Thematic Approach to History

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Humans Move to AmericasGeography and the Development/Diffusion of Human Society

• The map shows human remains in US OLDER that the “ice bridge”

• Other people populated Americas before there was any “migration”

Hawkinson and Walton

The First AmericansStudies of man show that he travels in a very set pattern. First there are settlements, and then they spread, usually using obvious pathways starting with foot and animal paths and moving up to things such as rivers and lakes to move (the original “highway”).

Based on that it was assumed man came to the americas by a land bridge from Russia to Alaska.

But discoveries of human remains that are older than the estimated date of the land bridge has to raise the question “Did everyone explore the world the same way?”

How it fits the themeThe Smithsonian has found two different settlement patterns predating the land bridge.

One is the path of the Clovis people, named after a small town in New Mexico where the first stone points were found of a particular style. It travels from east to west across the US.

The other is west to east and the best examples have proved them to be related to the Ainu people of Japan.

Given what we “know” about how man travels, where did either group come from? How did they spread? Did they meet? Are they the true first americans? (Benedict)

World War IHistorical Systems of Power, Governance, and Authority

• Every type of government drawn into one conflict

• A conflict that resulted in a new form of government, Communism, taking over countries.

Every type of government was drawn into this conflict

From countries ruled by aristocracy to those ruled by democracy, every country was drawn into a great war that was started with an assassination. The various governments had previously drawn themselves into confederacies that would support each other. Before the war was over many would lose their power, many countries would disappear from the map, and a new power would be born pushing a new dictatorial form of government, communism.

How it fits the themeThe pettiness of the various rulers of their own aristocracy was part of the reason the war started.

The pettiness of the “victors” decided which countries were responsible for the losses suffered. And one country decided it was the idea time to have a civil war and install a completely new government.

And both those grievances that caused whole countries to be absorbed by others and the blame placed on some would result in…another world war. (Louisianacivilwar.com)

Modern Protest MovementsIndividuals and Institutions as Mechanisms of Social/Governmental

Change • “Arab Spring” was

just part of a wave of protests

• Protestors used modern social networking to communicate

• A new era for protests AND rioters.

Arab Spring

Who really is involved in this?True, it started with protests in Arab countries where the leaders are extremely rich and the workers are pretty poor. But it carried over to other countries where the gap between the rich and poor had widened even more because of the recent financial crisis worldwide.

Before it was over, most of the world was involved. “Occupy Wall Street” in the US, “#Riot” used across Great Britain,

In a strangely interesting way, the wide span of protestors from this event around the world would have fit in well with those who decided World War I was a great time to hold a Russian Civil war and redistribute all the country’s wealth to

all the people, supposedly equally.

How it fits the themeProtestrs using modern social media to coordinate their efforts.

Rioters across Britain using Black Berry Messenger to bring in a larger crowd just when the police think they have the first rioters bottled up.

Different governments using individuals as either scapegoats or individuals using corporations trying to push a socialist agenda.

Governments asking cell phone manufacturers if there is a way to “shut down” different systems to control protestors and rioters. (Wasik)

Assembly LinesScience and Technology as the Engine of Economic Growth and

Development • Older than even the

Ford line seen here.• Each time they

developed they brought new technology to public use

• Economy boomed with each new technology.

Detroit Public Library

Want proof times are good?

First, production is occurring, so we have to use a production line to keep up with demand.

Secod, the price actually DROPS because the cost to manufacture these things is ess.

Third, ewe come up with new ways to make parts, to weld things, to pu pieces together to save even more money and those new ideas get used by everyone else.

How it fits the themeEvery major advancement in modern times has come at a time of increased production. From the cotton weaving factories of new england to the Mexican-American war (1846) when Sam Colt made the first assembly line, to the early 1900’s when Ford developed the modern assembly line, a time of great production brought about great new ideas and products and new technologies.

The only difference in the 2000’s is that some companies have not yet learned that keeping manufacturing costs less in defective merchandise and other problems than doing it overseas….

Learning history by themes instead of dates

• Ideas are easier to remember

• Lets you find new ways to understand important ideas

• Lets students see more than one perspective

• History is more than names and dates, but it can include names and dates

• Narratives give more power to the story

REFERENCES“Arab Spring: Rebellions and Revolutions.” http://voiceseducation.org/content/arab-spring-rebellions-and-revolutions. Accessed 2/24/12.

Benedict, Jeff. (2003) No Bone Unturned. Harper Collins. New York.

Detroit Public Library, Item number EB01a026. Available at http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch2en/conc2en/assemblyft.html. Accessed 2/24/12.

Hawkinson, Cleone and Beth Walton “Friends of America’s Past.” http://www.friendsofpast.org/. Accessed 2/24/12.

Louisianacivilwar.com. (2/28/11) “World War I.” http://www.louisianacivilwar.com/world-war-i/. Accessed 2/24/12.

Wasik, Bill. (january 2012) “Crowd Control.” Wired. Pp76-112.