The Opium Wars

During the 19th century, the Opium War broke out between Britain and China. China had traded many goods with Britain including tea, which is now very popular and important to Europe. Britain began to trade opium with China to prevent any problems in the future with the one sided trade. Opium is a highly addictive drug in which is made from poppy plants. The use of opium made much of China's population addicted, damaging China's economy when they tried to pay for all the opium using tea, gold and silver. In 1838, Chinese government started to regulate opium trade with Britain and would not allow opium into the country. China wouldn't back down to the pressuring British, leading to British attackings on China. This was known as the Opium Wars. Britain ended up victorious and China was forced to sign a treaty that allowed opium to be traded in its ports. The treaty made the sale of opium legal and caused the Chinese economy to weaken.

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 dealt 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.