The Qin dynasty, or Chin, ruled China in the period between 221 BC and 206 BC. The first king of that dynasty, Zheng, is known to have done great acts, such as the Chinese unification that took place in a very violent way. His government is also known as very cruel due to the several wars of domination that occurred before the Chinese unification, when he was still conquering the kingdoms of Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan and Qi. After all these achievements, Zheng, proclaimed himself the “First Emperor” (Shi Huangdi).
Such a dynasty was due to the fact that the king's vassals, the lords, grew in a frightening way politically and economically, becoming more influential than the king himself, who then became purely symbolic. Around 403 BC to 221 BC, a period called the "Period of the Fighting States" began, which was marked by the war between these lords, whose aim was to accumulate small territories to expand their areas of influence. Over time, the more powerful kingdoms incorporated the less influential kingdoms. At the end of this period the kingdoms of Chu (in the South) and Qin (in the West) were the most powerful, and much of this Qin power is due to the fact that there was a young king with a great military gift, Zheng, who was acclaimed king just nine years old.
All this centralizing policy provided by the Qin dynasty over Emperor Zheng, worked only with him. With his death in 210 BC China is going through a very difficult time in imperial succession. Zheng's legitimate successor was murdered by his younger brother, and the second emperor Qin Er Shi was also murdered, only now by one of his ministers, Li Si, in 208 BC Li Si was also killed, in 207 BC, and the peasantry, tired of all this instability, together with some nobles, participated in several rebellions against the government. Until in 202 BC, Liu Bang, an official of the Empire, overthrew the Qin government and declared himself king under the Han dynasty. From then on, a new phase in China began, governed by a new dynasty: the “Han dynasty”.
Spain conquered most of the lands in the
Americas (while Portugal conquered Brazil0.
• It divided its empire into provinces.
• The two most important provinces were New
Spain and Peru.
• Spain set up a class system; Native Americans
were the lowest.
• The Native Americans were the least powerful class.
• They were forced to work on plantations
(haciendas) for European settlers.
• They also worked in mines after silver was
discovered (extremely dangerous).
• Many died from overwork, malnutrition, or
diseases.
• The population decreased from 25 million in 1519 to
less than 2 million in the late 1500s.
• European diseases decimated Native American
population.
• European settlers still needed workers for
plantations.
• Colonists began importing African slaves to
supplement Native American labor.
• Aspects of Native American & African culture
(languages, customs, beliefs, traditions) survived &
blended together.
• Mestizos: people of mixed Native American and
European ancestry
• Criollo: had Spanish-born parents, but was born in
Latin America
• Mulattoes: people of mixed African and European
ancestry
• Ships leaving Europe first stopped in Africa; they
traded European goods for captives taken in tribal
wars or raids.
• Ships then traveled to America; slaves were
exchanged for sugar & other island products.
• Ships returned home loaded with products from the
Americas that grew very popular with Europeans.
• An estimated 8-15 million Africans reached the
Americas from the 16th to the 19th century.
• The African slave population quickly began to
outnumber the Europeans & the Native
Americans.
• Slave rebellions were common.
• He was a former slave in Haiti (freed in 1777).
• In 1791, he led a huge slave revolt against the French in
Hispaniola.
• France was also fight
• In 1801, L’Ouverture led a huge army into a Spanish
colony & freed all slaves there.
o Six months later, he became “governor general of
Haiti for life.”
• In 1802, a large French army lands in Haiti.
• They wanted to restore old French government & regain
control of sugar trade.
• L’Ouverture’s army fought the French & lost.
• French arrested L’Ouverture and sent him to prison in
France.
• L’Ouverture died while in prison.
• L’Ouverture’s army was outraged; it took up arms again
against France.
• In November 1803, they defeated the last of the
French forces.
• In 1804, they declared Haiti independent of French rule.
• Haiti became the 1st country in Latin America to break
free of European imperialism.
• Bolivar was a wealthy Venezuelan Criollo who spent
many years traveling Europe.
• While in Italy, he discovered his life’s purpose: to liberate
his homeland from European control.
• In 1810, Bolivar’s army kicks Spanish governor out of
Venezuela
• In 1811, a new constitution proclaimed Venezuela
independent of Spanish rule.
• Soon after, Spanish royalists defeated the new country’s
army & Bolivar was forced to flee to New Granada
(Colombia).
• Bolivar organized a bigger army and marched
back into Venezuela.
• In 1813, Bolivar’s army won & took control of
Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.
• Bolivar was nicknamed El Libertador.
• Bolivar organized a bigger army and marched
back into Venezuela.
• In 1813, Bolivar’s army won & took control of
Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.
• Bolivar was nicknamed El Libertador.
• Over the next few years, Bolivar liberated New
Granada (now Colombia), Ecuador, Panama,
Peru, & Upper Peru (now Bolivia).
• Hidalgo was a Catholic priest in the town of Dolores.
• He began the struggle for Mexico’s independence in
1810.
• September 16th, 1810: “Cry of Dolores” was his call
for revolution.
• He rang church bells and shouted, “Long live our Lady
of Guadalupe! Death to bad government! Death to the
Spaniards!”.
• An army of mestizos & Native Americans rallied behind
Hidalgo.
• Over 80,000 people joined the fight, but the army
was soon defeated by the Spanish.
• Hidalgo was captured and executed in 1811.
• Mexicans continued to fight for independence over
the next decade.
• In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain.
• Mexico celebrates September 16th as it’s
Independence Day.
• The president rings a bell in Mexico city and
repeats Hidalgo’s “Cry of Dolores.”
there are plenty.
if you are looking for something from way back, there was the tea act and it put taxes on tea and the colonists from Boston boarded british ships and dumped the tea into the ocean, otherwise known as the Boston tea party.
