Unit 4: The Early Modern Era

Unit Goals:

  • Students will learn about European motivations for exploration, including African gold, Asian goods, American gold and silver, evangelism, and glory
  • Students will learn about indigenous Americans, including life at and after contact with Europeans
  • Students will learn about the influence of Africans in the Atlantic World, including the legacy of various African empires and kingdoms, changing demographics, and the cultural contributions of forced migrants
  • Students will learn about the effects of the New World on Europe
  • Students will learn about the development of major European empires, including Portugal, Spain, France, and England
  • Students will learn about the economics of colonial empires, including mercantilism, and the Atlantic Slave Trade
  • Students will learn about the British Empire in Asia
  • Students will identify the influence of the Enlightenment on the western World, e.g., philosophy, science, fine arts, government, and literature
  • Students will analyze the mutual influence between western Enlightenment and the non-western World in the areas of philosophy, science, fine arts, government, and literature
  • Students will analyze the factors that led to the American Revolution
  • Students will explain the ways the French Revolution changed the relationship between the monarch and the citizens
  • Students will describe the influence of Napoleon on the modern map and European countries
  • Students will explain the connection between Napoleon and the Latin American revolutions
  • Students will compare the Latin American revolutions from Spain and Portugal
  • Students will examine the roles of nationalism, imperialism, and religion in the building and development of nations
  • Students will summarize the impact of imperialism and colonial rule on African, Asian, and Latin American peoples and the resulting independence movements in Africa, Asia, and Latin America

Unit Quote

“The most important changes brought on by the Columbian voyages were biological in nature” -Alfred Crosby, The Colombian Exchange