Medieval and Early Modern World History
Era Six: The Emergence of the First Global Age
(1450–1770)
The Scientific Revolution
This unit invites the student to explore the advances in scientific knowledge made in Europe in the mid-sixteenth century, which radically changed humankind’s basic notions of the very structure of the universe. Students are introduced to the contributions of key scientists and to their basic discoveries and inventions, through illustrations and short excerpts of their work. Students will compare Ptolemy’s ancient earth-centered universe with Copernicus’ new sun-centered solar system; study Galileo’s telescopic observations which verified Copernican theory; revoew the development of the Scientific Method by Francis Bacon and René Descartes; and explore the miniature world revealed by the microscope. 80 p. Grades 7–12
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[NH111-LA6] $16.95 Reproducible
The Enlightenment
Unit lessons on the “Age of Reason” are based on the English political thinkers Hobbes and Locke; the French Philosophes Condorcet, Rousseau and Montesquieu; Voltaire and his student, the “enlightened despot,” Frederick II of Prussia; and Denis Diderot’s Encyclopédie. The selections in this unit illustrate the social concerns of eighteenth-century Enlightenment thinkers on society, politics, and education. Lastly, students trace the influence of the Enlightenment on the New World by reading excerpts from Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack and Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence.
52 p. Grades 9 –12 >>>Preview the unit [pdf]
[NH113-LA6] $16.95 Reproducible
Kongo: A Kingdom Divided
The story of the meeting between the Kongo Kingdom and strangers from distant Portugal is both riveting and tragic. Located in West Central Africa, Kongo was a large and prosperous state when the first Portuguese ships arrived in 1483. This unit investigates one of the most engrossing cases of first encounter between two peoples in early modern times. Relations between the kings of Kongo and Portugal started out well but later degenerated as both European and African profiteers turned their attention to the Atlantic slave trade. The unit includes vivid primary source documents, a simulation activity, and short pieces of original historical fiction accompany five of the six lessons. 77 p. Grades 7–11
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[NH172-LA6] $16.95 Reproducible
The Atlantic Slave Trade
This teaching unit, complete with student readings and maps, examines the origins of the Atlantic slave trade, the role of both Europeans and Africans, the Middle Passage, and the differences and similarities between slavery in the Americas and Africa. Students examine 17th- and 18th-century documents supporting and opposing the slave trade. These include a 1612 proposal to the King of Portugal regarding slavery, readings from Olaudah Equiano’s classic description of Middle Passage experience, and the work of British reformers seeking to outlaw the trade. Students engage in debates over the legality of slavery using documents from the historical era. A role-playing activity involves them in a mutiny during the Middle Passage. 70 p. Grades 7–12 >>>Preview the unit [pdf]
[NH175-LA6] $16.95 Reproducible
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