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Early Modern (1450 CE - 1800 CE)

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Source

Excerpt of letter from Nzinga Mbemba to Portuguese King João III

In 1526, the king of the Kongo, Nzinga Mbemba (who by this time had adopted the Christian name of Afonso I) began writing a series of twenty-four letters to the Portuguese King Joao III appealing for an end to the slave trade.

A stone monument with a cross on top
Source

Padrão

In the 1480s, the Portuguese brought pillars (or padraos) with them in their explorations of western and southwestern Africa and placed them at prominent points, claiming these for Portugal. This is a replica of one of them, from what is now called Cape Cross, in Namibia.

Thumbnail image of Glikl
Teaching

Syllabus: Women and Gender in World History, 600-2000

The syllabus below lays out a 15-week course, beginning in the 6th century and continuing through the 20th century. It provides suggestions for how to use units and their various parts with your students, as some of the materials are student-facing, and others are instructor-facing.

Review

Freedom Narratives

Altogether, this free online website is an important resource for students and teachers who desire to understand biographical accounts and experiences of people from West Africa who fought to regain their freedom.
Methods

Primer: Imperialism

World history courses often feature the rise and fall of various empires, but often little attention is paid to the concept of empire itself.

A drawing of a building with a dome in the center
Review

Global Architectural History Teaching Collaborative

Perhaps most interesting and relevant for world history teachers and students are the modules that make connections across space and time.
Teaching

Long Teaching Module: Women and Empire

This teaching cluster assembles an array of primary and secondary sources, as well as teaching strategies and lesson plans, for educators to effectively teach the important roles women played in colonial and imperial projects from the 17th century to the 20th century.

Shows edsitement logo and "Driving excellence in humanities education"
Review

Edsitement

The site contains over 500 lesson plans in a variety of humanities related subjects including history, literature, and art.
Methods

Primer: Tasting and Hearing the Past

Experiencing the full spectrum of world history involves all the senses. World historians not only use their eyes to see what happened; they not only read or otherwise examine written and visual evidence.

Image of Olaudah Equiano
Review

Early Caribbean Digital Archive

The ECDA is an essential educational resource for studying the history of enslaved and free African, Afro-creole, and Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, European imperialism and colonialism, and the history of the Caribbean within the wider Atlantic World.