Culture

Short Teaching Module: Hammurabi's Code

An extremely useful source for discussions of Mesopotamian government and society is the Babylonian document Hammurabi’s Code (circa 1780 BCE).

The Code of Hammurabi

This source is a part of the Hammurabi's Code teaching module.

Short Teaching Module: Maasai Murran as Rebellious Youth (20th c)

A number of societies in Eastern Africa, including the Maasai, divide the male life-cycle into distinct stages: childhood; murranhood (or "warrior"); and elderhood.

Source Collection: Legacies of the Revolution

The powerful influence of the French Revolution can be traced in the reactions of those who witnessed the event firsthand and in the strong emotions it has aroused ever since.

Mr. de Lafayette, Commander of the Paris National Guard, Receives the City’s 'Sword for the Defense of Liberty'

During the French Revolution the most visible connection between America and France was Lafayette, who had volunteered for service in the American Revolution and had been mentored by Washington and Jefferson.

Rivonia Trial Speech

On April 20, 1964, Nelson Mandela gave what is now known as the Rivonia Trial Speech (also known as "I Am Prepared to Die") while on trial for crimes against the South African government.

Source Collection: The Napoleonic Experience

The bare facts of the life of Napoleon Bonaparte stagger the imagination and rival the plots of the most fantastic novels.

Six Part German Caricature: Napoleon Is Now Reduced to a Manageable Size!

Napoleon is mocked through this diminutive portrayal of the former conqueror.

Original Format
Engraving

Physical Dimensions
18.8 x 25 cm

Triumph of Napoleon, First Consul

Napoleon encouraged comparisons between the post-revolution French republic and the Roman republic. The French adoption of the term "Consul" was a clear reference to the Roman Republic, for that was the name given the men chosen to direct the republican government in Roman times.

Source Collection: Slavery and the Haitian Revolution

Since the revolutionaries explicitly proclaimed liberty as their highest ideal, slavery was bound to come into question during the French Revolution. Even before 1789 critics had attacked the slave trade and slavery in the colonies.