ABC Book of World History

By: Emmanuel Deen

Table of Contents

Title Page W for War of 1812

Table of contents X for xerxes

A for Aztec Y for yoga

B for blitzkrieg Z for Zeus

C for Cortes

D for dark ages

E for Egypt

F for French revolution

G for Greece

H for Hellenistic

I for Islam

J for Judaism

K for kamikaze

L for Lafayette

M for Maya

N for Nazca

O for Ottoman Empire

P for phalanx

Q for Quran

R for Roman Empire

S for Sparta

T for triangular trade

U for US constitution

V for Vespucci

A for Aztec

The Aztecs, who were a nomadic tribe from northern México, arrived in Central

America at the beginning of the 13th century and built their city on a lake. Their capital,

Tenochtitlan, was the high point where they rose to power. They rose to power by developing a

social, religious, and commercial organization that brought many states under their control

around the 15th century until, Invaders, Spanish Conquistadors, led by Hernan Cortés finally

brought the Aztec empire down. Their prominent language was Nahuatl which was still spoken

in central México around the mid-1350. Historians also, believe that they chose the lake for their

civilization because an oracle predicted that the area they witnessed an eagle on a cactus eating a

snake will be their settlement. This is represented the Mexican flag.

B for Blitzkrieg

Also know as lightning war. Germany sought to avoid a long war in the first phase of

WWII in Europe. Germany strategy was to defeat its enemy in short campaigns. Blitzkrieg

tactics needed for offensive weapons (tanks, planes, and artillery) along the narrow front. These

forces would breach enemy defenses, allowing the tanks to roll in, causing disorganization

among enemy defenses. German air power stop enemy from resupplying and redeploying. This

tactic was not only short and effective but it limited the loss of lives on the battlefield. This tactic

was first used on Poland; it was also used by the German commander by the name of Erwin

Rommel during the North Africa campaign. United States general George Patton also adopted

this tactic (where?).

C for Cortes, Hernan

Cortes was a Spanish conquistador (soldier and explorer) who finally brought down the

Aztec empire in Central America. Hernan Cortés was born in Medellin, western Spain. He

studied law, but quit to earn a fortune in the Americas. In 1504 he sailed for Santa Domingo

(Dominic Republic), moving to Cuba in 1511 where he helped Diego Velazquez in his conquest

of the island and made his reputation for courage and daring. In 1518 he convinced Velazquez to

make him commander of an expedition to México. There had been a rumor that this newly

discovered land had riches, Velazquez suspicious of Cortes motives canceled the expedition.

Ignoring Velazquez, he set out and founded the establishment known as Veracruz and made local

allies. (need to add if that is what help him bring down the Aztec).

D for Dark ages

The Dark Ages is a time in Europe between the fall of Rome in 476 CE and the beginning

of the renaissance which is around the 14th century. Many historians call it the “medieval period”

instead of the “middle ages.” The plague was a sickness going around at that time which was

carried by rats. The Knights of Templar rose at this time and had a holy ground in Jerusalem.

The crusades were holy wars waged by western Christians against Muslims in the East from

1095 to 1291. Starting around this century artist, writers, and thinkers began to look at the ideas

of the ancient Greece and Rome. This period is described as a “barbarism and religion” period by

18th century historian Edward gibbon.

E for Egypt

For almost 30 centuries ancient Egypt was the most successful in the Mediterranean

world. From the building of the pyramids in the old world to their rise in military power through

the new kingdom. Egypt is so big in culture it has brought its own field of study Egyptology.

Egypt was ruled by kings know as pharaoh who were believed to be gods themselves or related

to the gods. The way we know so much about Egypt is through their monuments, objects, and

artifacts. One of these important artifacts helped us decipher hieroglyphics it’s know as the

“Rosetta stone” written in different language of the same glyphs we were able to understand

what was written. One fascinating thing about Egypt is their care of their dead they mummified

their dead but also gave their dead everything they would need in the afterlife.

F for French Revolution

The French Revolution began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with Napoleon

Bonaparte. One of the causes of the causes of the French revolution was their support of the

American Revolution. Also one of the causes were the aristocrats were basically spending the

money however they wanted to. Crop failures that year weren’t helping the population to survive

any better. During this period citizens redesigned and took down things like absolute monarchy

and the feudal system. This period for France was a chaotic bloodbath for also the reign of terror

was going on. Despite this, this and the American revolution shaped an idea of showing what the

will of the people could do, not only end the reign of terror but appoint also one of the most

sought after leader of an army, Napoleon Bonaparte.

G for Greece

Greece is a part of the Balkan Peninsula, which extends outward into the eastern Mediterranean

Sea. Mountains divide the peninsula into isolated valleys, this lead to the rise of the self

governing city states, which they called polis. Different types of government evolve around

Greece the earliest was monarchy, then slowly it went to aristocracy, and then shifted again to

oligarchy. One of the factors that shape Greece was also advance in military warfare, bronze

weapons were changed to iron weapons which were cheaper, this help ordinary citizens purchase

iron swords, helmets, and shields. However what really propelled was the new method of

fighting called a phalanx, the massive tactical formation of heavily armed soldiers with spears.

These advances lead to the rise of two influential city states know as Sparta and Athens. They

stressed two opposite ideas while Sparta was a warrior society, Athens put more emphasis on

education.

H for Hellenistic

In 336 B.C., Alexander became ruler of the kingdom of Macedonia 13 years later after his death

he had an empire that stretched from Greece all the way to India. He encourage mixing of culture

during this period Greek culture was mixed; even the root word of Hellenistic derives from

Hellazein which means to speak Greek or identity of Greek. This period lasted from 323 B.C. to

31 B.C., until the Romans conquered all the lands of the once great Macedonian ruler Alexander.

Many new inventions set forth the glory of the age, Pythagoras coming up with an equation to

calculate right triangles; Hippocrates studied causes of illness and looked for cures, also the

Hippocratic Oath Greek physicians swore to “help the sick according to their abilities and

judgments but never with a view to injury and wrong.” Archimedes mastered the use of a lever

and the pulley system. All of these great thinkers gathered in one place the city of Alexandria,

Egypt.

I for Islam

The founder of Islam is Muhammad he was born in Mecca, he was a merchant and at 25 he

married a wealthy widow. In 610, in cave in mount Hira north of Mecca, he had a vision of God

speaking through the angel Gabriel to become the prophet of “the true religion.” He regarded

himself as the last prophet of the Judaic-Christian tradition, and added his own theology to it. His

teachings united the Bedouins tribesmen of Arabia; by 622 Muhammad had gain a big number of

converts in Mecca. This angered the city authorities who planned on preserving the pagan

religion; in answer to this they planned his assassination. Muhammad fearing his life fled to

Medina, a city north of Mecca. He was given an authorities power here and return to Mecca as an

emperor soon most Arab tribe converted to Islam which is a monotheistic religion that believes

in Abraham, and Jesus as one of the prophets. However, they believe Christians and Jews are

“people of the book.”

J for Judaism

Judaism is a monotheistic religion which means believe in only one God. Judaism founder is

Abraham which all Jews believe to be related from. Jews prophet Moses is believed to have been

the one to free Jews from slavery in Egypt. He also is believed to have split the Red Sea for the

Jews to get away from the Egyptians chasing after them. He then gave them the 10

commandments as laws to follow. While Christianity believes Jesus to be the messiah, Jews

think of him as a prophet and are still waiting for their messiah to free them. Judaism is one of

the world oldest monotheistic religions still surviving; Judaism has many celebrations including

Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover.

K for kamikaze

Kamikazes meaning “divine wind” were pilots who undertook suicide missions, crashing their

explosive-laden planes into American warships. This showed to us that Japan would fight to

death rather than surrender in World War II. Kamikaze pilots were often university students, they

were often blinded for the gratitude and honor it brought to the family. Kamikaze pilots

destroyed about 300 U.S. ships and a casualty of 15,000. Several thousand had been set aside for

the invasion of Japan which never came. One of the reason president Truman decided to drop

atomic bombs was because of sacrificial meaning behind the kamikazes sacrifice. The

anticipation of kamikaze attack drove some American sailors crazy. On the eve of Japanese

surrender, Onishi Takijiro committed suicide and left a letter to his dead pilots apologizing that

their death had been in vain.

L for Lafayette, Marquis de

Marquis de Lafayette was born September 6, 1757, to a wealthy French family. His father was

killed by the British in the battle of Minden 1759. The family is one of France oldest, its

generation was filled with soldiers who took up arm in legendary battles, in the crusades and

even alongside Joan of Arc. Marquis de Lafayette was admitted into the Masonic Military Lodge

where he heard about the American Revolution fueled by not only revenge and hatred for the

British he purchased the ship “La Victoire”. During those 54 days he learned his first English

words. When he presented himself to congress at Philadelphia, they rejected him, but he still

earned the rank of major general. His will to fight earned him a place in Washington army they

bonded so well Washington thought of him as his son. His bravery saved the American

Revolution many times and the support of the French.

M for Maya

The Mayan empire was center around where Guatemala is today, they reached their peak in

power around sixth century A.D. They were prominent in agriculture, pottery, hieroglyphics,

mathematics, and left a lot of astronomical and calendar making skills also. They were also

builders of pyramids, not as big as the Egyptians but also monumental. The Mayan empire was

divided into city states like the Greeks; each region had different environmental and cultural

aspects. The Mayans were deeply religious they believed in nature gods such as the god of sun,

moon, rain and corn. At the top of their society was the “Kuhul Ajaw” or the “Holy Lords” who

were thought to be mediators between the gods and the people. Following their rise 250 A.D.

they mysteriously declined many historians believed either over use of the land, war, or “Holy

Lords” losing power caused their decline.

N for Nazca

The Nazca culture flourished around ca. 1-750 A.D. beside the dry southern coast of Peru in the

river valleys of Rio de Nazca. They were heavily influenced by the Paracas culture which was

for their creativity, under this influence Nazca Empire flourished by making beautiful crafts and

technology such as ceramics. They also dug irrigation and drainage sites helping them have

access to water. Due to the environment around them Nazca beliefs were based on agriculture

and fertility. They worship powerful nature gods such as the mythical killer whale, the

harvesters, the mythical spotted cat, and the most worshiped of all was the anthropomorphic

mythical being. They are most known for their lasting geoglyphs, some area mile long some as

big as a football field. Many belief they were the gods they worshipped

O for Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire was the one of the largest and longest lasting Empires in history . It

replaced the Byzantine Empire as the major power in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Ottoman

Empire was founded and sustain by the belief in Islam. The Ottoman Empire reached its peak

under the ruler Suleiman the magnificent (reigned from 1520-66), it extended from Hungary and

the Balkans to Vienna, Italy. The empire began to decline after the Battle of Lepanto (1571) and

almost lost its entire navy. What finally toppled the Ottoman Empire were the First World War

and the Balkans war. At its full extend it included: Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria,

Macedonia, Hungary, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, parts of Arabia, and most coastal strip

of north Africa, it is today what we call Turkey.

P for phalanx

The phalanx was a massive tactical formation of heavily armed foot soldiers. It required long

hours of drill to master. Shared training created a strong sense of unity among the citizen

soldiers. The idea of putting Greek city-states defenses in the hand of normal citizens, and

creating the phalanx reduced hatred between classes of different statures. This new type of

warfare helped develop two city states, Athens and Sparta. The strength of the phalanx lay in the

endurance and discipline of the soldiers who made the rectangular pack of shields and spears.

The phalanx changed the outcome of the battle of Marathon who advanced in phalanx formation

at a ‘run’ and killed the lightly armed Persian infantry. The phalanx changed the outcome of

most of Greeks battles.

Q for Quran

The Quran, the sacred text of Islam, teaches that there is only one god and he is compassionate.

The Quran tells us we are responsible for our own actions. The Quran is believed to be the sacred

text as revealed to Muhammad. It is the last resort to all important matters, its words are law. The

Quran is for Muslims is a guide to life and how to understand god’s will. Its moral standards

include honesty, generosity, and social justice. The Quran’s punishments are strict on such things

as stealing and murdering. Like Christianity and Judaism, they believe in a final judgment day

when you either enjoy eternal bliss or eternal punishment in hell. Muslims believe that the Quran

is the direct and unchangeable words of the one God “Allah”. All Muslims, including new

converts to the faith of Islam must learn Arabic; this brings a sense of unity.

R for Roman soldiers

Only men could join the roman army. Every roman soldier had to be a citizen of Rome. Most

roman soldiers had to be at least 20 years of age and were not suppose to get married. A lot of

the roman soldiers were actually soldiers from their colonies such as the Balkans, Africa, France,

Germany, Spain, and the Middle East not from Italy itself. Roman soldiers had to serve the

Roman Empire for at least 25 years before they could retire. They usually had a pension as a

retirement fee like land to farm. Old soldiers often settled down to old age together, in military

towns also known as Colonia.

S for Sparta

Dorian invaders from the north conquered Laconia, in the southern part of the Peloponnesus. The

Dorians who settled here built the city-state of Sparta. The invaders turned the natives of Laconia

into state-owned slaves, called helots, and forced labor upon them. Helots had an abundant

population, in order to combat this Spartan leaders came up with strict system to control them.

The government of Sparta was consisted of two kings and a council of elders who advised the

monarchs. The assembly of the common people approved major decision made by the monarchs.

Citizens were male born, native-born Spartans over the age of 30. The assembly also appointed

five ephors, or officials who ran daily affairs.

T for triangular trade

Trade involving Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas developed between the A.D. 1400s and

1700s. To obtain valued spices such as pepper, nutmeg, and cloves, European powers established

routes to the east. Merchants sailed around southernmost Africa and across the Indian Ocean to

India, China, and Japan. During the same period, a triangular trade developed in the Atlantic.

Europeans trade manufactured goods to Africans for enslaved persons and gold. The enslaved

Africans were transported to colonies in the Americas to work on plantations. The sugar, cotton,

and tobacco that they produced were shipped to Europe to complete the triangle.

U for U.S. constitution

A convention was held to revise the articles of confederation in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787.

The U.S. constitution itself was signed on September17, 1787; the U.S. constitution gave

America its fundamental rules, and guaranteed basic rights for all citizens. Under the Articles of

Confederation, the national government was weak and each state acted like an individual

country. At the 1787 convention, delegates met up and devised a plan for a stronger national

government with three branches -executive, legislative, and judicial, and to make sure none of

these branches gain too much power they came up with a system called the checks and balances.

The Constitution also added the bill of rights which were the first 10 amendments guaranteeing

basic individual protections. There are exactly 27 constitutional amendments.

V for Vespucci, Amerigo

Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian sea captain that wrote a journal describing his voyage to Brazil.

In 1507, a German cartographer named Martin Waldseemüller used Vespucci descriptions of his

voyage to publish a map of the region, which he labeled “America” after Amerigo. Overtime the

name “Americas” began to be used for both continents on the western hemisphere. The islands

Columbus had explored in the Caribbean became known as the West Indies. Though Amerigo

didn’t directly contribute his name to the new continents discover on the western hemisphere, his

name stuck on.

W for War of 1812

In the war of 1812, America took on the best naval power in the world, Britain; this war would

have an impact on today’s world. One of the many causes of the war is British attempts to stop

US trade, the royal navy impressed sailors from American merchant ships and also America

wanted to expand, into Canada . Even though America suffered many defeat at the hand of the

British, they persevered by repulsing on the city’s of New York, Baltimore, and New Orleans.

One of the greatest general and also one of our famous president won fame around this time his

name was Andrew Jackson. He formed an army of free slaves, military troops, and pirates to

defend the city of New Orleans; this battle was a mistake for it happened after the signing of the

treaty of Ghent. However, news did not travel fast enough to the British and American troops

who end up in a battle. The outcome of the battle favored the Americans who massacred the

British and coined the phrase “don’t fire till you see the whites of their eyes” (Andrew Jackson).

X for Xerxes

During Xerxes time the Greek City-States were at war with the Persians. The Persians had

already seen what the Greek could do. The Greeks at a run during phalanx position scared the

Persians back to their ships. Darius the king of Persia died before could send another attack

against the Greeks. However, in 480 B.C. his son Xerxes sent a much larger force to conquer

Greece. But the Athenians had already convinced the other Greek states to help them in the fight

against Persia. Among them Sparta volunteered and fought the Persians in a mountain pass led

by the Spartan king Leonidas. The Spartans put up a good fight however in the end they were

defeated and the Persians walked to Athens and burned it to the ground. Athens was empty for

everyone had left the city, now Athens depended on the fleet they had built to defeat the

Persians, Xerxes watched as his fleet sank and a year later the Greeks defeated the Persians on

land in Asia Minor.

Y for Yoga

Aryan mystics were the ones who pushed toward meditation and yoga. Mystics were those who

seek direct communication with divine forces. They used spiritual and also bodily disciplines to

accomplish these goals they strived for. During this period in India the notion of Brahman was

raised the belief that a spiritual power existed behind all their god and goddesses. This age was

given the name of the Vedic age which influenced the practice of yoga and bodily disciplines and

Brahman.

Z for Zeus

Zeus is the god of the sky and ruler of the Olympian gods. Zeus overthrew his

Father Kronus. He then drew lots with his brothers Poseidon and Hades. Zeus won the

draw and became the supreme ruler of the gods. He is lord of the sky, and the rain

god. His weapon is a thunderbolt which he hurls at those who displease him. He is

married to Hera but, is famous for his many affairs. He is also known to punish those

that lie or break oaths. Also, known for his various children who have been sired by

him for example: Heracles (also now as Hercules), Perseus, Jason of the Argonauts.

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