V. THE LONG NINETEENTH CENTURY (c. 1750 – 1914)
Joseph Paton, painting, In Memoriam (1858 CE)
Popular English painting depicting British women awaiting their fate as the insurrectionists of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 burst into their hiding place.
(“British Empire: Painting, In Memoriam.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson8/lesson8.php%3Fmenu=1&s=6.html)
THE LONG NINETEENTH CENTURY (c. 1750 – 1914)
(18th-19th centuries CE) ‘The Transatlantic Slave Trade,’ document selection
Description: This is a collection of primary sources illustrating the African slave trade through pictures, maps, and texts from the slave ports, across the Middle Passage, to the United States. There are also a couple of sources from the abolition movement.
User notes: The collection has an introduction to the topic before the fifteen sources, each briefly titled. They all have links to their original source for sharing or can be copied and downloaded for use. There is also a ‘Teaching Guide’ with discussion questions and class activities available from the document link.
Citation: Franky Abbott. “The Transatlantic Slave Trade.” 2015. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America. https://dp.la/primary-source-sets?subject=world-history&order=chronology_asc.
Origin of sources: Each of the fifteen sources has a ‘Cite this item’ button to view their different origins.
(1861 CE) Engraving, ‘Slave Coffle, Central Africa’
Description: This picture from a book describing David Livingstone’s expeditions in Africa depicts children included within a gang of captives making their way from the interior of Africa to the slave ports.
User notes: The source has an ‘Annotation’ introducing it; there is also a separate ‘Overview’ covering all the module’s sources on children as well as an ‘Essay’ and ‘Teaching Strategies’ that offer detailed help on how to present them to students (available from the document link).
Citation: "Slave Coffle, Central Africa, 1861." In World History Commons, 2021. https://worldhistorycommons.org/slave-coffle-central-africa-1861.
Origin of source: Livingstone, David, and Charles Livingstone. Narrative of an Expedition to the Zambesi and its Tributaries; and of the Discovery of the Lakes Shirwa and Nyassa, 1858-1864. London, 1865, facing, 356.
(1863 CE) Thomas Jones Barker, painting, The Secret of England’s Greatness
Description: Popular English painting depicting Queen Victoria proffering a bible to a kneeling African chief.
User notes: Picture with introduction and accompanying article on the ‘British Empire.’
Citation: “British Empire: Painting, The Secret of England’s Greatness.” Women in World History. Accessed September 27, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/p/126.html.
Origin of source: Thomas Jones Barker. Painting. The Secret of England’s Greatness. 1863.
(1885 CE) ‘General Act of the Conference of Berlin’
Description: Full terms of the Act that played a major role in the Western colonization of Africa, including articles on freedom of trade in the Congo basin, the slave trade, a short article on “protection of the natives,” along with detailed navigation provisions for the Congo and the Niger Rivers. This Act was signed by 15 European nations including Britain, Germany, Belgium, France, and Russia, as well as the United States.
User notes: Primary document only
Citation: “General Act of the Conference of Berlin (1885).” BlackPast,org. Accessed September 20, 2021. https://www.blackpast.org/global-africa-history/general-act-conference-berlin/
Origin of source: Stated as https://ocid.nacse.org/qml/research/tfdd/toTFDDdocs/4ENG.htm but link no longer functioning.
(1890 CE) George Washington Williams, ‘Open Letter to King Leopold of Belgium on the Congo’
Description: Full text of public letter from African-American politician and journalist George Washington Williams to King Leopold II of Belgium, the private owner of Congo Free State. In it the author decries the treatment of the colony and lists specific charges against the King and his agents in their treatment of the Congo’s native inhabitants.
User notes: Primary document only
Citation: “(1890) George Washington William’s Open Letter to King Leopold on the Congo.” BlackPast.org, 2009. https://www.blackpast.org/global-africa-history/primary-documents-global-african-history/george-washington-williams-open-letter-king-leopold-congo-1890/.
Origin of source: Hill, Adelaide Cromwell, & Martin Kilson, eds. Apropos of Africa: Sentiments of American Negro Leaders on Africa from the 1800s to the 1950s. London: Frank Cass and Company Ltd, 1969.
(1896 CE) Engraving, ‘Map of the Belgian Congo’
Description: A Belgian map showing King Leopold’s private possession of the ‘Congo Free State’ before it was taken over as a Belgian colony due to public outcry.
User notes: Image with introduction giving its provenance and significance
Citation: J. Lebègue & Cie. Carte du Congo Belge. [Bruxelles: J. Lebègue & Cie, 1896.] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2006627676/.
Origin of source: Library of Congress Geography and Map Division. Control # 2006627676. LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/2006627676. Digital ID: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g8651f.ct001277.
(1900 CE) ‘The Uganda Agreement,’ British treaty with the Kingdom of Uganda
Description: Treaty laying out articles on the government of the Kingdom of Uganda signed between the British government of Queen Victoria and the regents and chiefs of the Kabaka (king) of Uganda. It details the Kingdom’s boundaries, taxation policies (on huts and guns), laws, payments to the king, his family, and chiefs, the local administration including the Lukido (native advisory council), and the division of lands between the British government and the king and chiefs of the Kingdom.
User notes: Primary text only
Citation: “(1900) The Uganda Agreement.” BlackPast.org, 2009. https://www.blackpast.org/global-africa-history/primary-documents-global-african-history/uganda-agreement-1900/.
Origin of source: “The Uganda Agreement of 1900.” The Buganda Home Page, 2009. http://www.buganda.com/buga1900.htm.
*(1901 CE) ‘The D’Arcy Concession,’ legal document, Iran
Description: This agreement between the Shah of Iran and a British business man formally lays out the terms by which D’Arcy had the sole right to almost all of the country’s oil in exchange for providing the needed financing and technology to extract it and paying a percentage of the profits to the Shah personally. It represents one of the first of such agreements that allowed for economic dominance of an imperial nation over a non-Western country, especially in oil as it became more important worldwide, and in this case was a significant contributor to the unrest leading to the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
User notes: Full text of the agreement as well as comprehensive explanation and analysis by Robert Stacy.
Citation: “D’Arcy Concession: The Full Text.” Edited by Brian Bonhomme & Cathleen Boivin. Milestone Documents in World History. Salem, 2010. Online.salempress.com.
*(1757 CE) Robert Clive, A Letter on the Battle of Plassey
Description: Clive’s victory in the Battle of Plassey against native Indian and French troops effectively secured British control of most of the northern India. In this letter to the directors of the British East Indian Company, his superiors, he describes the battle, the treaty that he concluded with the new Nawab of Bengal, and the finances of the operation.
User notes: The letter is provided in full with a very brief introduction.
Citation: "Robert Clive: Letter on the Battle of Plassey (1757)." In Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO, 2021. https://dailylife2-abc-clio-com.proxymc.vcccd.edu/Search/Display/1546477.
*(1772 CE) Robert Clive, speech given in British Parliament on India
Description: Later in his life Clive was brought before the House of Commons over financial irregularities during his career; this is an excerpt of his speech to the House emphasizing the effects of his victory at Plassey and explaining the financial customs of India.
User notes: Extracts from his speech with a brief introduction.
Citation: "Robert Clive: Speech on India (1772)." In Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO, 2021. https://dailylife2-abc-clio-com.proxymc.vcccd.edu/Search/Display/1546478.
*(1789 CE) British East India Company, Proclamation on Indian Slavery
Description: In this proclamation the Governor-General of the British East India Company restates the Company’s ban against slavery in its Indian territories and sets up measures to enforce it.
User notes: There is a short introduction before the full text of the source.
Citation: "British East India Company: Proclamation on Indian Slavery (1789)." In Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO, 2021. https://dailylife2-abc-clio-com.proxymc.vcccd.edu/Search/Display/1546475.
Description: Roy, as an English-educated brahmin, believed sati should be made illegal and in these two extracts presents his case against it in response to Indian traditionalists.
User notes: Primary document with introduction and accompanying article on ‘Sati.’
Citation: “Sati: Nonfiction, Rajah Rammohun Roy.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/p/101.html
Origin of source: Rammohun Roy. Translation of Several Principal Books, Passages and Texts of the Vedas, and of some Controversial Works on Brahmunical Theology. London: Parbury, Allen, 1832.
(1828 CE) Fanny Parks, Diary, account of sati as described by her husband, India
Description: An account of one incident of sati in Allahabad as seen from her husband’s perspective as a clerk with the East India Company, detailing the role of the Company officials at the occasion.
User notes: Document with introduction and accompanying article on ‘Sati.’
Citation: “Sati: Diary, Fanny Parks.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson5/lesson5.php%3Fmenu=1&s=5.html
Origin of source: Parks, Fanny. Wanderings of a Pilgrim in Search of the Picturesque. Introduction and notes: Esther Chawner. Vol. I. Oxford in Asia Historical Reprints. Karachi: Oxford University Press, 1975. First published 1850 by Pelham Richardson.
(1829 CE) William Bentinck, ‘On Ritual Murder in India’
Description: An explanation by the Governor General of the British East India Company of why he believed the company should ban the practice of sati in its territories, addressing many sides of a controversy that was huge at the time.
User notes: Primary source with brief introduction.
Citation: “William Bentinck, On Ritual Murder in India (1829).” The Internet Modern History Sourcebook. Accessed November 3, 2021. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1829bentinck.asp
Origin of source: "Lord William Bentinck on the Suppression of Sati, 8 November 1829." In Speeches and Documents on Indian Policy, 1750-1921, edited by Arthur B. Keith. Vol. 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1922: 208-226.
(1829 CE) William Bentinck, personal notes and official regulation on sati, India
Description: As well as providing some of his personal notes on the practice of sati this source gives the text of the British East India Company act that finally made it illegal.
User notes: Document with introduction and accompanying article on ‘Sati.’
Citation: “Sati: Official Documents, Lord William Cavendish Bentinck.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson5/lesson5.php%3Fmenu=1&s=6.html
Origin of source: The Correspondence of Lord William Cavendish Bentinck, Governor-General of India 1828-1835. Edited by C.H. Philips. Vol. I: 1828-1831. Oxford: Oxford University Press; School for Oriental and African Studies, 1977.
Description: One Hindu response from Calcutta to the British East India Company’s regulation of 1829 banning sati.
User notes: Document with introduction and accompanying article on ‘Sati.’
Citation: “Sati: Petition, Orthodox Hindus.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson5/lesson5.php%3Fmenu=1&s=7.html
Origin of source: “The Petition of the Orthodox Hindu community of Calcutta against the Suttee Regulation.” January 14, 1830. In Raja Rammohun Roy and Progressive Movements in India: A Selection from Records, 1775-1845, edited by J.K. Majumdar. Calcutta: Art Press, 1941.
(19th century CE) Photograph, sati handprints on wall of Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, India
Description: Photograph of relief on fort gateway with handprints impressed into it by satis across the generations. According to tradition these were made on the widows’ final walk to self-immolation on their husbands’ funeral pyres that were erected outside the fort.
User notes: Photograph with brief introduction and accompanying article on ‘Sati.’
Citation: “Sati: Object, Sati Handprints.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson5/lesson5.php%3Fmenu=1&s=11.html
Origin of source: Photograph from Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, Rajastan.
*(1841 CE) Mountstuart Elphinstone, book extract, ‘A British View of Indian Social Customs’
Description: Elphinstone was an official of the British East India Company who took a keen interest in the customs of the Indian peoples and did not believe in renouncing all Indian traditions; in this extract from his History of India he argues the Company should work to maintain local social customs, including sati.
User notes: Document extract with short introduction.
Citation: "Mountstuart Elphinstone: A British View of Indian Social Customs (1841)." In Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO, 2021. https://dailylife2.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1426956?sTypeId=2
*(1857 CE) Elisa Greathed, ‘Account of the Mutiny from Meerut,’ India
Description: This account of the Indian Rebellion was written by an English woman who lived in Meerut when it started and with her fellow English had to first hide for their lives and then retreat to a fortified building for protection whilst the rebellion continued.
This document pairs well with the account by Florence Wagentreiber, also contained in this section of the bibliography.
User notes: Document extract with introduction.
Citation: "Indian Mutiny: Account of the Mutiny in Meerut (1857)." In Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO, 2021. https://dailylife2-abc-clio-com.proxymc.vcccd.edu/Search/Display/1546476.
*(1857, published 1911 CE) Florence Wagentreiber, ‘British Account of the Sepoy Rebellion’
Description: Written later looking back on the Indian Rebellion of 1857 this young British woman describes her experience in Meerut during its opening days when she fled the Indian sepoy troops along with the men and women of her area.
This document pairs well with the account by Elisa Greathed, also contained in this section of the bibliography.
User notes: Document extract with introduction.
Citation: "Florence Wagentreiber: British Account of the Sepoy Rebellion (1911)." In Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO, 2021. https://dailylife2-abc-clio-com.proxymc.vcccd.edu/Search/Display/1989797.
*(1857 CE) Photograph, Gurkha regiment during the Indian Rebellion
Description: This shows a Gurkha regiment of the British Army along with their British officer during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The loyalty of the Gurkhas was key to the eventual victory of the British East India Company.
User notes: Document extract with introduction.
Citation: "Gurkha Regiment during the Indian Rebellion of 1857." In Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO, 2021. Image. https://dailylife2-abc-clio-com.proxymc.vcccd.edu/Search/Display/1834371.
(1858 CE) Joseph Paton, painting, In Memoriam
Description: Popular English painting depicting British women awaiting their fate as the insurrectionists of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 burst into their hiding place.
User notes: Picture with introduction and accompanying article on the ‘British Empire.’
Citation: “British Empire: Painting, In Memoriam.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson8/lesson8.php%3Fmenu=1&s=6.html
*(1871 CE) Dadabhai Naoroji, extract on the benefits and detriments of British rule for India
Description: Naoroji was a prominent Indian intellectual and politician of his time who divided his life between India and Britain in his life’s quest to reform British rule of his native country. Here he lays out the pros and cons of the British involvement in the subcontinent.
User notes: Document extract with brief introduction.
Citation: "Dadabhai Naoroji: Advantages and Disadvantages of British Rule (1871)." In Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO, 2021. https://dailylife2-abc-clio-com.proxymc.vcccd.edu/Search/Display/1426959.
*(1877 CE) Photograph, Processing Indigo in India
Description: This is a rare photo of indigo production in India, one of the key agricultural products of the country during the nineteenth century due to the blue dye that could be extracted from it for Britain’s cotton production.
User notes: Document extract with brief introduction.
Citation: "Processing Indigo in India." In Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO, 2021. Image. https://dailylife2-abc-clio-com.proxymc.vcccd.edu/Search/Display/1834370.
*(1911 CE) Andrew Fraser, ‘Experiences of a British Administrator in India’
Description: In these passages from his memoirs after a career working for the government in India Fraser reflects on his work and his interactions with the people of India.
User notes: Document extract with short introduction.
Citation: "Andrew H. L. Fraser, Experiences of a British Administrator in India, 1911.” In Daily Life through History, ABC-CLIO, 2021. https://dailylife2-abc-clio-com.proxymc.vcccd.edu/Search/Display/1992404.
Description: Written by an English-educated Indian woman, this tale is based on the story of Raziya, briefly Muslim ruler of the Sultanate of Delhi, and lauds the abilities of a female ruler.
Database: Women in World History
User notes: Primary text with introduction, along with accompanying article on the ‘British Empire.’
Citation: “British Empire: Fiction: Indian Tales of the Great Ones.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson8/lesson8.php%3Fmenu=1&s=9.html
(1903 CE) Raden Ajeng Kartini, letter extract, ‘Give the Javanese Education’
Description: In this extract Indonesian feminist Kartini argues for women’s education and for it to begin with the founding of a boarding school for elite women who would then help spread Western education to all women.
User notes: Primary text and introduction, with accompanying article on ‘Southeast Asian Politics.’
Citation: “Southeast Asian Politics: Nonfiction, Javanese Education.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson12/lesson12.php%3Fs=1.html
Origin of source: Kartini, Raden Ajeng. “Give the Javanese Education.” In Letters from Kartini: An Indonesian Feminist 1900-1904. Translated by Joost Cote. Melbourne: Monash University, 1992.
*(1793 CE) Qianlong, ‘Letter to George III,’ China
Description: This letter from the Qing emperor was written in response to the British government’s Macartney Mission requesting increased trading and diplomatic access to China; in this document Qianlong rejects all the requests and lays out his reasons why.
User notes: Full text of the letter as well as comprehensive explanation and analysis by Q. Edward Wang.
Citation: “Qianlong’s Letter to George III: The Full Text.” Edited by Brian Bonhomme & Cathleen Boivin. Milestone Documents in World History. Salem, 2010. Online.salempress.com.
(1835 CE) Foot binding, missionary journal article extract, China
Description: Article from a Protestant missionary journal describing foot binding for women as evidence of Chinese moral depravity.
User notes: Document with introduction and accompanying article on ‘Western Views of Chinese Women.’
Citation: “Western Views of Chinese Women: Missionary Journal, Foot Binding 1.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/p/61.html.
Origin of source: “Small Feet of the Chinese Females: Remarks on the Origin of the Custom of Compressing the Feet; The Extent and Effects of the Practice; With an Anatomical Description of a Small Foot.” Chinese Repository 3 (1835): 537-539.
*(1839 CE) Lin Zexu, letter to Queen Victoria, China
Description: As the emperor’s minister appointed to end the opium trade in China, Lin wrote this letter to the British monarch demanding that it must stop and also circulated it throughout the British community in Guangzhou.
User notes: Full text of the treaty as well as comprehensive explanation and analysis by Q. Edward Wang.
Citation: “Lin Zexu’s ‘Moral Advice to Queen Victoria’: The Full Text.” Edited by Brian Bonhomme & Cathleen Boivin. Milestone Documents in World History. Salem, 2010. Online.salempress.com.
*(1842 CE) The Treaty of Nanjing, China
Description: This is the first of the “unequal treaties” between Western powers and Asian countries that established the West’s economic dominance over non-Western countries. As with nearly all of them it names the “treaty ports” Britain now claimed, the rights of its nationals within these ports, the trade and tariff rights they must have, and the indemnity that China had to pay as the supposed instigator of the war.
User notes: Full text of the treaty as well as comprehensive explanation and analysis by Eric Cunningham.
Citation: “Treaty of Nanjing: The Full Text.” Edited by Brian Bonhomme & Cathleen Boivin. Milestone Documents in World History. Salem, 2010. Online.salempress.com.
(1870 CE) Foot binding, missionary journal article with a letter in response, China
Description: Article from a Protestant missionary journal abhorring the practice of foot binding detailing six arguments to support this, with a letter to the journal in response arguing that the practice does not stop Christian conversion and giving a more nuanced response to this custom of another culture.
User notes: Two documents with an introduction and accompanying article on ‘Western Views of Chinese Women.’
Citation: “Western Views of Chinese Women: Missionary Journal, Foot Binding 3.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson10/lesson10.php%3Fmenu=1&s=6.html
Origin of sources: J.G. Kerr. ‘Small Feet.’ Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal 2 (1869): 169-170.
G. H. ‘Correspondence: Small Feet.’ Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal 2 (1870): 230-232.
(1890 CE) Shanghai newspaper article on Chinese Women, extract
Description: This is an excerpt from a series of articles called ‘The Natural History of a Chinese Girl’ from a Western newspaper published in Shanghai; it focuses on seven “sins” of the Confucian system that it states make Chinese women objects of oppression.
User notes: Primary document with introduction and aaccompanying article on ‘Western Views of Chinese Women.’
Citation: “Western Views of Chinese Women: Newspaper, Confucian Women.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson10/lesson10.php%3Fmenu=1&s=2.html
Origin of source: “The Natural History of a Chinese Girl.” North China Herald and Supreme Court and Consular Gazette. July 18, 1890.
*(1898 CE) Guangxu, ‘Abolition of the Examination System,’ China
Description: This edict was a vital part of the Guanxu emperor’s ‘Hundred Days of Reform,’ calling for a complete change to China’s Confucian-based education as part of China’s attempt to modernize in the Western model in order to maintain its independence.
User notes: Primary document along with comprehensive explanation and analysis by Carole Schroeder.
Citation: “Emperor Guangxu’s Abolition Of The Examination System: The Full Text.” Edited by Brian Bonhomme & Cathleen Boivin. Milestone Documents in World History. Salem, 2010. Online.salempress.com.
(c. 1900s CE) Photograph, ‘Chinese woman with bound feet’
Description: This image depicts a fashionable woman of the late Qing dynasty seated on a chair in formal attire with her lily feet displayed as part of her adornment.
User notes: Photograph with introduction and accompanying article on ‘Western Views of Chinese Women.’
Citation: “Western Views of Chinese Women: Photograph, Foot Binding.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson10/lesson10.php%3Fmenu=1&s=7.html
Origin of source: “Photograph of Northern Chinese Woman, Late Qing Period.” In Every Step a Lotus: Shoes for Bound Feet, edited by Dorothy Ko. Berkeley: University of California Press; The Bata Shoe Museum Foundation, 2001.
(1903 CE) Liang Qichao, ‘Observations on a Trip to America,’ China
Description: One of the Chinese reformers of he One Hundred Days, Liang describes his first visit to northern America including observations on New York, his meeting with J.P. Morgan, his comments on American poverty, and ending with his summary of Chinese flaws in comparison with the West. It also contains interesting commentary on the American custom of lynchings.
User notes: PDF file with introduction and questions for discussion; both a short extract and a longer version of the document are provided.
Citation: “Excerpts from ‘Observations on a Trip to America’ by Liang Qichao.” Asia for Educators, 2020. http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/china/liang_qichao_observations.pdf.
Origin of source: Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook. Edited by Patricia Buckley Ebrey. 2nd ed. New York: The Free Press, 1993. 335-340.
*(c. 1799 CE) The eta: ‘Outcasts in Tokugawa Society,’ two documents, Japan
Description: Two legal documents from the Tokugawa Shogunate clarifying the status of the “non-human” eta caste in comparison with commoners.
User notes: Two brief extracts introduced with ‘Keep in Mind as you Read’ and suggested questions and topics to consider.
Citation: Vaporis, Constantine Nomikos. "Outcastes in Tokugawa Society." In Voices of Early Modern Japan: Contemporary Accounts of Daily Life during the Age of the Shoguns, 153-156. Voices of an Era. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2012. Gale eBooks. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2730700047/GVRL?u=moor85003&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=d4ff8bc8.
Origin of source: Law and Justice in Tokugawa Japan: Materials for the History of Japanese Law and Justice under the Tokugawa Shogunate, 1603–1867: Pt. VIII A: Persons: Legal Precedents. Translation adapted from John Henry Wigmore, editor. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press, 1986. Documents 122: 173–74, and 125: 176-77.
(1850s CE) ‘Commodore Perry’s Expedition to Japan’
Description: This is a collection of primary sources drawn from the journey of Perry to open Japan to American trade, including contemporary illustrations, text extracts, and artifacts.
Usernotes: The collection has a full introduction to the topic before the thirteen sources, each briefly titled. They all have links to their original source for sharing or can be copied and downloaded for use. There is also a ‘Teaching Guide’ with discussion questions and class activities available from the document link.
Citation: Adena Barnette. “Commodore Perry’s Expedition to Japan.” 2018. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America. https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/commodore-perry-s-expedition-to-japan?subject=world-history&order=chronology_asc.
Origin of sources: Each of the thirteen sources has a ‘Cite this item’ button to view their different origins.
(Late 19th century CE) Print, The Exotic White Man
Description: Meiji print showing a Western man with a Japanese woman at the birth of their son.
User notes: Print only with an accompanying article on ‘Teaching The Exotic White Man.’
Citation: “Teaching The Exotic White Man.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/p/225.html.
Origin of source: The Exotic White Man. Late 19th century print. Dutch private collection.
(c. 1900 CE) Selected Komori Songs
Description: Three traditional songs of Japanese nurse-maids from the Meiji Period; two are counting songs, one handed down by the government to encourage right behavior from komori, one a riposte to this, and the final song is a plea from the heart.
(This source can be paired excellently with Hanabusa Itcho’s painting of puppeteers entertaining children detailed earlier in this bibliography under the Early Modern Period.)
User notes: The poems have an ‘Annotation’ introducing them; there is also an ‘Overview’ introducing all the module’s sources on children as well as an ‘Essay’ and ‘Teaching Strategies’ that offer detailed help on how to present them to students (available from the document link).
Citation: "Komori [Nursemaid] Songs (kazoe-uta)." In World History Commons, 2021. https://worldhistorycommons.org/komori-nursemaid-songs-kazoe-uta.
Origin of source: Mariko Asano Tamanoi. "Songs as Weapons: The Culture and History of Komori (Nursemaids) in Modern Japan." The Journal of Asian Studies. Vol. 50, No. 4 (Nov., 1991): 793-817.
(1842 CE) Florentia Sale, A Journal of the First Afghan War, extract on British retreat from Kabul
Description: Sale was part of the retreat party from Kabul during the First Afghan War; here she tells of the fate of some of her fellow women of the British delegation as they were massacred in the Kabul Gorge.
User notes: Primary text with introduction and portrait of author, along with accompanying article on the ‘British Empire.’
Citation: “British Empire: Diary, Lady Florentia Sale.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson8/lesson8.php%3Fmenu=1&s=5.html
Origin of source: Sale, Florentia. A Journal of the First Afghan War. Hamden, Connecticut: Archon Books, 1843.
(1885 CE) Map, ‘Afghanistan and her Relation to British and Russian Territories’
Description: US map produced during the diplomatic conflict of “The Great Game” showing Afghanistan at its center with British and Russian territories abutting it on either side.
Database: World Digital Library
User notes: Image with introduction giving its provenance and significance.
Citation: “Afghanistan and her Relation to British and Russian Territories.” G. W. & C. B. Colton & Co. Central Asia. Map. New York: G. W. & C. B. Colton, 1885. Accessed November 15, 2021. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013593027/.
Origin of source: Library of Congress Geography and Map Division. Control # 2013593027. LCCN permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/2013593027. Digital ID: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g7420.ct003765
Description: The first document was produced by the National Assembly and would become the preamble of all future constitutions of France; the second was a response on behalf of women written by Olympe de Gouges, who was guillotined for her efforts.
User notes: Two primary documents along with comprehensive explanation and analysis by Anne York.
Citation: “‘Declaration Of The Rights Of Man And Of The Citizen’ And ‘Declaration Of The Rights Of Woman And Of The Female Citizen’: The Full Text." Edited by Brian Bonhomme & Cathleen Boivin. Milestone Documents in World History. Salem, 2010. Online.salempress.com.
*(1833 CE) ‘Act for the Abolition of Slavery throughout the British Colonies’
Description: Passed by Parliament and principally authored by William Wilberforce, the great abolitionist of Victorian Britain, this followed up on the ending of the British slave trade in 1807 to ban slavery as an institution throughout its empire. As well as declaring the principle of liberating all slaves worldwide it also focuses on the future welfare of the freed slaves and the compensation to be provided to the prior slave-holders.
User notes: Primary document along with comprehensive explanation and analysis by Ian Morley.
Citation: “Act For The Abolition Of Slavery Throughout The British Colonies: The Full Text.” Edited by Brian Bonhomme & Cathleen Boivin. Milestone Documents in World History. Salem, 2010. Online.salempress.com.
(c. 1850-1859 CE) Map, ‘British Empire Throughout the World Exhibited in One View’
Description: Map produced by the John Bartholomew Company of Scotland showing a global view of the empire and idealized images of encounters with indigenous peoples in four continents. It is this company that is credited with initiating the practice of showing the British Empire in red or pink.
User notes: Image with introduction giving its provenance and significance.
Citation: Bartholomew, John, and A. Fullarton & Co. British Empire Throughout the World Exhibited in One View [S.l., 185]. Map. Accessed November 17, 2021. https://www.loc.gov/item/98687124/.
Origin of source: Library of Congress Geography and Map Division. Control # 98687124. LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/98687124. Digital ID: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g5730.ct000158.
(1863 CE) Painting, Thomas Jones Barker, The Secret of England’s Greatness
Description: This was a very popular English painting depicting Queen Victoria proffering a bible to a kneeling African chief.
User notes: Picture with introduction and accompanying article on the ‘British Empire.’
Citation: “British Empire: Painting, The Secret of England’s Greatness.” Women in World History, 2021. https://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson8/lesson8.php%3Fmenu=1&s=1.html
Origin of source: Barker, Thomas Jones. The Secret of England’s Greatness. 1863.
*(1911 CE) Bylaws of the Black Hand/‘Union or Death,’ Serbia
Description: This document includes the key articles of the rules of the Union or Death terrorist organization whose most infamous member was Gavrilo Princip, assassinator of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in 1918.
User notes: Extract with introduction and discussion of its significance.
Citation: Black Hand. “Bylaws of the Organization: Union or Death.” In Terrorism: Essential Primary Sources, edited by K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, 110-112. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2006. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3456600060/OVIC?u=moor85003&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=c2c5f379.
(Early 19th century CE) Source collection, ‘Latin American Revolutionaries’
Description: This is a collection of primary documents illustrating the Latin American revolutionary era through portraits, maps, and texts. It includes Toussaint L’Ouverture, Miguel Hidalgo, Jose de San Martin, and Simon Bolivar in its coverage.
User notes: The collection has an introduction to the topic before the twelve documents, each briefly titled. They all have links to their original source for sharing or can be copied and downloaded for use. There is also a ‘Teaching Guide’ with discussion questions and class activities available from the document link.
Citation: Albert Robertson. “Latin American Revolutionaries.” 2016. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America. https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/latin-american-revolutionaries/sources/904.
Origin of sources: Each of the twelve sources has a ‘Cite this item’ button to view their different origins.
(1911 CE) Emiliano Zapata, ‘The Plan of Ayala,’ Mexico
Description: This document calling for the liberation of the land was principally responsible for bringing indigenous peasants into the Mexican Revolution. Zapata announced it in southern Mexico but its influence spread as the civil war evolved and even after his assassination in 1919.
User notes: Primary document along with comprehensive explanation and analysis by David Conrad Johnson.
Citation: Johnson, David Conrad. “Emiliano Zapata’s Plan of Ayala: Document Text.” Edited by Brian Bonhomme & Cathleen Boivin. Milestone Documents in World History. Salem, 2010. Online.salempress.com.
(1900s CE) ‘The Panama Canal,’ assorted sources
Description: This is a collection of primary sources illustrating the building of the canal through contemporary cartoons, photographs, postcards and a short newsreel. It emphasizes the role of the U.S. and its imperialistic goals in its construction.
User notes: The collection has a full introduction to the topic before the fifteen sources, each briefly titled. They all have links to their original source for sharing or can be copied and downloaded for use. There is also a ‘Teaching Guide’ with discussion questions and class activities available from the document link.
Citation: Franky Abbott. “The Panama Canal.” 2015. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America. https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-panama-canal/sources/208?order=chronology_asc.
Origin of sources: Each of the fifteen sources has a ‘Cite this item’ button to view their different origins.