Slavery

Three important events that stood out to me during this week’s readings were the Colonial societies, and the Atlantic Slave Trade. I have taken many histories classes in my life time during each of those classes I have been frustrated during the topics of colonialism and slavery. Just like we discussed in class generations of Europeans after the Black Death really did change their ways of thinking. I see the importance of traveling to new lands and persevering their future generations. But what makes me upset is the treatment of the ingenious people of those lands they have conquered. For example it was interesting to see the differences between the settlements of Spanish America and North America. In South America, the Spaniards intergraded with the native people and different mixed raced civilizations arose. Even in Brazil, when Africans came there still was a huge mixed race population. But that different in Caribbean and the south in America. When comparing the different societies you can see how race has become a factor in this modern age. Because women came along later, Europeans did not feel the need to mate with black slaves. But I am still very frustrated on how the Europeans extorted the Native Americans out of their lands. They wiped out huge populations of them. And they got cheap labor out of Africa. The book at times made seem like it was good thing for slavery because it connected Europe, Africa and America. But the effects of slavery are notions of racism that are still prevalent to day in America and South America.

The Late Classical Era

The common understanding of a road is a path that transports items. When looking at the roads in history they did not only transport items but different ways of life. I am really amazed at how societies changed and flourished with the creation of certain trades across different lands. Each of the roads:  silk road, the sea road and sand road brought not only goods but religion and a way of thinking. I am very intrigued about by religion traveling among the roads. I was surprised in reading how these roads brought a different way of thinking to different peoples. When looking at these systems it makes me think about today and our ways of trading. Many of these civilizations had a dualistic relationship on giving and taking. But when thinking about America and China for example today I feel differently on our trade. It seems that roads then differ now because America is so dependent on the goods from China. These days when you look at anything manufactured it is from china and it’s interesting to see how America lives on this cheap labor. It seems that we through cheap labor we manufacture less and import more.

Looking at the readings in china I really enjoyed reading about the different affect that China had on Vietnam, Japan and Korea. I think it is amazing how China’s influence over these three civilizations can differ from different groups of people. What they all had in common is that they did not assimilate into the Chinese culture. Out of the three the most astounding civilization was Japan. Japan was able to maintain its culture due to the 100 mile distance from Japan and China. The Japanese were able to learn adapted some culture from China at the same time retain their own. I believe the term “history repeats itself” can be used when describing Japan’s history and present. The same nature Japan used to preserve its culture with China was also used when American influence came to Japan much later.

I see myself as a devout Catholic who believes in the teachings of my church. But when reading about the history of Christianity in the late classical era I find myself embarrassed to call myself a Christian. The Crusades have to be one of the biggest shames on the Christian church. The Crusades claimed to obtain the holy land where Jesus lived. But the crusades brought destruction on all groups of people. I feel that it was hypocritical for the crusades to begin and continue. As a Christian, Jesus’ message was “to love thy enemy”. But the crusade’s contradicted that exact message. These wars fueled hatred between different regions around the world. The major conflict was between the Christian and Islamic world. Historians may claim that the crusades are over but this fighting is still present today in Jerusalem.