Ming, Qing, and Tokugawa societies

Objective: Explain ming dynasty and qing dynasty, distinguish their meanings, and apply them to a described case.

Ming dynasty: Ming rule governed China from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries through changing institutions. Qing dynasty: Qing rulers built an extensive multiethnic empire with varied regional arrangements. Slavery and imperialism involved coercion and unequal power under different systems. Comparison should preserve enslaved people's humanity and agency while distinguishing routes, periods, and institutions. Formal abolition and independence did not instantly end exploitation or inherited inequality. Colonial documents must be examined for creators' interests and categories. Modernization could accompany imperial expansion, so technological change alone does not establish a peaceful or equal relationship. Application: A chronology places Ming before Qing. This most directly illustrates ming dynasty. A map distinguishes imperial territory from one homogeneous community. This most directly illustrates qing dynasty.

Objective: Explain zheng he voyages and tokugawa rule, distinguish their meanings, and apply them to a described case.

Zheng He voyages: Zheng He's early-fifteenth-century voyages projected Ming presence through Indian Ocean routes. Tokugawa rule: Tokugawa rule organized Japanese authority from the early seventeenth century with regulated domestic and foreign relations. Slavery and imperialism involved coercion and unequal power under different systems. Comparison should preserve enslaved people's humanity and agency while distinguishing routes, periods, and institutions. Formal abolition and independence did not instantly end exploitation or inherited inequality. Colonial documents must be examined for creators' interests and categories. Modernization could accompany imperial expansion, so technological change alone does not establish a peaceful or equal relationship. Application: A route map links East Asia with distant ports. This most directly illustrates zheng he voyages. A lesson distinguishes controlled contact from complete absence of exchange. This most directly illustrates tokugawa rule.

Objective: Explain urban commercial culture and isolation myth, distinguish their meanings, and apply them to a described case.

Urban commercial culture: Urban commercial growth supported consumption, production, and cultural activity. Isolation myth: The isolation myth treats regulated contact as total disconnection and obscures actual networks. Slavery and imperialism involved coercion and unequal power under different systems. Comparison should preserve enslaved people's humanity and agency while distinguishing routes, periods, and institutions. Formal abolition and independence did not instantly end exploitation or inherited inequality. Colonial documents must be examined for creators' interests and categories. Modernization could accompany imperial expansion, so technological change alone does not establish a peaceful or equal relationship. Application: A city develops markets and new audiences for arts. This most directly illustrates urban commercial culture. A historian identifies documented exchange despite restrictive rules. This most directly illustrates isolation myth.