Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific in 1750
Driving Question: In what ways were states and empires in Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific in 1750 unique and distinctive but also part of global patterns?
By now, you should be well-versed in the characteristics of eighteenth-century states and empires in Eurasia. But what about the rest of the world? In this lesson, we’ll broaden our historical lens by investigating states and empires in Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific in 1750. All these places were eventually affected by the growth of global interconnections.
Learning Objectives:
- Compare the community structures and interactions of eighteenth-century empires in Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific.
- Work on informal writing skills by answering the Unit Problems.
Maps are a powerful tool for teaching historical change. Explore this blog post to discover the many ways maps can enhance your lessons. Find our map of the world in 1750 here.
Before this globe-trotting lesson, engage your prior knowledge to see what you already know about the regions of study.
Article review to highlight features of writing: Use articles not just to convey content, but to help students recognize certain elements of writing: lists, phrases used to present evidence, transitional words, use of claims, and introductory clauses, for example.
Travel around the world as you explore sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, and Oceania. Once you’re done, test your knowledge of the empires and societies that you read about in “World History, Widened.”
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
Reading something without any context can be frustrating. Who wrote it? Why was it written? That’s where sourcing comes in.
Practice quick sourcing as you examine the world in 1750 through the words of the people who were there—gaining insight into how communities were organized, how large and dynamic they were, and who was included and excluded.
Provide sentence starters: Provide the words and phrases students might use to start off a paragraph or sentence. Consider posting these prominently in your classroom. Some examples are:
- This essay discusses...
- In this essay/paper...
- Emphasized are...
- For instance...
- Rather...
- In contrast to...
- Eventually...
- Finally...
- As a result of…
Want to bring more informal writing into your classroom? Our Informal Writing Routines are a great place to start!
In this unit, you have examined what history is, how it’s written, and why it matters. You’ve also explored what the world looked like in 1750. Reflect on all that you’ve learned and see if your thinking has changed since the first lesson.
In this unit, not only have you examined what history is, how it’s written, and why it matters, you’ve also explored what the world looked like in 1750. Whew! Reflect on all that you’ve learned and see if your thinking has changed since the first lesson.
