Download Mongols Africa Aztec

Rise of Empires
Compare & Contrast
Partial Essay
Analyze similarities and differences in
the rise of TWO of the following
empires.
*A West African Sudanic empire (Mali
OR Ghana OR Songhay)
*The Aztec Empire
*The Mongol Empire
• Create a thesis! --- 8 Minutes!
• • The thesis must include both a valid similarity and a valid
difference dealing with the RISE of two of the three empires
identified. You must ALWAYS write about a total of three
arguments in a comparison essay. (2 sim/1 diff or 1 sim/2
diff).
• • The thesis must be relevant to the time period.
• Tips To Know:
• • The thesis must be explicitly stated in the introduction.
• • The thesis may appear as one sentence or as multiple
sentences.
• • A thesis that is split among multiple paragraphs or merely
restates the prompt is unacceptable.
Thesis Example 1:
In both the Aztec and Mongol empires, the
encouragement of political as well as cultural
unity/tolerance ensured each empire’s future
success. Also both used military conquest,
instituting fear among conquered people and
demanding tribute in return. One difference
would include the Aztec’s dependence on
agriculture whereas the nomadic Mongols relied
more heavily on herding and looting.
• Thesis Tweak?
• Create a body paragraph! 12 Minutes!
– So, you have identified three arguments in
your thesis.
– Choose one to discuss further.
• Introduce the topic in the topic sentence and
make the comparison (say whether it was a
similarity or difference and how)
• Give evidence about this sim/diff. Analyze WHY
& HOW that evidence proves your point!
• Close your paragraph with a sentence that
mirrors the topic sentence and reminds the
reader of what you just said.
Body Paragraph Example 1:
In both the Aztec and Songhay empires, the use of
religion as a unifying and conquest tool is evident. The
Aztec’s believed in a polytheistic religion and would
appease their Sun God through ritual sacrifice. Usually
the unlucky people being sacrificed were members of a
conquered group. This use of religion was a unifying
and conquest tool because it was an important ritual
performed by the Aztec people but it also instilled fear
in any enemy of the Aztec empire. As for the Songhay
Empire, the spread of Islam throughout the empire
allowed for unity among converts. Through this unity,
residents of the Songhay empire fought in jihads to
conquer more territory and instill their common
religion of Islam on conquered people. Through a
common religion each empire was able to come
together through ritual/prayer but also in conquest.
• Paragraph Tweak?