Why the World Needs Global History and Geography
E. Napp
Objective:
To identify and explain the importance of Global
History and Geography
Do Now: Make a list of the advantages and
disadvantages of being required to study history
What is Global History and Geography and why do you need Global History and
Geography?
 Global History and Geography is a two-year cross-cultural, chronological study of
the history of the world as well as a study of the world’s geography.
 Since we live in the natural world among many people, the world and its people
affect us (Geography and Culture).
 And since all people have a past or a history and since history often determines
people’s lives today, it is necessary to understand History.
Activity #1: Prove it! - To live effectively in the world today, students must study World
History and Geography
“Whatever the answer, geography’s importance is so obvious that no one can challenge it.
We are all geographers from the moment we explore our neighborhood on bicycles to our
adult careers. Geography is the context in which “we live and move and have our being,”
and as Ambassador Strausz-Hupé liked to say, “You cannot argue with it.” Geography is
the way things are, not the way we imagine or wish them to be, and studying it is just as
basic to a child’s maturation as arithmetic, which teaches 2 + 2 = 4, not 3 or 22.”
~Walter A. McDougall (adapted)
From the above excerpt, provide two reasons why people need geography:
 ______________________________________________________________________
 ______________________________________________________________________
“One of the leading concerns in American politics is low voter turnout, even for major
elections, few citizens vote. A historical analysis of changes in voter turnout can help us
begin to understand the problem we face today. What were turnouts in the past? When did
the decline set in? What changes have occurred that have affected voting? A historical
assessment is clearly fundamental—and essential for anyone concerned about this issue.”
~Peter N. Stearns (adapted)
Answer the following questions using the passage above:
 What is a problem in American politics today?
______________________________________________________________________
 What questions would historians ask about this problem?
______________________________________________________________________
 How could the answers to these questions solve the problem?
______________________________________________________________________
The Mind of the Historian
Or Thinking like a Historian! (Adapted from eduplace.com)
Essential Question: What steps do historians take as they answer historical questions?
Is it Fact or Fiction?
• Historians use evidence from sources to answer questions
- Historians sort through evidence and must choose important, trustworthy evidence
• Some information turns out to be false, like the “mummy’s curse”
- many thought it killed archaeologists entering “King Tut’s” tomb but records proved
the archaeologists lived to an average age of 70 years
Drawing Conclusions
• Some historians arrive at different conclusions using the same facts
• For example, the building of Stonehenge around 3000 B.C.
- Early theories claimed temple was built for priests
- Later experts realized was finished before priests lived in area
- Today some historians think builders were sun worshipers
- Others think we’ll never know the true purpose
Questions:
 How do historians determine what is true and what is false?
________________________________________________________________________
 Provide an example of a fact that historians believed that turned out to be false or a
fiction (Think Egypt):
________________________________________________________________________
 How did historians discover that they were incorrect?
________________________________________________________________________
 Do historians using the same facts always arrive at the same conclusions?
________________________________________________________________________
 What different theories existed about the building of Stonehenge?
________________________________________________________________________
 Is history a final product or does our understanding of history sometimes change?
________________________________________________________________________
 So, how are historians like detectives?
________________________________________________________________________
Summary:
• Asking historical questions can help solve mysteries about the past.
• A historian’s most important tools are sources.
• Examining evidence can lead to a new answer to a question or deepen a mystery.
Whose History Is It, Anyway?
Understanding that historical forces affect different groups differently:
Let’s look at the Industrial Revolution (when machines were used to produce goods as
opposed to hands) from two different perspectives:
First Perspective:
. . . I have frequently visited many of the Cotton Factories in this neighborhood, with
friends who came from a distance; on coming out, it has always been a general reflection,
that the children were very great sufferers, and seemed sickly and unhealthy; being obliged
to work such long hours under such unfavorable circumstances. As I dedicate an hour or
two every morning to giving advice to the poor, I have a great many opportunities of
witnessing the bad effects of such confinement on the health of children; frequently the
parents say their children were stout and healthy, until they were sent out, and confined so
close and long in the Factory; but now they had become delicate and sickly. . . .
Source: Robert Agnew, M.D., “Observations on the State of the Children in Cotton Mills”
According to Dr. Agnew, what is one impact the Industrial Revolution had on children?
______________________________________________________________________________
Second Perspective:
In this excerpt, Friedrich Engel’s discussion with a middle-class gentleman shows the
attitude of the middle class about the living conditions of the factory workers.
“. . . One day I walked with one of these middle-class gentlemen into Manchester. I spoke
to him about the disgraceful unhealthy slums and drew his attention to the disgusting
condition of that part of the town in which the factory workers lived. I declared that I had
never seen so badly built a town in my life. He listened patiently and at the corner of the
street at which we parted company he remarked: “And yet there is a great deal of money
made here. Good morning, Sir.”. . .”
Source: Friedrich Engels, The Condition of the Working Class in England
According to the middle-class gentleman, what is one impact the Industrial Revolution had
on the owners of the factories?
______________________________________________________________________________
Questions:
 Why are there different views and different concerns of the Industrial Revolution?
_______________________________________________________________________
 Is this true of all historical events – different views concerning the events?
_______________________________________________________________________
 What is Point of View?
_______________________________________________________________________
 Why is understanding Point of View important when writing or reading history?
________________________________________________________________________
 How does the point of view differ in the above documents?
________________________________________________________________________
The first humans were hunters and
gatherers. About 10,000 years ago, some
humans learned to farm and domesticate
animals. These humans experienced the
Neolithic Revolution. A revolution is a big
change and during this period of change,
people farmed and settled. They did not
move from place to place as nomads had.
What are characteristics of the Neolithic
Revolution?
 __________________________
 __________________________
 __________________________
Most people believe the Neolithic
Revolution was a good revolution but it
does depend on your point of view.
A Point of View Question to Consider:
 If you had to choose between a life hunting and gathering food all the time and one
where you cultivated food for your family, but you had to pay taxes, which would
you choose and why?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
 Would every person agree with your point of view?
________________________________________________________________________
 So, if historical change affects people differently, what kinds of sources must
historians use to effectively write history?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Questions Historians Ask:
A primary source is a source written by a person who experienced or witnessed an event.
It is a first-hand or eyewitness account. A diary or a letter is an example of a primary
source. When working with primary sources, answering a series of basic questions can
help historians draw more accurate conclusions.
 What is it?
 Who wrote or made it?
 When and where was it written or made?
 What evidence does this source contribute to historical research?
 What else needs to be known in order to understand this source?
 What is the author’s point of view?
 How does evidence from this source alter or fit into existing interpretations of the
past?
How are historians like detectives?
______________________________________________________________________________