The Agricultural Revolution is widely considered to be a key turning point in human history. Agriculture popped up in different areas around the world independently. It’s easy to forget how significantly the introduction of agriculture changed both humanity and the planet.
Driving Question: How did farming change the way we organize ourselves as humans?
- There are many changes to consider, including how we divided up and specialized labor; shifts in population density; and the emergence of governments. However, we should also ask ourselves if these changes happened everywhere in the same way. Was the shift to farming ultimately good? Was it bad? Maybe both?
Word of the Day: Neolithic Revolution
- Definition: The latter part of the Stone Age, from about 10,000 BCE to about 3500 BCE, characterized by the use of polished stone tools and the beginnings of farming.
- The Neolithic Revolution is really just a more technical term for the farming revolution, also known as the First Agricultural Revolution. This revolution was a key turning point in history, changing the planet and humanity forever.
Lesson
- Watch Crash Course World History #1: The Agricultural Revolution
- As you watch this video, think about which way of life was more beneficial for early human communities: foraging, or farming?
Historian’s Journal Prompt
- How are the ways we currently organize ourselves impacting the spread of COVID-19?
- Think about urban versus rural settings. How does the frequency and speed of travel and shipping impact the spread? It might be fun to look at maps that show shipping routes or airline trackers. This is a pretty neat marine tracker website that will help you track how COVID-19 is spreading along today’s networks.
