Islamic Pocket Map

Olaudah Equiano on the Middle Passage

On the basis of Equiano's account, what measures did the crews of slave ships take to ensure maximum profits from their business of transporting human cargoes?

The enslaved passengers traveled below decks in hideously cramped quarters. The ships had given the slaves enough room to sit but not stand and some were forced to lie in chains on small shelves. The crew of the slave ships had fit a lot of slaves into one ship in order to maximize their profit for business. The conditions on the ship were horrific and the crew member took the initiative to save lives, to gain profit, by forcing them to eat and had pitched the sick out in the ocean before they infect the others slaves and waste limited supplies of food.

Born With A Silver Spoon Reading

Where is the silver going?  Where is it coming from?  Who are the major players in the 'silver trade'?

China was the primary buyer of silver. The Spanish America had led in supply, deriving its silver from American regions such as Mexico, Acapulco, and others in Latin America. The second supplier was Japan, although the country's exports dropped significantly in the 17th century. The major players in the 'silver trade' were Spain, and its American tributaries, Portugal, the Dutch, Japan, China, and the Philippines (it's port, Manilla).  

DBQ

I thought the essay was easy but I couldn't finish it on time. What I like about DBQs is that you don't need to bring in additional information from the outside, you just whatever information is given to you. I think it's easier then the other two types of essay. I forgot to write about why the documents important. I forgot to do analysis. I was about to finish, I only had a few documents that I couldn't mention in my essay so I need to manage my time properly. By managing my time, I can finish the essay on time in the future. I need to work on point of view and a little bit about how the essay will be set up.  

Columbus

Does Columbus deserve his own holiday? Why does he have one? Should we reconsider?

Christopher Columbus has his own holiday because he had "discovered" America. That is however incorrect because the Vikings, Polynesians, and others had already landed in the America before him. Also, one cannot discover a place if they are other inhabitants before. Columbus should not be given that much attention for accidentally landing to the Americas. He refused to acknowledge that he made it to a different, new continent. I do think we should reconsider, after all, he also brought diseases that killed many.

Menzie's Argument

Do you buy Menzie's argument that Zheng He's fleet made it to America before Columbus? Evaluate the evidence he used and explain why or why not.

I do not completely buy Menzie’s argument that Zheng He’s fleet made it to America before Columbus. It is an interesting idea but the use of evidence by Menzie does not prove his argument as well as it should. The narrator states his idea as a “theory that defines academic opinion,” already losing its credibility. Menzie states that an Italian merchant, Niccolo deConti, had sailed with Zheng He to America and that his accounts were used to make a map of the western world. It is unknown whether Niccolo deConti had anything to do with the map, but it is known that a merchant provided some information for the map. Menzie connects the two, though there is not proof to add credibility. Menzie also states that the Chinese ship, junks, would have been ideal for the journey across the Atlantic and would have been able to withstand the conditions, much better than the Columbus’ ships. The difference between the junk’s ability, what it could have done and what they actually did, and it is unknown is it unknown whether or not they actually reached America. A somewhat substantial evidence would be that the Native American DNA is closer to the Chinese than to the Europeans or African DNA. Although, it needs to be further explored in order to find out if it proves anything.

Aztec Podcast

The Three Things I Had No Idea About
1. They were considered as barbarians, different from all the other civilizations in the Mesoamerica area.
2. The language of the Aztecs did not originate from where they had lived which suggests that the Aztecs had originated from somewhere else.
3. The Aztecs were considered 'Stone Age' with neolithic obsidian tools, no wheel, etc. but they were sophisticated and advanced in arts etc.

The Two Things I Found Interesting
1. They had a theory that the Aztecs were Egyptians that had moved because of the Aztec pyramids were similar to the Egyptians. They thought that the Egyptians sailed across the Atlantic and created this empire.
2. The Aztecs were pretty big. They had a largest and the most ruthless empire in the pre-Hispanic empire.

The One Question I Have For The Aztecs
1. About human sacrifices, how many humans did you sacrifice for the sake of the ritual?