populations of southern Africa have mined, smelted and made tools, currency, and religious icons from iron, lead, brass, and gold for nearly 2,000 years. For nearly as long, people who lived in areas of mineral wealth have traded minerals with neighbors and more distant...
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...do not pretend that we can’t see differences amongst various ethnicities. The real goal should be that we recognize these differences and celebrate them. To understand why Ruth would say to advocate something like a color blind society it is important to understand who Ruth is. The character of Ruth, even though she was a real person, could be looked upon as being a symbol for the American experience. The classic American dream is one in which hard working immigrants move to the US, the land of opportunity, and make it big through hard work and determination. The American experience is different from the American Dream in that it is the realistic events and experience that people have. The idea that the streets in the US are paved with gold and that all one has to do is make it here to succeed is a fairy tale, and you can tell this just by looking at some of the things that Ruth had to deal with. Ruth’s family made it to the US but did not have what anyone would really consider the American Dream. As a child Ruth had to work at her father’s...
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...is a Greek term, which means life between two rivers. Mesopotamia is a vast land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Its land was both ideal for settlement and challenging at the same time, which contributed to the civilization of its inhabitants. The most significant physical geographical factor in Mesopotamia was the presence of many plants and animals that could be domesticated (Diamond, 1997). The land had fertile soils, thereby providing a good habitat for the plants and animals. They resulted from deposition of top-level soils from upper land and mountains, through the rivers. The fertile soils and the abundance of food allowed the farming to flourish, which caused the increase in human population. A further complement for agriculture was the presence of fertile soils. The Mesopotamians faced various challenges, which also contributed to the civilization. For instance, the climate, which was semi-arid and marked with annual unpredictable floods between, was a major challenge. Therefore, as the population figured out how to deal with frequent flooding using canals, they also learnt that they could cultivate lands that were far away from the riverbanks. Increased food supply led to population growth, and ultimately, cities began to develop. The Process of Diffusion between Early Human Societies Between 1750BC and 800 BC, the civilization that had developed in places such as Mesopotamia and Egypt began to...
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...Yimou Feng Professor: Elaine Walker Class: International Business and Global Social Responsibility (8:00-9:40) 03 December 2012 Gold mining Section 1: Executive summary As a rare and valuable metal, gold used to be the currency all around the world. Although its position has been replaced, it also has a big market and huge demand. Because of the upgrade of technology and science, gold mining and gold industry developed quickly. In the following of this article, I will focus on gold mining and gold investment. For the gold mining, I will explore two main problems in gold mining—pollution and safety. For the gold investment, I will discuss if gold is useless for people to invest. Section 2: Issue definition Firstly, every gold mining company, whether giant multinationals or small national companies, all need to face a very significant problem—pollution. During the mining process, it is impossible for mining organizations to avoid gaining some extra and useless product; such as some heavy metals, which are harmful to the local environment. If mining companies cannot deal with these gangues in right way, disaster may happen; especially in developing countries. There is an example. Arsenic (As) is one of the main gangue in gold mining. Arsenic is an extremely toxic substance, and it is hard to be eliminated. In China, gold mining organizations always use boxing dam and deeply burying to dispose Arsenic. But, actually, it cannot totally solve the hidden danger...
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...economic standing of the United States, specifically California, had fluctuated due to many unforeseen factors. One huge factor that cannot be anticipated, and often causes drastic effects on the economy, are geologic disasters. The state of California is notorious for having earthquakes that shake up the state quite often and leave the affected area with a substantial amount of damage. The 1906 earthquake of San Francisco was the largest geologic disaster known to the nation at the time it occured. Destroying about 80% of the city, this earthquake also caused an enormous amount of fires to break out throughout the city. Not only did the state of California have to build up funds to reconstruct the city, but also other states and nations provided economic relief to help rebuild the ninth largest city in the United States. As one of the most metropolitan areas in the West Coast of the US, San Francisco had a humongous task at hand to make this once financial, trade, and cultural center flourish once again. The magnitude of the earthquake caused widespread destruction due to the geologic setting of San Francisco, but also the destruction of buildings was due to the makeshift quality of the construction of the city. If there were to be a repeat of the quake today, it could possibly be more devastating than the first one. Therefore, the economic affect that an earthquake the same size as the one in 1906 would have on California would be far more disastrous and far more expensive due...
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...CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA An Interpretive History TENTH EDITION James J. Rawls Instructor of History Diablo Valley College Walton Bean Late Professor of History University of California, Berkeley TM TM CALIFORNIA: AN INTERPRETIVE HISTORY, TENTH EDITION Published by McGraw-Hill, a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Previous editions © 2008, 2003, and 1998. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside the United States. This book is printed on acid-free paper. 1234567890 QFR/QFR 10987654321 ISBN: 978-0-07-340696-1 MHID: 0-07-340696-1 Vice President & Editor-in-Chief: Michael Ryan Vice President EDP/Central Publishing Services: Kimberly Meriwether David Publisher: Christopher Freitag Sponsoring Editor: Matthew Busbridge Executive Marketing Manager: Pamela S. Cooper Editorial Coordinator: Nikki Weissman Project Manager: Erin Melloy Design Coordinator: Margarite Reynolds Cover Designer: Carole Lawson Cover Image: Albert Bierstadt, American (born...
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...Themes in U.S. and World History GKE Task 1 Geography and the Development and Diffusion of Human Societies A. One significant physical geographic factor that contributed to the development of Mesopotamia was the location of, and access to, the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, as well as their tributaries. Located in a region known as the “Fertile Crescent”, Mesopotamia was able to utilize these rivers for transportation and irrigation of crops. As a result of flooding by the Euphrates, large silt deposits provided rich soil and promoted the cultivation of emmer, barley, beans, olives, grapes and flax. In turn, these harvested crops provided not just food for the farmers but also served as a trade medium with nomadic tribes in the area. Because of the availability of water and rich soils, the area was attractive to settlement and communities developed. The clay soil also was an excellent material for the production of bricks which were used to build more permanent structures. In order to divert the waters, irrigation canals were dug and dams were built. The need for cooperation between individuals in order to complete some of the larger irrigation and flood control projects led to the growth of government and the establishment of laws. None of this would have been possible without the presence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. B. The diffusion of the chariot between societies came about primarily due to its primary designed purpose. The original purpose of the...
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...many white settlers decided to settle westward during the 1800's. A key factor that contributed to these migration was the passage of the Homestead Act, which gave away large quantities of land for very inexpensive prices. According to the poster in Document 1a, one can see that the passage of the Homestead Act served as a pull factor that was attracting many people (especially poor people and immigrants) as it advertised the different ways that people could acquire land in Nebraska. For instance, as long as you were a free person that was head of a household, 21 years of age and you had never borne arms against the government and had cultivated the land for 5 years, you were qualified to participate by paying an amount that ranged from $1.25 per acre to $2.50 per acre. In continuation, an economic result of this migration was the rapid development of western cities. According to Document 2, it states "During the second half of the nineteenth century the direction of American expansion shifted from the countryside to the city. The West was popularly known as the land of wide-open spaces, but by the 1890's the typical westerner lived in an urban oasis like Omaha, Denver or San Francisco." For instance, this was in majority, able to occur because of the influx of immigrants and countryside ranchers that were moving West, which significantly contributed to the nation's economy as new businesses were being opened up, minerals were being found and the need for transportation augmented...
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