Chapter 1: Origins Key Terms: Agricultural Revolution Specialization of Labor Hierarchy Government (the State) *law *military *taxes

A Perspective on Time… The first humans emerged about 200,000 years ago This course will cover the last 5% of that time All humans lived in Africa until about 70,000 years ago For 2/3 of human history, all humans lived in Africa

What is “Western Civilization”? “Western came to mean those cultures that included significant numbers of people of European ancestry, no matter where on the globe they were located.” pg. 4 Most “western” nations are not in the “west”. Being “western” does not mean being “white”; it means accepting western culture and values. Not all westerners are white; not all whites are westerners.

Western Civilization is Based On: Rule of law Legal equality for all minorities Separation of government and religion Private property rights

Agricultural Revolution (9000 BCE)

Specialization of Labor

Hierarchy How do we assign value to different types of labor?

The “State” “a political organization through which one group was able to coerce resources out of others to engage in group endeavors, such as building large structures or carrying out warfare. States established armies, bureaucracies, and taxation systems.” pg. 5

The State How much power should the state have over the individual?

The State The state provides security, but every bit of security you gain requires giving up an equal amount of liberty. Examples??

In the earliest civilizations (Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China), the most important job of the State was controlling water through irrigation, canals, dams, etc.

Slavery “Slavery predates written records. We are not sure exactly how and when people first began to own other people.” pg. 15