Themes in U.S. & World History
Task 1 A – D
A.
Mesopotamia is an area that lies between Euphrates and Tigris rivers, northwest of the bottleneck at Baghdad, which is modern Iraq. Mesopotamia is a region, not a country. According to Fagan (2001), people of this region were able to flourish due to the successful agriculture. The fertile soil and excellent irrigation lead to a surplus of food sources. In reading The History World International, 2007, I found the Mesopotamian people were able to store and redistribute their supplies. This made them very valuable to neighboring societies and drew people in, which lead to the growth of the Mesopotamian society.

B. Horses have been documented far back in history. In the Old Assyrian period between 1900 and 1750 BC. Anatolian people, however, were the first to use horses as a regular military feature from 1500 onward. The people needed a means to carry themselves and other weaponry for war and the chariot fit the bill. A chariot maker had to become an expert in every aspect of the building process. Right down to the horse’s bridles and bits had to be redesigned to aid in the proper fit for the chariot. The charioteers themselves rose to a new status class in their urban life. The use of chariots was either directly or indirectly responsible for weaponry being updates. New armor became necessary as well such as swords, spears and spikes. Everything was bumped up a notch in performance. Even the terrain for battles had to have careful consideration as to accommodate the horse and chariot. The villagers long had problems on manipulating over walls and other mud structures during battles. The horse and chariot solved this problem for the people.
“Life and Thought in the Near East” by Louis L. Orlin, pages 80 – 83 of section “On Chariot Warfare”.

C. The Gold Rush of 1849 caused a major increase in California’s population. People wanted a hand in finding riches in all of the gold that was being found in California. This promoted more migration because people knew with the increase in gold miners, there would be a need for more merchants. Businesses in all nearby areas began to thrive due to the increase in the overall population. All of the growth leads back to the gold rush itself. In 1930, the Southern Plains was known as one of the most prosperous regions and home to many farming families. Starting in the summer of 1931, these very farmers were about to embark on the hardest eight years of their lives. The rain ceased and the crops were about to as well. The winds blew, water levels in lakes dropped more than five feet, and what was once fertile soil was now dust being tossed through the air. Dust storms took over entire towns. This “agricultural devastation helped to lengthen the Great Depression, whose effects were felt worldwide” (us-history.com). This caused one of the largest migrations in American history. Families felt forced to pack up their belongings and move westward. Once they made it to the borders of western states, they joined in with the already populated areas. Jobs were few and life was tough. By 1940, 2.5 million people had moved out of the Dust Bowl states and towards the pacific states.
Both of these major events, The Gold Rush and the Dust Bowl, caused dramatic shifting of people in different parts of our country.

(Evans & Michaud, 2013). Evans, J., Michaud, K. (2013). Central Ideas in American Government (4th ed.).
Ashville, NC : Soomo Learning. Retrieved from webtexts.com