DBQ Sample HW Assignment

Prompt: Do you buy Menzie's argument that Zheng He's fleet made it to America before Columbus? Evaluate the evidence he used and explain why or why not?

In this given video, Menzie asserts that Zheng He's Ming fleet made it to America and traveled around the world in 1421, 58 years before Columbus was said to have first "discovered" America.  Menzie cannot rely, however, on many of the sources he would like to because Zheng He's project was stopped early and all written evidence destroyed.  Because there are very few, if any, remaining documents concerning the journey, his argument is not very strong.

Menzie states, at the beginning of his argument, that all European colonists had a map and a preconceived notion that the Americas existed, but he failed to provide any evidence that the Europeans did in fact know that America did exist.  

To back his argument, he asks scholars their opinions on the matter; however, the information they provide him with are merely THEIR OPINIONS.  There is no telling whether or not their rationale is correct.  What would help his argument would have been a primary source document written by a Chinese sailor who joined them on their journey.  

Menzie establishes that the Chinese Ming fleet was greater in aspect and in size than the Columbus's fleet.  He is comparing the fleets to each other, and this is failing to substantiate his argument.  The question is not whether the Chinese were ABLE to sail to the Americas more easily than Columbus, but whether or not the Chinese ACTUALLY completed the voyage.  Discussing how the Chinese had fleets greater than Columbus just indicates that the Chinese were more sophisticated than Columbus, not that they made it to America first. 

He does bring up a map, which he declares will help substantiate his theory, but it is only one map suggesting such an occurrence.  This is the only part of his argument that makes sense.  

He believes that the Chinese Junks which presumably carried the Chinese to the Americas were struck by a hurricane, and that the 700 Junks were wrecked and beached.  Wow.  This is much too general of a conclusion for it to be even considered.  Menzie cannot assume that a hurricane struck and wrecked the ships.  His entire story is based on the assumption that a hurricane destroyed their Junks and they were marooned on the island.  There is no evidence or proof that backs up this statement alone, so it is impossible for the rest of his argument to be structurally sound.  

For these reasons, I do not believe that the Chinese came upon the Americas before Columbus did.  

Podcast 123

3 Things I learned, which I previously had NO IDEA about...

1. The Aztecs migrated to Mesoamerica and established the largest and arguably most ruthless pre-Spanish Empire in the Americas throughout the course of 200 years.  This is an immensely short period of time for an empire to become established, particularly because it should, in aspect take awhile to become accustomed to a new area after a migration from a foreign area.  
2. The name "Aztec" comes from the word "Aztlan," referring to the mythical place of their origin.  The name they would have used to refer to themselves is "Meshiko," (sp?) which gives us the modern name "Mexico".  
3. Public sacrifices were done to please the gods, especially blood-letting rituals.  However, these were often means of public ostentation.  This is especially surprising, because one would not think that religion and public humiliation would work hand-in-hand with each other and be associated via the same actions.  

2 Things I found Interesting

1. The pyramids erected by the Egyptians during the Old Kingdom are strikingly similar to the pyramids built by the Aztecs.  This as well as the genetic evidence that compares the DNA of Egyptians and Mesoamericans shows that peoples from Eastern Asia may have migrated to Egypt and later to Mesoamerica, passing through the Bering land bridge. 
2. Though the Aztecs were highly specialized in many areas, including metalworking of copper, gold, and silver created a calendar, and were highly intelligent, they are considered to be stone-age people.  This is probably due to the technology they lacked.  They couldn't create metal weapons, and they did not use animals.  This limited their mobility and what they could carry, preventing them from being able to be classified as nomads.

1 Thing I would ask the Aztecs

1. What was the most difficult part of your existence?  Was foraging for food, resisting disease, or forming and maintaining a social hierarchal the most difficult part of your civilization?  Why was this so difficult?  What did you attempt to do to ease these problems.

St. Thomas Aquilas Document Questions

Question: What are the five examples of proof that Aquinas gives to prove the existence of God?

According to the given excerpt/document from Fordham University, the author believes there are five methods of reasoning which can be used to prove the legitimate existence of God.  The author first states that an object or thing, even if it is not real, can be brought into the world via something that exists, using fire as an example. He says that fire is not actual, but can be brought into presence with the help of incendiary tools. Similarly, he reasons that some nonexistent entity such as God can be brought into the world via "some first mover, which is itself moved by nothing---and this all men know as God".  The second area of proof the author uses is from the "nature of existent cause".  The author defines God as "the first efficient cause," indicating that God gives rise to other causes, which constitute the world we live in.  This is similar to a a chain, where an existent entity gives rise to another, which gives rise to another, similar to how a single chain allows more chains to be linked to it, resulting eventually in an entire chain of links.  The third proof the author provides in his attempt to prove the existence of God is via the concept that things take their beginnings preexisting entities.  Events occurring are not accidental, God is the only thing that exists through its own nature and is the beginning of all causes and necessary for the existence of all things.  The fourth piece of proof is derived form the concept that all things vary in degrees in severity but approach the greatest.  The author uses the example that states that there are varying intensities of heat, for example.  The level of heat increasingly increases, until it reaches a maximum.  The author argues that God is the entity that represents the maximum degree of severity for all aspects which govern the universe.  The greatest is the cause of all things of its kind, and therefore, God is the cause of existence of all things, including goodness and perfection.  The fifth piece of evidence brought up by the author in his attempt to persuade the reader to accept the existence of God pertains to the natural phenomenon and operation of natural objects or bodies, which occur in accordance with a higher plan and are not occurring randomly.  They have a purpose; things with no intelligence are directed by a knowing and intelligent power that is manifested in the form of God.  Therefore, the author rests his case, his attempt to prove the existence of God based on the writings of Aquinas, on the 5 presented pieces of evidence/proof.  

My Beautiful Map of Africa

I legitimately spent 75 minutes on this masterpiece...