Welcome to the Modern Period (1750-1900) where things get a bit revolutionary. The last period saw its fair share of change; but this period, the drastic and wide-ranging. At one time the only fuel humans had were animals and plants they ate and wood they burned, or the wind they captured on the sea... that was it in terms energy use. Overtime, windmills and waterwheels captured some extra energy, but not much in reserve. Everything changed during the Industrial Revolution, which began around 1750. A new source of energy was used; fossil fuels — coal, oil, and natural gas. When these fuels were burned, they released energy, in massive amounts that will shift the human trajectory.

Although the majority of this unit does deal primarily with the Industrial Revolution, this Unit, however, does begin with the political — USA, France, Haiti, Latin America — revolutions and the aftermath. This unit dives into the European philosophers whom pontificated on the nature of, well, everything. But the speciality focused on politics and debated new was of thinking about the best way to organize society and to respect and protect people's natural born rights. One questions was if a king should rule? If, so why, what were the logical reasons why? If not, what form of reasonable government should replace it? These were big questions and their answers were both bloody and revolutionary.