Download Africa-America Unit

Sub Unit on Africa
Day 1-Ghana as a Civilization and Its Trade Routes; Mali and Muslim Influence in West Africa
Reading due: text, pp. 259-268 (skip “Bantu Migrations”)
What are the major climate and vegetation zones, and where are they located in Africa?
What are the various historical perspectives on Egypt? Which one is favored by the authors of this
textbook?
Where did human civilizations first develop in Africa? What outside civilizations may have
influenced Africa?
What is the region known as the Sudan, and what changes occurred there? How would you
describe their society?
What was the Trans-Saharan trade, and what were its effects on west African society?
Day 2: Reading Due 268-273 Where was Ghana, and how was it able to thrive on trade? In what ways
were it and the
Muslim world dependent on one another? How was it governed, and what forces led to
its eventual decline? Was Ghana the only organized state in west Africa? How do we know?
In what ways was Mali a more sophisticated and better organized state than Ghana? Give at least
two achievements. With what other parts of the world did it have active, ongoing contact?
In
what two ways was Mali an active, contributing part of the Muslim world, rather than a
passive
recipient of Muslim culture?
Day 3- Reading due: 273-281 -What enabled Ethiopia to become and remain a powerful political
force in Africa? How was Ethiopia linked culturally to other parts of the world?
The East African City-States
How did these places come into being, where did they trade, and how did they blend
African and Arab cultures? What did they keep that was partcularly African? What did
they add that was Arab? And what valuables did they contribute to world trade?
Day 3-Olmecs and Mayans. Reading due: text, pp. 389-394; THR, pp. 402-05
Who were the Olmecs? What were their accomplishments, and what was their importance to the
development of Meso-American (Central American) civilization? What achievments made the
Mayans the most sophisticated of American Indian civilizations. You should be able to name
at least four examples, especially from mathematics, astronomy, and literature. What were the of
Mayan economy and government like, and what was the relationship between Mayan religion
and government? Was that relationship close or distant, and how?
Day 6-Aztecs: Background, Religion, and War
Reading due: text, pp. 395-400
How did the Aztec/Mexica emerge from unpromising beginnings to dominate Mexico? Who was
Huiztzilopochtli, and what were the roles of war, religion, and human sacrifice in Aztec culture?
Why did the Aztecs regard the blend of all three as a social necessity?
Day 7-Aztec Empire, Strengths and Weaknesses Reading due; text, pp. 400-404; Cortes
handout on Tenochtitlan
At its height, how was Aztec society organized, and why did it develop as it did? Be able to
describe Tenochtitlan (which is now Mexico City), the Aztec economy, its social structure, and
gender relations. What impressions did the invading Spaniards have? What did they admire
about Aztec civilization, and what did they disapprove?
Day 8-The Incas. Reading due: text, pp. 404-410; THR, pp. 405-09
Were the Incas the earliest civilization in Peru? What were the major agricultural
accomplishments of the Andean Indians after 200 AD, which furnished their people one of the
best diets in the world? How did the Inca come to dominate the west coast of South America?
In what ways was their civilization similiar to Aztec culture? In what ways did it stand out?
What was the role of religion and warfare? How did Inca government control the economy and
people's private lives? How did the cult of the royal mummies eventually undermine the Inca
state and cause civil war after 1525?
Day 9-Aztecs and Incas, Comparison and Collapse. Reading due: Guns, Germs and Steel Handout
How did the Aztecs and Incas compare in their power relationships, limitations, and extent of
expansion? What made them especially easy for the Spanish to conquer? Why? You should be
able to identify and analyze at least three factors for each culture.
Day 10-Review or prep day for unit paper
Day 11-Regular in-class test or debrief unit paper, which will be a single essay question.
Your topic: select one pre-Columbian American civilization you have studied during this unit
and one African civilization. Compare the two. Based on the evidence you see, which one would
you consider more advanced, and why? This class may run as a debate. The paper you write
will be worth 100 points, so make it good.