This page focuses on the requirements developed by the College Board for the fourth unit of AP Modern World History. Below you will find each of the following:
- Technological Innovations from 1450 to 1750
- Focus on the impact of innovations related to ships, shipbuilding, and sailing
- Exploration: Causes & Events from 1450 to 1750
- Focus on the role of governments in gaining new routes to Asia
- Columbian Exchange
- Focus on the impact of cultural, ecological, and agricultural transfers across the Old & New Worlds
- Maritime Empires Established
- Focus on colonization across the Americas & Asia
- Maritime Empires Maintained & Developed
- Focus on the impacts of colonization across the Americas & Asia with a particular focus on mercantilism
- Internal & External Challenges to State Power from 1450 to 1750
- Focus on attempts by locals and slaves to to usurp power from colonizers
- Changing Social Hierarchies from 1450 to 1750
- Focus on the development of new social hierarchies as societies changed as a result of global expansion and interaction
Technological Innovations from 1450 to 1750
Theme: Technology & Innovation
Learning Objective
Explain how cross-cultural interactions resulted in the diffusion of technology and facilitated changes in patterns of trade and travel from 1450 to 1750.
Students must recognize the innovations that emerged at the outset of this time period and how they arrived to Europe. |
Must Know Concepts
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- Texas A&M Nautical Archaeology Program: History of the Caravel
- Extensive background on the development and early use of caravels in Europe
- Mariners' Museum: The Carrack
- Brief background on the development & use of the carrack
- Maritime Logistics Professionals: Fluyt
- Brief background on the development and use of the Dutch vessel
- National Maritime Historical Society: Getting to Windward Under Sail - How Does That Actually Work?
- Brief explanation on how lateen sails function
- History of Compass: History of the Magnetic Compass
- Background on the magnetic compass and its eventual diffusion to Europe
- The Mariners' Museum: The Mariner's Astrolabe
- Background on the invention of the astrolabe and its eventual diffusion to Europe
Exploration: Causes and Events from 1450 to 1750
Theme: Governance
Learning Objectives
Describe the role of states in the expansion of maritime exploration from 1450 to 1750.
Connect this learning objective with the following objective. |
Must Know Concepts
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- ARCGIS: Reasons for European Exploration
- This is a quality breakdown of the various countries and their reasons behind exploration; it doesn't fit perfectly within this specific objective, but ARCGIS is a great choice for having students develop projects
Theme: Economic Systems
Learning Objectives
Explain the economic causes and effects of maritime exploration by the various European states.
Note the variation between each of these groups, specifically that Portugal focused on Africa & Asia, Spain sent voyages to the Americas, and the Northern Europeans initially attempted to find new routes to Asia. |
Must Know Concepts
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- Brewminate.com: Causes & Impacts of the European Age of Exploration
- This is a quality piece that gives extensive background on Portugal & Spain with some details on explorers from other regions, as well as details on de las Casas
- GoLisbon.com: The Age of Discovery - How Portugal Started Globalization
- Decent background from a tourist organization for Lisbon on the development of exploration by the Portuguese
- Effects of Spanish Exploration
- Brief breakdown of the impact of Spanish exploration
- History of the World in 100 Objects Podcast: Durer's Rhinoceros
- Discussion of Durer's Rhinoceros woodprint and the background on how he came to draw it despite never having seen one in real life
- History of England: Exploration & Background
- This discusses England, but also goes in depth with multiple other European states, as well
Columbian Exchange
Theme: Humans & the Environment
Learning Objective
Explain the causes of the Columbian Exchange and its effects on the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
Although discussions of the Columbian Exchange often focus primarily on the impact of (especially) diseases on the New World, this unit focuses on the impact the exchange had on both hemispheres. Students need to recognize these important global impacts |
Must Know Concepts
As a result of European contact with the Americas organisms spread to both hemispheres:
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- Khan Academy: The Columbian Exchange
- This is a quality resource that explains the basic concepts of the Columbian Exchange
- This is a quality resource that explains the basic concepts of the Columbian Exchange
- History.com: How the Columbian Exchange Brought Globalization - And Disease
- A resource that discusses the impact of the Columbian Exchange on both the Old and New World
- Palomar College: The Columbian Exchange
- This resource provides information on various commodities and ideas that spread as a result of the Columbian Exchange, including sugar, horses, potatoes, & diseases
- Econedlink.org: Positive & Negative Impacts of the Columbian Exchange
- Brief resource that details positives and negatives of the Columbian Exchange
- Brief resource that details positives and negatives of the Columbian Exchange
Maritime Empires Established
Theme: Governance
Learning Objective
Explain the process of state building and expansion
among various empires and states in the period from 1450 to 1750. Trading posts sprang up across the Indian Ocean. Only China & Japan restricted the influx of European goods. |
Must Know Concepts
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- UNESCO's Silk Roads Programme: European Trade Empires
- Older, but decent resource that breaks down European states' presence in the Indian Ocean
- Asia for Educators: Key Points across East Asia
- This resource gives bullet pointed information regarding the development of East Asia in this era, including their interactions with Europeans
- This resource gives bullet pointed information regarding the development of East Asia in this era, including their interactions with Europeans
Theme: Economic Systems
Learning Objective
Explain the continuities and changes in economic systems and labor systems from 1450 to 1750.
Students should recognize that Europeans expanded trade, they did not take it over entirely in the first several hundred years of European trade expansion. Students should also recognize the various forms of coerced labor used in the Americas aside from slavery, although slavery was used extensively in the Caribbean & North America. |
Must Know Concepts
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- World History Encyclopedia: European Colonization of the Americas
- In depth explanation of European colonization of the Americas
- LDHI: African Passages, Lowcountry Adaptations
- Extensive secondary readings on Africans in the Atlantic World
Theme: Social Interactions & Organization
Learning Objective
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Must Know Concepts
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Explain changes and continuities in systems of slavery in the period from 1450 to 1750.
Students should recognize the impact of the Atlantic Slave Trade on the Americas and on Africa. |
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- LDHI: African Passages, Lowcountry Adaptations
- This is a resource that details the role of slavery prior to the Trans - Atlantic Slave Trade - Great for detailing continuities of slavery in this time period
- LDHI: African Passages, Lowcountry Adaptations
- This is the same website as that above, but it details the role of Africans as slaves in the Atlantic World
- LDHI: African Passages, Lowcountry Adaptations
- The same site with specific discussion on the Trans - Atlantic Slave Trade
- LDHI: African Passages, Lowcountry Adaptations
- The same site, but with a focus on plantations in the Americas leading up to the Trans - Atlantic Slave Trade
- Primary Sources from the Trans - Atlantic Slave Trade
- More or less what the link says; in PDF format
Maritime Empires Maintained & Developed
Theme: Governance
Learning Objective
Explain how rulers employed economic strategies to consolidate and maintain power throughout the period from 1450 to 1750.
One of the better concepts to utilize here is the notion of a zero-sum game; states fought one another believing that another country's success amounted to its failure. |
Must Know Concepts
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- Econlib: Mercantilism
- A very in - depth source regarding mercantilism
- Economics Help: Mercantilism Theory & Examples
- A very simple primer with clear examples to help explain the concept; includes examples and criticisms
- Investopedia: Joint Stock Companies
- Quick primer on joint stock companies with a brief history of the concept
- European Colonization
- Basic primer on the purpose for colonization from the point of view of three European states
Theme: Economic Systems
Learning Objective
Explain the continuities and changes in networks of exchange from 1450 to 1750.
The Triangle Trade is a major aspect of this part of the unit. In this class, unlike APUSH, the discussion will expand toward the impact on this trade toward Asia, especially China. |
Must Know Concepts
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- ThoughtCo: What Was the Triangle Trade?
- Decent, short primer on the Triangle Trade
- World History Encyclopedia: The Spice Trade and the Age of Exploration
- An extensive secondary resource that catalogs the role of exploration in both the Americas and across the Indian Ocean, including the role of monopolies
- Encyclopedia.com: Pieces of Eight
- Short explanation of the Pieces of Eight
- Asia for Educators: China & Europe, The Silver Trade Part I
- Secondary source on the role of Silver in Ming China
- Asia for Educators: China & Europe, The Silver Trade Part II
- Continuation of the above
- The Open University: Early Modern Europe, an Introduction
- Brief discussion on the expansion of labor in the Europe during the Early Modern Period
Theme: Social Interactions & Organization
Learning Objective
Explain how political, economic, and cultural factors affected society from 1450 to 1750.
The focus for students here will be Africa, but students should also recognize the impact of these changes on the Americas and Europe. |
Must Know Concepts
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- National Humanities Center: How Slavery Impacted African American Families
- Secondary source that focuses on the impact of the internal slave trade in the US
- BBC: Genetic Impact of the African slave trade revealed in DNA study
- News account of genetic research on the impact of slavery; focuses some on Africa, but more heavily on the Americas
- Khan Academy: Religious Syncretism in Mexico City (Activity)
- Reading with activities focusing on the history of religious syncretism in Mexico City
- Slavery and Remembrance: The Middle Passage
- Detailed secondary source on the transportation of Africans to the New World to be used as slaves
Theme: Cultural Developments and Interactions
Learning Objective
Explain the similarities and differences in how various belief systems affected societies from 1450 to 1750.
The easy concept here is to focus on the spread of Christianity and the development of new religions in the Americas, such as Vodun (Voodoo), Santeria, and Candomble. |
Must Know Concepts
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- Britannica: Vodou
- Encyclopedic explanation of the syncretic religion combining West African spiritism and Catholicism
- NPS: The Significance of Spanish Colonial Missions in our National Story and Common Heritage with Spain, Mexico, & Latin America
- Secondary source that details the role of Missions in the American southwest
Internal & External Challenges to State Power from 1450 to 1750
Theme: Governance
Learning Objective
Explain the effects of the development of state power from 1450 to 1750.
Focusing on two major concepts here really helps students grasp this concept: Revolts by Indigenous groups in North America and the revolts of slaves across the Americas. Be careful with slave revolts in North America as many of them occurred after 1750. |
Must Know Concepts
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- Indian Pueblo Cultural Center: A Brief History of the Pueblo Revolt
- Short secondary resource detailing the history of the Pueblo Revolt from an indigenous perspective
- Khan Academy: Pueblo Uprising of 1680
- American perspective on the Pueblo Revolt, good for comparing with the above source
- History.com: King Philip's War
- Detailed discussion of King Philip's War, including causes and impacts
- History.com: Seven Famous Slave Revolts
- Brief discussion of slave revolts from ancient times to the late 1800s; great for drawing comparisons
- Facts and Details: Cossack History
- Rundown of the history of the Cossacks, including the revolts of the 18th century
Changing Social Hierarchies from 1450 to 1750
Theme: Social Interactions and Organization
Learning Objective
Explain how social categories, roles, and practices have been maintained or have changed over time.
You should connect the reforms by the Ottomans to the Tanzimat Reforms that you will discuss in the next unit. The others will focus on how the Manchu treated Han Chinese & the development of Creoles & Peninsulares in Spanish America. You will connect this last concept to the Liberal Revolutions in the next unit. |
Must Know Concepts
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- My Jewish Learning: The Sephardic Exodus to the Ottoman Empire
- Jewish historical perspective that discusses the expulsion of Jews from the Iberian Peninsula and their acceptance into the Ottoman Empire
- Native Heritage Project: Las Castas, Spanish Racial Classifications
- Great resource that details the nature of Las Castas with explanations of the various groups
- Alpha History: The Imposition of Manchu Rule
- Decent source that details the treatment of Han Chinese during Manchu rule
- Encyclopedia.com: The Aristocracy and Gentry
- Extensive discussion on the relationship between the rising Gentry class and the Aristocracy