Historical Transformation Essay

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A Historical Transformation
We, as a society, were brought here to this point in time by the way the world has transformed and how we have transformed it to suit ourselves. Socioeconomic and cultural changes continue to happen every day as we progress and record history. A transformation by dictionary definition is simply a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance. A transformation’s definition in the historical context however can have a whole variety of connotations. Transformations throughout history have taken place in the forms of grand technological innovation that greatly improved lives, as well as large scale domino effects with consequences that generally worsened them.

Our prehistoric protagonists began our story in …show more content…

An example of early humans creating revolutionary inventions to support their survival can be seen in the Polynesian peoples. Early Polynesians were one of the first groups to create boats and from there advance their skills even further, “Polynesians knew how to plot a course eastward in their speedy canoes by taking advantage of seasonal interruptions in the prevailing westward trade winds” (Rogers 9). This advanced understanding of seasonal winds and early maritime inventions allowed them to take advantage of their environment and led to Polynesians being able to transform into the only group of deep-water sailors about two thousand years. This seafaring aspect of their past lifestyles has heavily shaped their culture even today from mythology to traditions. The evolution of the Polynesian peoples is a great example of how a transformation can mean an opening to a new, colorful chapter of life that will change how humans live and interact with their environment. This pattern is not limited to the Polynesian people of course at all. Additionally, the Mayans have also been known to have made significant transformations to their environment, “... the Maya …show more content…

One crucial turning point for world history would be the European discovery of the New World. Immediately, the population changes that began were alarming, “One hundred percent of those who were exposed to smallpox contracted it and half of them died. The new diseases seriously weakened American populations and reduced their size” (ProQuest 7). A transformation here is more ominous, it is the start of a new era of challenges that were previously unprecedented. The decimation of the Native American population due to multiple diseases, smallpox for example, brought upon by Europeans embarking on the New World was only the first of many consequences that would shape the Americas and it’s indigenous survivors. Social hierarchies like the Casta system. Institutionalized labor systems like the Encomienda. These were all ripples starting from one kind of transformation. And the settlement of the New World is not the only example of this cause and effect reaction. The outside implementation of political systems that controlled the lives of the people such as the Apartheid in South Africa were disastrous measures that will impact the livelihood of South Africans forever. These are the calamitous consequences of a transformation forced upon large civilizations and their people, in contrast to what has been shown

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