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The First Global Age
Teacher Resources
Driving Question: How did the first ongoing connections among the hemispheres promote change both globally and regionally?
Before the late fifteenth century, complex societies with thriving exchange networks existed in most regions of the world. But the regions with the largest trade networks—Afro-Eurasia and the Americas—weren’t connected. All this changed when Europeans stumbled upon the Americas in 1492. Soon, these regions would create the first global network—the Columbian Exchange—with new crops, animals, and people traveling across the Atlantic Ocean. But this exchange would also have long-lasting negative impacts as diseases spread to the Americas killing millions of Indigenous Americans and as Europeans began transporting enslaved people from Africa.
- Understand how historians create narratives to explain how human communities entered a global age during this historical era.
- Use close-reading skills to evaluate and analyze the historical narrative of the formation of a new global age.
The First Global Age (1200 to 1750 CE): Unit 6 Overview
Key Ideas
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Guiding Questions
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Before you watch
Before you watch the video, it’s a good idea to open and skim the video transcript. And always read the questions below so you know what to look and listen for as you watch!
While you watch
- How was the world divided in 1200?
- How were sixteenth-century historical events reflected in Beatriz’s life?
- How was Christianity introduced and adopted in Kongo?
- How did Beatriz’s efforts to respond to the problems that Kongo faced in the seventeenth century a reflection of the new global age?
- How did Beatriz’s teachings inspire Kongolese in the Americas?
After you watch
- What examples of the blending of old and new ideas do you see in the world around you today?
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- What did Stuart Hall mean when he said we ought to think more about “routes” rather than “roots”?
- Why was the Mongol Empire so important at the start of this period?
- What was the Columbian Exchange?
- What were some things that were exchanged during the Columbian Exchange?
- What were the two new systems that emerged during this period, and why were they important?
Evaluate
- What are some ways that your family or community history was influenced by the Columbian Exchange?
Frames in Unit 6
Key Ideas
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Guiding Questions
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Before you watch
Before you watch the video, it’s a good idea to open and skim the video transcript. And always read the questions below so you know what to look and listen for as you watch!
While you watch
- Why was the Columbian Exchange the world’s first global system, according to the video?
- What were some large changes in this period related to the communities frame?
- What were some large changes in this period related to the production and distribution frame?
- What were some large changes in this period related to the networks frame?
After you watch
- How is it useful to view the impact of the Columbian Exchange through three different frames, rather than simply one?
