Social Studies Curriculum

 

 

 

During the Middle Ages, Europe became a thriving continent situated around medieval towns. Soldiers returning home from the Crusades had been to foreign lands and experienced luxury foreign goods. Now that they were back home, they wanted the luxury goods for themselves. Explorers began traveling to the far east in search of precious metals, silks, and spices to sell back in Europe. Because the trip east was long, explorers began seeking alternative routes to shorten the trip to increase their profits. This resulted in the discovery of the American continents which would have lasting effects on the Native populations and the African populations as well.

 

 

While explorers were busy colonizing overseas, people in Europe and Asia were exploring their own ways of thinking. Some revisited the past glories of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome in an effort to duplicate their glory. Others jettisoned traditional ways of thinking in order to improve society and promote social growth. Some advanced the fields of science by using observation and reasoning while others used the shift in thinking to challenge leaders to use their status to improve the lives of the people they ruled.

 

 

The Renaissance was a time of rebirth and change for art, music, and culture. The period following the Renaissance proved to be a time of change as well as people began demanding individual freedoms and personal rights. People in several parts of the world including Europe, Asia, and the newly-formed American colonies began challenging political authority. Bloodshed and revolution were often components of this quest for change, but for citizens who were fed up with the inequality and tyranny, did the means justify the end?

 

 

During the Industrial Revolution mechanization replaced manual labor. Advances in agriculture and improved production techniques decreased the need for farmhands causing workers to leave the countryside for the city. The resulting urbanization caused cities to grow sometimes stretching them to the limit. Without farming, people turned to the developing industry to insure a higher quality of life. While some began to see the dark side including long hours and unsafe working conditions, many found that industry offered new opportunities and that the resulting changes would be positive.

 

 

European nations had always competed amongst each other for power and resources. By the 1800s all of the land and resources in Europe had been claimed so European countries looked elsewhere to expand their empires. Colonies sprung up around the globe in an effort to further the wealth and glory of the mother nation. Nations which came under the rule of other nations sometimes saw their rights diminished, their resources raided, and their people under oppressive governments. New languages, customs, and religions were forced upon people who were made to abandon their own cultural values and beliefs. But out of this imperialistic attitude the roots of globalism emerged allowing trade to happen all around the world.

 

 

During the 20th century tensions came to a boil. Wars broke out all over the globe and the world was thrust into not one but two world wars. Acts of terrorism which had plagued the Middle East found their ways to both American and European soil proving that no nation was immune from violence. Motives for wars varied as some sought more power, some sought new territories, and others wanted resources that had already been claimed. As wars concluded, negotiations for peace took place amongst those involved. Concessions were made causing political boundaries to shift, rulers to be overthrown, and alliances to be altered. This period of conflict and cooperation would shape the modern world.

 

 

The twentieth century proved to be a time of turmoil for many nations as conflicts developed across the world. Although the word “conflict” may have a negative connotation, conflict can sometimes create positive effects. The use of debates, protests, wars, social media campaigns, have given many people around of the world a voice which previously went unheard. Innovations in technology have increased social and political awareness allowing the rest of the world opportunities to learn about the plight and causes of others.