Historical Themes

In the early days of civilization, Mesopotamia is one of the regions that supported the development of agriculture, which consequently resulted to industrialization(Ascalone & Frongia, 2007). The land of Mesopotamia is the ideal region of fertility because the land was sandwiched between two rivers. Mesopotamia was well watered because river Tigris and Euphrates provided a constant supply of water. Further, the river’s tributaries watered the interior of Mesopotamia making it an ideal agricultural land.

The rivers flowing on the sides of Mesopotamia provided nutrients to the land as they brought freshness to the land. Further, the rivers provided opportunity and a chance to explore the land of Mesopotamia because people could navigate through the land by rivers (Ascalone & Frongia, 2007). River Tigris was not easy to navigate, but river Euphrates was ideal for navigation. Ships arrived from the outside world and people started to explore Mesopotamia. The climate was difficult to sustain plants in the land, but with the availability of an ample water resource, irrigation was easy. According to Ascalone & Frongia (2007), the discovery of Mesopotamia was a turning point in agriculture. People learnt the art of farming through use of agricultural techniques which led to development.

The chariot is a two wheel vehicle that carried two men and was driven by one or more horses. The chariot was mainly used for fighting and carried a driver and a fighter. Mainly, the men using the chariot for fighting fought with javelins and arrows. Around the 1700BC, the chariot was used as the main military weapon. In addition, people used the chariot for hunting purposes as well as games(White, 1961).

The development of the chariot technology depended on the domestication of horses. Pastoralists such as the Aryan were among the first communities to domesticate the horses, hence among the first to develop the chariot. However, the Aryans used the chariot for ritual races, which was a tradition in their community (Wilford, 1994). The diffusion of the chariot occurred as the Aryans spread this technology to the ancient Middle Eastern communities such as the ancient Indus community. The chariot contributed to human society diffusion because it was the main weapon for battle. The use of the chariot spread from Crete to Mesopotamia, and most importantly, Anatolia to Egypt. In this period, kingdoms and regions were at war for resources and better land for cultivation (White, 1961).

Further, according to Wilford (1994), the discovery of the chariot was very instrumental in transport. Wilford (1994) notes that before the discovery of the chariot, the only means of transport used by the people was ox carts. Ox carts could only cover 2 miles in one hour, making it impossible for people to move and cover long distances. However, a chariot changed this because a chariot driven by two horses could cover around 10 miles per hour. In this way, people were able to move long distances and diffuse with the rest of the world (Wilford, 1994).

In the United States, the two most significant physical and environmental factors that led to expansion and development was the Irish potato famine, and the Gold rush. The Gold rush led to massive migration towards the west as people moved to search for gold. During this period, migration was the only option for the habitants of the United States as they moved to areas where gold had been found(Brands, 2002). Many people moved at the same time and in the process, they were able to migrate from various corners of the region. The massive movement led to exploration of new lands and consequent development and expansion(Brands, 2002).

Secondly, the famine of the Irish potato was another environmental factor that led to the development and expansion of the United States. The Irish peasants who originally grew potatoes to cater for their food and income lived in poverty before the famine(Donnelly, 2001). Although they depended on the crop, they lived poor and miserable lives. The onset of the drought in the year 1945 motivated the Irish peasants to migrate in search for better farming lands and living conditions. This is because the famine affected the crops to extent that people died out of starvation(Donnelly, 2001). This migration led to a high influx of Irish immigrants in the United States. They provided labor that resulted to growth and expansion in the United States.

References

Ascalone, E., & Frongia, R. M. (2007). Mesopotamia. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Brands, H. W. (2002). The age of gold: the California Gold Rush and the new American dream. New York: Doubleday.

Donnelly, J. S. (2001). The great Irish potato famine. Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton.

White, P. (1961). Riders in the chariot. New York: Viking Press.

Wilford, J. (1994, February 22). Remaking the Wheel: Evolution of the Chariot. The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2013, from http://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/22/science/remaking-the-wheel-evolution-of-the-chariot.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm