Thomas Jefferson argued that no generation has a right to bind the next generation so the Constitution should expire every 19 years The CEO of Netflix offered to form a partnership with Blockbuster in the later 90s, but the Blockbuster CEO laughed in his face On April Fools Day in 1989, billionaire Richard Branson designed a hot air balloon to look like a UFO and hired a dwarf in an ET costume to come out and scare people Fun Facts
Unit X: Renaissance and Trade Lesson 2
Japan is made up of nearly 4000 islands in what is called the Japanese archipelago (group of islands) Four Main Islands Provides many positives and negatives for the people of Japan Positives Japan is separated from China (500 miles) and Korea (120 miles) by the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and has close proximity to the Asian Mainland (trade) Southern Japan has a mild climate and plenty of rainfall, which is ideal for farming Japan’s Geography
Four Main Islands
Only 15% of the land is suitable for farming, due to mountainous terrain Lack of natural resources like coal, iron, and oil Tropical storms, earthquakes, and tidal waves are a constant threat Geographic Negatives
Japan’s early history and cultural development was heavily influenced by its close proximity to China The Japanese learned and adopted the Chinese style of writing The Japanese writing system became similar to the Chinese system using symbols Much of the architecture of Japan resembles that seen in other Asian cultures, specifically China Among the most important cultural influences brought over was religion: Buddhism Influence of China
Japan believed in a unique religion called Shinto, meaning “way of the gods” or “sacred way” Characteristics include: Respect for the forces of nature (Daoism) Worshipped kami, or spirits, living in trees, rivers, and mountains Worship of ancestors (Confucianism) Shinto would become the official state religion The Japanese worshipped the Emperor as part of Shinto Shintoism and Buddhism co-existed in Japan Shintoism
African Kingdoms
African civilizations developed in sub-Saharan (south of the Saharan Desert), east, and west Africa These cultures grew thanks to their trade connections to other parts of the Eastern Hemisphere States and empires flourished in Africa between Ghana, Mali, and Songhai in West Africa Axum in East Africa and Zimbabwe in southeastern Africa Africa
The Western African Kingdoms shared common characteristics 1)Location All were located along the Niger River Necessary due to arid terrain in the Sahara 2 ) Source of Wealth Control of the Gold-Salt Trade 3) Religion Polytheistic before converting to Islam (connections to North Africa) West Africa
Only one West African Kingdom ruled at a time Ghana, Mali, Songhai Mali Empire ruled by Mansa Musa Timbuktu was the largest city of the kingdom- center of cultural and political activity Created a Muslim center of learning in Timbuktu where students and scholars came from across Africa and even the Mediterranean Basin West African Kingdoms
The Axum kingdom was located on a plateau along the Red Sea, south of Kush (Upper Egypt) in modern day Ethiopia Located on the Nile By 350, Axum was the dominant East African trading civilization Axum
They traded goods like spices, ivory, and animal horns They had trade connections with The Roman Empire, India, and the Arabian Peninsula Due to its trade connections with the Roman empire, the people of Axum accepted Christianity The only African kingdom that accepted Christianity Axum
Zimbabwe is located in Southern Africa on the coast of the Indian Ocean Between the Zambezi River to the north and the Limpopo River to the south In 1300, small farming communities declined and a new, powerful trading civilization arose Zimbabwe
Centered in Great Zimbabwe, a prosperous city that would be the capital of the empire The empire was short lived due to exhaustion of the land for grazing and resources and a shortage of salt by 1450 Zimbabwe
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