The Opium Wars

The Opium war was between China and England. It started in 1839 and ended in 1842. The governments signed a peace treaty that allowed the British to use five ports instead of one. Opium was a type of drug that was very strong and easy to get addicted to. It was used for medications and to take the pain away. The chinese were being sold opium from England. As a result the chinese lost power of an important Island call Hong Kong. Opium can be dangerous, but the British felt the rulers in China had no right to keep opium from their people. Western Civilazation had growen. The chinese rulers were making a lot of money by selling there most popular natural resource which was tea.

The reason why it's called the Opium war is because the chinese were trying to get Opium out of their country, but the British kept bringing it in. As a result the British easily won the Chinese because the British had way more modern technology than the Chinese did. This is one of China's most humiliating losses in history.

Film Lesson: "Mountains of the Moon"

"Mountains of the Moon" is a historical film about explorers John Speke and Richard Burton. It talks about their journey through Africa's territory and their search for the Nile River. They had to deal with many problems while on their mission because they were unfamiliar with the area. They also had to deal with scorching hot weather and short supply of food and water. The African tribes that lived in Africa weren't very friendly to John and Richard because they never seen white people before and they felt that their territory was being invaded. The tribes attacked them but these fights resulted in retreats. Later on in the movie they dealt had problems with other tribes and animals like lions and insects.

Although the Europeans were new to Africa, they had many advantages. Their strongest advantage was their technology. They had more up-to-date and better weapons such as guns, which are more handy than spears or bows and arrows. The Europeans' technology was so superior that it helped them conquer Africa. This also helped them discover the Nile River, and a lake which they named Lake Victoria after their queen.