Posts

Zheng He

Image
Born Ma He in 1371, He was raised in a Muslim Chinese household in Western China, the descendant of mongols. "He" was his given name and Ma his family name. They lived under the rule of a Mongol prince. When the Imperial Ming Army invaded, He's father died in the fighting. He was a teenager when he was captured and ripped away from his people. They made him a servant to the imperial family. To be a servant in the imperial family, every male servant had to be castrated. Men who are castrated are known as eunichs. It's believed that castrated men are better workers because they don't have the hormones to distract them.  Once in the service of the Imperial family, He befriended the young prince. The Prince was 11 years older but grew to enjoy the company of He. As young men, the Prince ruled from Beijing and He took a role in the military fighting the Mongols in the north.  When the Emperor died, Prince Zhu Di was his only surviving son. However, the Empe

Immigration: 3. Chinese

Image
The next group to be discriminated and distrusted was the Chinese. They came over to join the western gold rush. They worked on the railroad, in agriculture and in factories. They were stereotyped as heathen and unassimilable.  Chinese Immigration  Two opium wars with the British lasting from (1839 to 1860) left many Chinese people in immense debt; this and drought and floods sent many unemployed farmers to start new lives in the Americas. The first significant Chinese immigration to America began with the California Gold Rush and it continued with subsequent large labor projects, such as the building of the first transcontinental railroad. During the early stages of the gold rush, when surface gold was plentiful, the Chinese were tolerated by white people, if not well received as cheap labor. However, as gold became harder to find and competition increased, animosity toward the Chinese and other foreigners increased. The Chinese were seen as an alien people, too different,

Immigration: 2. Jewish

Image
Prejudice Passed On As Irish and Italian immigrants became more accepted in America, they feared the next groups of immigrants; the Jewish and the Chinese.  Jewish Life in Russia - A Different Mirror- page 263 Many people in America were prejudiced against Jewish people. Their religion was different to the Christianity of the Catholics and Protestants. They dressed differently and spoke differently. Some believed Jewish people were secretly trying to take over the USA and spread harmful ideas such as communism.  Henry Ford Henry Ford's father was born in Ireland. However, he wrote of "The International Jew: the Foremost Problem" and believed that the Jews wanted to take over the world.  https://youtu.be/FXBGK3OQIi8?si=NfZ4eiU9O96PNooK Father Couglin  Father Couglin was a Catholic priest who became hugely popular on American radio when radio was first invented. Both of Father Couglin's parents had Immigrated from Ireland and faced discrimination. However, n

Immigration: 1. Catholics

Image
People fear people who are different from themselves. Established populations of countries often fear the new people moving to their country.  Within American history, the first wave of immigrants were white Protestant Europeans. Early Americans were from England, Scotland, France and Germany and predominantly Protestant. The second wave of immigrants came in the 1800s. With famines and political upheaval in places such as Ireland and Italy, many Catholics now traveled to the new world. Catholics had long been a minority but had decent numbers in Maryland (named after Mary Queen of Scots who was Catholic) but in the 1800's Catholics started Immigrating to the United States in large numbers. Irish Potato Famine   Since the Colombus Exchange between Europe and the Americans, the Irish people found Potatos to be easy to grow and filling. They grew reliant on the crop and their population grew. In 1845, farmers found their potatoes blackened and shriveled. It wa

Colonialism: Imperialist India

Image
During WW1, the British government enacted an emergency law which made it illegal to promote the idea of an independent Indian nation. The British claimed that this was done to ensure a victory in the World War. The new law allowed the British to imprison anyone on suspicion alone without trail. They could also restrict freedom of speech, writing and movement. It was promised to stand for as long as the war. However, in 1919 the British government decided to extend the law indefinitely. This was known as the Rowlatt act. Over 1.2 million Indians fought for the British in the First World War but they were unable to talk publicly about independence. Amritsar massacre The following month, a large crowd gathered to peaceful protest the law. This was precisely what the law made illegal. Therefore, two British regiments closed in and stayed true to the warnings that were issued. They opened fire on the crowd, continuing while the civilians ran for their lives. About a thousand

Colonialism: Belgian Congo

Image
Be careful what you wish for/money isn't everything  His sister married a Habsburg and became empress of Mexico. After reigning for only 3 years, her husband was executed by firing squad and she was said to have gone insane. She spent the rest of her life in isolation.  His only son died at age 9 after falling in a pond and developing pneumonia. Leopold had three daughters. He married them away at the age of 17 to men double their age.  One married Crown Prince Rudolf, heir to the Hapsburg throne. However, he had a drinking problem and had many affairs. One of these affairs ended with a suicide pact, leaving her a widow. She remarried a Hungarian nobleman, of a lesser rank and because of this her father never spoke to her again. The other daughter of King Leopold was married a German prince. He was twice her age and had many affairs. When she, in turn, fell in love with a Croatian army officer. When her husband found out he gave her the choice of coming home to him or g

Grant's Reconstruction Game

Image
Don't know the score Don't let either side get to 20 Three members of the KKK attack and kill a white Republican.  Punish - 1 S Ignore - 5N Five members of the KKK attack and kill a black man Punish - 5 S Ignore- 2 N  North Carolina has agreed to ratify the 14th amendment and wants readmission to the union.  Accept- 1 N Refuse - 10 S Alabama has refused to ratify the 14th amendment and wants readmission to the union. Accept- 8 N Refuse- 3 S South Carolina is experiencing a fresh wave of terrorism at the hands of the KKK. They've burnt down hundreds of homes.  Send in troops- 8 S Ignore- 4 N  The Albany Penitentiary houses a handful of remorseful and low ranking KKK accomplices. People are calling for them to be pardoned. Pardon them - 2 N Don't pardon them- 2 S X