THEME 2Big History

Joseph M. Kooiker

History 140

Professor Arguello

Peoples and Empires

The Roman Empire stretched from the British Isles to India under Alexander the Great

It lasted until after the conversion of Emperor Constantine to Christianity

The Roman Empire split into four sections

Constantinople became the capitol of the Eastern section of the Roman Empire and remained as such until it was conquered by the Muslims and became Istanbul

Peoples and Empires

The Spanish spread their empire because they believed their religion demanded it

The Spanish sent people to the New World in search of silver and gold

As they went in search of gold and riches they tried to convert many of the Indians they came into contact with

This would later bring about the destruction of the Aztec and Incan empires in the New World

Peoples and Empires Another one of the major

empires to have spread through the world was the British Empire

The British Empire spread because of the need to gain resources

This quest for resources also was one of the motivators for the starting of the slave trade

The British Empire was one of the first countries to abolish the slave trade but not slavery

Religion and Geography are some of the main drivers for the expansion of empires

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Eurasian people have conquered many different peoples

Eurasian people have also been able to survive through many diseases

Most of the triumphs of humans have been discovered throughout the European and Asian continents

Guns, Germs, and Steel

This progress of the Eurasian people is due to the availability of hearty foods which could be gotten from domesticating plants and animals

The availability of flax to make clothing also provided for protection from the elements

The exchange of diseases also allowed the Eurasian people to become immune to many diseases which would decimate other populations

The spread of diseases allowed the Eurasians to control many of their conquered nations

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Geography allowed for the creating of small empires within Eurasia

Most other continents and their peoples have been conquered by Eurasians

The small centralized governments established in Eurasia allowed for the creation of military and military innovation which allowed these groups to take over and conquer other nations

These dominant powers have been China and Western Europe

The British were able to expand their empire to India

The Romans were able to occupy from the British Isles, Africa, and all the way to India

The Origins and Nature…

Some of the first written recording of slavery were in the Muslim world and throughout many other cultures

In Europe, slavery moved from being the slavery of the Roman empire to the serfdom of Medieval Europe

While in Africa, large groups of people were being captured for doing some of the world’s most demeaning tasks

As European countries began to expand, the sat up colonies in the Holy Land after many Crusades

Of New World Slavery After Columbus discovered the New

World, the new plantations of sugar, tobacco, and other cash crops

Many of the Native inhabitants of the New World were brought into the plantations of the European colonist

The Indian populations didn’t last very long on the plantations because they were not immune to many illnesses so black slaves were brought in by the hundreds to work the plantations

The English were one of the first of the colonists to abolish the slave trade but not slavery

Slavery would not be abolished from American culture until the Civil War