History

Cards (105)

  • History
    The study of a chronological account and record of events in relation to the environment
  • Pre-history

    Unrecorded or unwritten history
  • Branches of history

    • Political history
    • Social history
    • Economic history
  • Periods in history

    • Pre-history (unwritten/unrecorded history)
    • History (recorded written history)
  • Importance of studying history

    • To know the origin, development and progress of man
    • To appreciate the achievements of man and learn from their failures
    • To gain knowledge
    • To understand our culture and other peoples' culture
    • To understand the social, economic and political developments in our societies
    • To give space and time to critique
    • To develop a critical mind
    • To provide intellectual fulfillment
    • To analyze historical records of events to cope with and avoid a repeat of tragedies
    • To understand how human beings relate and depend on each other
    • To influence career choices e.g. law, public administration, politics, diplomacy, techpatriotism and nationalism
    • To develop positive values e.g. integrity, morality
    • To become responsible citizens
    • To acquire positive attitude towards the country
    • To be loyal to the country
  • Government
    The exercise of continuous authority over the people, to rule, control and direct policies/public affairs of a country and institution
  • Arms of Government

    • Legislature (parliament)
    • Executive
    • Judiciary
  • Composition of parliament

    • National Assembly (290 MPs, 12 nominated members, 1 speaker)
    • Senate (47 Senators, 16 nominated women representatives, 2 youth reps, 2 PWD, 2 Executive reps, 1 Speaker)
  • Forms of Government

    • Democracy
    • Aristocratic
    • Monarchical (Absolute monarchy, Constitutional monarchy)
  • Characteristics of Government
    • Jurisdiction (clearly defined boundaries)
    • Supreme authority (sovereignty that lies in the people)
    • Acceptance and recognition
    • Law enforcement (police, judiciary)
  • Importance of studying Government
    • To appreciate and understand the need of government
    • To understand the structure of government and its functions
    • To understand how the government raises and spends revenue
    • To understand how laws are made and enforced
    • To appreciate the constitution and the constitution making process
    • To understand our rights, responsibilities and limitations
    • To understand how development programmes are formulated and implemented
    • To enable us to compare our system of government with other systems
    • To inspire nationalism and patriotism
    • To influence career choices
  • Humanities subjects related to History

    • Geography
    • Sociology
    • Biology
    • Archeology
    • Political Science
    • Economics
    • Religion
    • Anthropology
    • Social Studies
  • Sources of information of History and Government

    • Unwritten Sources (Oral tradition, Anthropology, Linguistics, Genetics, Archeology)
    • Written Sources
    • Electronic Sources
  • Oral tradition

    History passed from one generation to another by word of mouth
  • Sources of Oral tradition

    • Folktales/stories
    • Songs
    • Proverbs
    • Tongue twisters
    • Riddles
    • Legends
    • Myths
  • Advantages of oral traditions

    • Captures information not found elsewhere
    • Applicable even to the illiterate
    • Cheap
    • Entertaining
    • Complements other sources
  • Disadvantages of oral traditions

    • Time consuming
    • Information may be deliberately omitted
    • Information may be distorted/exaggerated
    • May not provide accurate dates and chronology of events
    • Depends on the dominant group
  • Anthropology
    The study of people's way of life in terms of origin, customs, beliefs, development and social relationship
  • Advantages of Anthropology

    • Gives a deeper understanding of a people's culture
    • Helps to determine the cultural past of a people
    • Complements other sources
  • Disadvantages of Anthropology

    • Time consuming
    • Expensive (involves living among the people under study)
    • Researcher may find it difficult to adapt fully to the area under study
    • Researcher may miss important details as people behave differently under study
  • Linguistics
    The scientific study of languages
  • Advantages of Linguistics

    • It is a medium of communication
    • Gives information about the movement and relationship of people
    • Helps us understand other communities better
    • Helps discover links between different people
    • Useful in dating migration
  • Disadvantages of Linguistics

    • Time consuming to learn a new language
    • Different languages have similar words but with different meanings
    • Borrowing of words from other languages has interfered or corrupted the parent language
    • Some languages have become extinct or archaic
  • Genetics
    The study of heredity and inherited characteristics
  • Advantages of Genetics

    • Accurate
    • Helps relate or distinguish species
    • Complements other sources
  • Disadvantages of Genetics

    • Expensive
    • Time consuming
    • Can only be used by experts
  • Archeology/Paleontology

    The study of man's past material remains through scientific analysis
  • Things used by Archeologists to reconstruct the past

    • Remains of tools, weapons, beads, pottery, utensils
    • Ash/charcoal
    • Coins
    • Ruins
    • Bones
    • Carbonised seeds
    • Clothes
    • Paintings/artwork
  • Ways of Locating Archeological Areas

    • Areas where battles/wars have taken place
    • Through skill and experience like the Leakey family
    • Historical research
    • Through vision e.g. finding any unusual thing
    • During human activities such as cultivation or construction
  • Advantages of Archeology

    • Gives detailed information on the material culture of man
    • Gives a sense of time as the materials can be dated
    • Provides information of varied nature
    • Makes history real through seeing and touching the artifacts
    • The artifacts can be preserved in museums
    • Complements other sources
  • Disadvantages of Archeology

    • Expensive
    • Time consuming
    • Difficult to locate archeological sites
    • Limited to the study of the ancient past
    • Not accurate since it is based on conclusions and reconstructions
    • Difficulty in accurately determining the date
    • Fragility of artifacts and fossils
    • Few archeological experts and facilities for interpreting and analyzing materials
    • Dependence on other disciplines for analysis and dating
  • Methods for dating fossils and artifacts

    • Chemical dating (Radiocarbon, Potassium-Argon)
    • Geological periods
    • Stratigraphy (study and interpretation of rock layers)
    • Fission track (dating glass and minerals)
    • Lexicostatistics (dating language by observing basic vocabulary)
  • Methods for dating fossils and artefacts

    • Chemical dating
    • Radio Carbon
    • Potassium-Argon
    • Geological periods
    • Stratigraphy
    • Fission track
    • Lexicostatistics
    • Statistical method
  • Radio Carbon

    This dates the amount of carbon a fossil has. Carbon is taken in by living organisms which stops when they die and it begins to decay at a known constant rate. The less carbon an object has the older it is and vice versa, the more carbon it has the more recent it is.
  • Potassium-Argon

    This is used to date the amount of potassium which is emitted during volcanic eruption, i.e. potassium changes into argon at a known constant rate. The amount of potassium compared to argon gives a direct measure of age.
  • Geological periods
    Known periods in history characterised by plants and animals e.g. Holocene period, Pleistocene
  • Stratigraphy
    The study and interpretation of the layers of rocks
  • Fission track

    Used to date glass and minerals by observing tracks in them
  • Lexicostatistics
    Used to date the age of language by observing its basic vocabulary
  • Statistical method
    Use of calculations and formulae through the averaging