1.   Thomas Jefferson argued that no generation has a right to bind the next generation so the Constitution should expire every 19 years  The CEO of Netflix offered to form a partnership with Blockbuster in the later 90s, but the Blockbuster CEO laughed in his face  On April Fools Day in 1989, billionaire Richard Branson designed a hot air balloon to look like a UFO and hired a dwarf in an ET costume to come out and scare people Fun Facts

2. Unit X: Renaissance and Trade Lesson 2

3.   Japan is made up of nearly 4000 islands in what is called the Japanese archipelago (group of islands)  Four Main Islands  Provides many positives and negatives for the people of Japan  Positives  Japan is separated from China (500 miles) and Korea (120 miles) by the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and has close proximity to the Asian Mainland (trade)  Southern Japan has a mild climate and plenty of rainfall, which is ideal for farming Japan’s Geography

4.  Four Main Islands

5.   Only 15% of the land is suitable for farming, due to mountainous terrain  Lack of natural resources like coal, iron, and oil  Tropical storms, earthquakes, and tidal waves are a constant threat Geographic Negatives

6.   Japan’s early history and cultural development was heavily influenced by its close proximity to China  The Japanese learned and adopted the Chinese style of writing  The Japanese writing system became similar to the Chinese system using symbols  Much of the architecture of Japan resembles that seen in other Asian cultures, specifically China  Among the most important cultural influences brought over was religion: Buddhism Influence of China

7.   Japan believed in a unique religion called Shinto, meaning “way of the gods” or “sacred way”  Characteristics include:  Respect for the forces of nature (Daoism)  Worshipped kami, or spirits, living in trees, rivers, and mountains  Worship of ancestors (Confucianism)  Shinto would become the official state religion  The Japanese worshipped the Emperor as part of Shinto  Shintoism and Buddhism co-existed in Japan Shintoism

8.  African Kingdoms

9.   African civilizations developed in sub-Saharan (south of the Saharan Desert), east, and west Africa  These cultures grew thanks to their trade connections to other parts of the Eastern Hemisphere  States and empires flourished in Africa between 400- 1440  Ghana, Mali, and Songhai in West Africa  Axum in East Africa and Zimbabwe in southeastern Africa Africa

10.   The Western African Kingdoms shared common characteristics  1)Location  All were located along the Niger River  Necessary due to arid terrain in the Sahara  2 ) Source of Wealth  Control of the Gold-Salt Trade  3) Religion  Polytheistic before converting to Islam (connections to North Africa) West Africa

12.   Only one West African Kingdom ruled at a time  Ghana, Mali, Songhai  Mali  Empire ruled by Mansa Musa  Timbuktu was the largest city of the kingdom- center of cultural and political activity  Created a Muslim center of learning in Timbuktu where students and scholars came from across Africa and even the Mediterranean Basin West African Kingdoms

13.   The Axum kingdom was located on a plateau along the Red Sea, south of Kush (Upper Egypt) in modern day Ethiopia  Located on the Nile  By 350, Axum was the dominant East African trading civilization Axum

14.   They traded goods like spices, ivory, and animal horns  They had trade connections with  The Roman Empire, India, and the Arabian Peninsula  Due to its trade connections with the Roman empire, the people of Axum accepted Christianity  The only African kingdom that accepted Christianity Axum

15.   Zimbabwe is located in Southern Africa on the coast of the Indian Ocean  Between the Zambezi River to the north and the Limpopo River to the south  In 1300, small farming communities declined and a new, powerful trading civilization arose Zimbabwe

16.   Centered in Great Zimbabwe, a prosperous city that would be the capital of the empire  The empire was short lived due to exhaustion of the land for grazing and resources and a shortage of salt by 1450 Zimbabwe

17. I III II IV