Starting in 1348, the bubonic plague ravaged the continents of Europe and Asia, killing an estimated forty million people. Victims suffered a horribly painful death characterized by fever and dying flesh. Looking to religion, superstition and quackery, people tried to understand and prevent infection from a disease whose origins were a mystery. In Search of History unravels the mystery of the Black Death and its mysterious origins. Scourge of the Black Death would be useful for classes on World History, Science and Medicine, World Culture and Folklore. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

The World Belongs to Us

The World Belongs to Us examines the imperialism and colonization of the early century. European empires expanded and included most Third-World nations. Colonization subjected the inhabitants of these nations to change and economic exploitation, of both the land and the people. Eurocentrism, fueled by Darwinian ideals, justified the social, cultural, political and economic exploitation of non-Western, non-white populations.

Vocabulary

• bestow
• vassal
• subjugation
• bastion
• pacification
• condescension
• emulate
• Diaspora
• homage
• infrastructure
• palpable
• Zionism
• pogrom
• purge
• expulsion
• assimilation

Discussion Questions

1. What is meant by the term "white arrogance?" How has this arrogance been a determinant in world history?
2. The tremendous difficulties in managing colonies led colonizers to rely on indigenous power structures for administration and rule. How did the colonizers utilize the elite classes of the colonized to achieve their objectives? Why did these indigenous leaders cooperate with the colonizers?
3. Colonization altered traditional cultures and lifestyles of indigenous people. It subjected them to sometimes brutal forms of rule and economic slavery. But were there any benefits of colonization? If so, what were they? How might some aspects of colonization been beneficial?
4. Prior to European invasion, African life remained as it had been for generations. How did European invasion, militaristic and economic, change African life?
5. In order to justify colonial rule, white colonizers had to prove their superiority. How did these colonizers try to do this? What "scientific" methods did they use to uphold their dominance?
6. Rudyard Kipling wrote a famous poem about "the white man's burden." What was the "white man's burden?" Was it a justification for colonization?
7. What are the roles of religion and missionaries in colonization?
8. Why did European nations scramble to build world empires? What are the economics of imperialism and colonization?
9. Between 1880 and 1924, over 26 million people emigrated to America. What were some of the reasons for this mass migration?
10. Nationalism was one of the factors which contributed to the mass migrations within Europe and the Middle East. What is nationalism and how did it force people to leave their homes?

Extended Activities

1. On a world map locate and define mother countries and their colonies. Do you see any patterns of colonization? How did European countries compete with each other through colonization?
2. Imagine that you are an immigrant en route to the United States. Create a diary or journal that tells of you experiences, from leaving your homeland, your trans-Atlantic crossing, arrival at Ellis Island to your settlement in your new home.