Themes in U.S. and World History
Task 1
Western Governors University

Joon Park
2014/12/19

Task 1
A.
Yellow River Valley and other early civilizations have many things in common. Hunting and gathering was not efficient enough to support a large population so they could start a civilization. All early civilizations relied on agriculture for their food source, and agriculture needs both a reliable water source and a fertile field. Yellow River Valley became an early civilization due to its geographic factor, the Yellow River. The Yellow River provided three major benefits for having agriculture based civilization: irrigation, a transportation route for trade, and a source of consumption. The Yellow River also flooded annually, creating a fertile field for crops. (Zhuang, Y., & Kidder, T. R).
B.
Yellow River Valley civilization flourished with the Yellow River and developed its own unique tea culture. The Yellow River got its name from the color of water it carries, which is rich in nutrients and discolors the water. The nutrients make the water great for farming but not for drinking, due to its strong earthy taste. Tea became a main trading commodity between ancient China and Tibet. Chinese caravans would carry tea from the southern part of China to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, to trade for horses (JenkinsMark, 2010). This route was called the Ancient Tea Route/Cha-ma-go-do, a literal translation is “Tea Horse High Road.” Buddhism from China spread to Tibet along with the tea and Tibetan Buddhism was born. Ancient Tea Route later became a cornerstone of the Silk Road that connected the East and the West.
C.
Two significant environmental factors that influenced the development of the United States are the Mississippi river and the California Gold Rush. The Mississippi river provided a water network system of transportation. The California Gold Rush created a great influx into the west of the United States. The Mississippi river had a great influence over the development of the United States. The Mississippi river stretches over two thousand miles, connecting Minnesota and the Gulf of Mexico. Including the whole drainage basin, it covers nearly two and a half million square miles, a land greater than Western Europe (TurnerFrederick, 2007). The river provides a vast water way network system that connects the central part of the United States. The California Gold Rush caused mass migration to the west of the United States. For example, the population prior to the discovery of gold was 25,000 and increased it to 223,856 by 1852, and by 1860 census increased to 350,000 (Stewart UdallDavid, January 2003). Manifest Destiny was the slogan the United States used to encourage early settlers to expand to the west. The gold rush not only brought immigrants from across the country but also from across the globe, specifically from Asia and Europe, which expanded American culture and brought the first ever Chinatown to downtown San Francisco.

References
Jenkins, M. (2010, May). The Tea Horse Road. Retrieved from National Geographic: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/05/tea-horse-road/jenkins-text
Stewart Udall, D. E. (January 2003). Forgotten Founders : Rethinking the History of the Old West. Island Press.
Turner, F. J. (2007). The Frontier in American History. The Project Gutenberg eBook.
Zhuang, Y., & Kidder, T. R. (2014). Archaeology of the Anthropocene in the Yellow River region, China, 8000–2000 cal. BP. Holocene, 24(11), 1602-1623. doi:10.1177/0959683614544058