American history I

1. Studying the Past

2. What is History?
 “History is fundamentally applied common sense.”
Robin W. Winks, Yale Historian
 “History is the witness that testifies to the passing of
time; it illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides
guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity.”
Cicero, Roman Author, Orator and Politician, 106 BCE-
43 BCE
 “History is the version of past events that people have
decided to agree upon.” Napoleon
 “Some people make headlines while others make
history.” Philip Elmer-DeWitt, in Time Magazine

3. What is History?
 History is the story of the human community.
 History details how people live on a daily basis, share
ideas, how they rule or are ruled and how they fought.
 History is the story of people’s dreams, weather they
are fulfilled or not.
 When did history begin? History began when people
were able to document events in writing.
 Events that occurred before people could write them
down are considered prehistoric.
 Humans began writing about 3500 BCE.

4. Dating the Past
 There are 4 major methods scientists use to date the
past. They are as follows:
 Historical Records
 Dendrochronology-Tree Ring Dating
 Radiocarbon Dating
 Potassium Argon Dating (Measures the Decay Rate of
40K Atoms)

5. Historical Records

6. Geolithic Period
 The current Geolithic period is the Quaternary, which
is divided into two epochs:
 Pleistocene-Ice Age (about 2.4 million years ago).
 Holocene-Holos is Greek for “recent.” This is the
period of time after 10,000 BCE. It is the present time.

7. Categories of History
 History can be organized into the following categories:
 Political
 Economic
 Social
 Religious
 Scientific
 Cultural

8. Studying History
 Anthropology is the term used for the science that
studies humans as a species.
 Archaeology is the term used for the study of past
cultures and civilizations through the examination of
their artifacts (items made by humans.)
 Historiography is the written form of history.

9. Civilization
 A civilization is a complex, developed culture
associated with specific achievements such as:
 Agriculture
 Urban Life
 Specialized Labor
 Writing System

10. Civilization
 Civilizations have:
 Urban Focus
 Political Structures
 Military Structures
 Social Structure based on Economic Power
 Development of More Complexity in a Material Sense
 Distinct Religious Structure
 Development of Writing Artistic
 Intellectual Activity

11. Civilization

12. Culture
 Culture is the human created part of the
environment, “way of life.”
 The concept of culture was developed by
anthropologists to describe the unique adaptive
system used by human beings.
 A cultural system is a complex system which includes
interacting variables such as tools, burial
customs, ways of obtaining food, religious beliefs and
social organization.
 Material Culture is concrete objects that people create.

13. Culture

14. Diffusion Theory
 Diffusion Theory is the knowledge of new techniques
spread through human contacts.

15. Diffusion Theory