Instructions: In a group research and explain the answer to the following question: How can

the examination of the past inform us about our present lives and what our responsibility is
toward one another?
You are to:
1) Use credible sources that will help to explain your groups position.
2) Create a presentation that included historical events, current events, as well as
rationale and reasoning. Literature
3) The answer to the question
The presentation should be at least 8 slides long. Upon completing the presentation, you will
independently use the information within your presentation to write a 4 paragraph essay
explaining the answer.

The assessment is in two parts. You will be graded on your presentation, and how you verbally
present the information. You will be assessed on the essay. The essay will be graded using the
expository rubric. The presentation will be assessed using the rubric below.

Criteria

Distinguished 12

Basic 8

Falls Below 4

Presentation

The presentation
The presentation
completely and totally attempts to answer
answers the question, the question
using history,
literature, and current
events.

The presentation
does not answer the
question

Credibility

The websites are

credible.

Some websites are

credible

Did not consult

credible websites

Verbal presentation
of information

Presentation is
engaging,
accurate,and
responsibility is
shared among the
group

Presentation is basic,
and does not engage
the group.
Responsibility is not
shared.

Does not meet

expectations

Total Score

Historys Influence:

/36

History is all we are today. We are who we are today because of our history, and everything soon to come
will result because of history as well. Thereby,because history is what defines us, we can derive what it
means to be alive today in respect to the past, and what our responsibility to others is.
Although, it is hard to separate history, mans history can be separated into the ancient, medieval, and
modern era, with everything before that being prehistory. Ancient history begins from the first forms of
communication which is somewhere circa 3600 BCE with the Sumerian Civilization and ends with the
onset of the Medieval Era; overall this period spans for about 4,000 years, making it the largest part of
history by these means. Continuing, Medieval history also referred to as Post-classical history spans from
200 CE to 1500 CE. Lastly, Modern history revolves around contemporary time, meaning events that
directly impact us, given that events in the past impact something else, which subsequently affects us
today. By analyzing these parts of history we can consequently learn what our responsibility as humans is
towards other and ultimately who we are today because of our history.
Primarily, ancient history is the grandest part of our history and is what affects us the most today directly
or indirectly The new technologies and ideas that were roaming the Earth at the time are either: still used
today or have inspired the creation of other things, that we use today. Every civilization, empire, or group
had affected our world and some way, however the most prominent of those had the most profound effect
in history. Civilizations like the Sumerians and the Egyptians, and empires like the Mauryan and the
Greek(Macedonian), as well as the Qin Dynasty are all examples of the stronger groups during the
time.These groups were all alive at one point, and although they died, their influence on the world can
seen be found from their art and literature, their architecture, maths and sciences, to fundamentally their
ideas. The Sumerians are accredited to be the first civilization on Earth(as far as our knowledge) and have
thereby affected our world today in numerous ways, some of which allude most people. When you think
of people living together what do you think of states, countries, cities. Whatever comes to your mind
when you imagine people living together, all of those types of living are branches of a tree that was
grown from the Sumerians being the first civilization. Being the first civilization of Earth, opened an
entire new world in regard to the way people lived. People went from living in groups, to living in bigger
groups, which sounds rudimentary to describe grand civilizations and powerful empires, but anatomically
that is what a civilization or empire really is, along with more complex organization. Because of the first
civilization, we now have countries and states, and separation allowing growth and diversity.
Additionally, although being the first civilization is an achievement by itself the Sumerians also had
multiple other accrediments to go with it.Just as noteworthy as being the first civilization, the people of
Sumer invented the first known form of communication, which they called cuneiform and it would
revolutionize the entire world. Their first form of communication is what eventually led the world to other
forms of communication and all the advances with it. The telephone and simple writing are things we all
use today and evidently it stemmed from the Sumerians. According to Carson Newman University, , The
first known system of writing is Sumerian cuneiform, which dates back to c. 3300 BCE(paragraph 2).
This proves the notion, that as of right now the Sumerians are the ones, to thank for all the
communication we have today. Aside from the two chief attainments of the Sumerians, they also had
many accomplishments that ultimately make the lives of people easier such as the wheel, the plow, the
water clock, and the abacus. All of which would help the people of the empire and all around globe live
their lives a little simpler. Lastly, one of the Sumers other big achievements was their use of base 60, or
sexigesimal in mathematics. This is the cause of every hour to have 60 minutes, and every minute to have
60 seconds today. In summation, the Sumerians greatly revamped the world with their numerous
achievements, however, there are many civilizations that either built upon this foundation, or created their
own; nevertheless the Sumerians were one of the greatest influences on the modern world.

Furthermore, after the Sumerians there was the uprising of the Greek Empire where the sciences and the
mathematics flourished, as well as philosophy(although they were also a strong military force as well).
This, fundamentally, was the Enlightenment of mathematics and science and philosophy as these three
subjects were greatly enhanced during this time. It also set the course for it to evolve to what it has
become today. In mathematics, new theorems and postulates and branches of mathematics were
discovered. With Archimedes, Euclid, and Pythagoras and other brilliant mathematicians, Herons
formula, Zenos paradox, as well as the Diophantine equation were created. Things that are all referred to
and used today, thus affecting us greatly seeing as how these topics being of great importance. As stated
by Story of Mathematics a website dedicated to explaining the growth and dev
elopment and the origination of modern mathematics, It was the Greeks who first grappled with the idea
of infinity, such as described in the well-known paradoxes attributed to the philosopher
Zeno(paragraph 5). This shows that the Greeks created new ideas like Zenos paradox that although
we created a long time ago, still baffles the great mathematicians and philosophers alike today.
Fundamentally, Zenos paradox answers the question, Can an infinite sum have a solution?.
Surprisingly, it can! One way to put it is to imagine the clapping of two hands. Lets say that to move your
hands from point A to B(the other hand) you have to move half the distance every way. So if the distance
is two away: 1+ + + and so on. So theoretically this sum cannot have a solution, however by taking
half of the sum and subtracting it from the original and solving, unexpectedly the result is two.
Additionally, this paradox, once answered, has been very crucial to explaining our universe. Using this
summation:
n

k=n(n+1)/2 the dimensions of string theory can be derived, and string theory is a notion that is

n=0

an attempt to describe our universe. Thereby, the mathematics of the past has a profound impact on
todays math and sciences. Furthermore, in regard to science, things like the Archimedes's principle
which deals with buoyancy was formulated. A concept that people still use today to determine the
buoyancy of an objectAnd in philosophy some of the first ideas of judgement and trial, human reason and
distinctiveness, and democracy were thought of by philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates.
Which influenced philosophy later on in the medieval era as well as ideas and events in the modern era.
Today our convictions on republican and democratic governments and our perception about us as human
beings and what it means to be human, stems from these Greek philosophers that although lived in the
past still shape us today. Ultimately, the Greek Empire as well as every other empire and civilization of
the Ancient Era influence us today.
Continuing, after the Ancient Era, there was the Medieval Era with other unique innovations and
revamping to the already established foundation of the Ancient Era. For example, the first epic poem
called Beowulf was written during this time. This new epic poem revolutionized the literary world with a
new form of writing, one that many people took up. Additionally, the ideas expressed in this poem also
influenced today as well. The plot of the story was the basis for numerous famous stories such as the
Harry Potter books as well as the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. As stated by The National Endowment for the
Humanities, ...epic poem Beowulf flourished from the sixth century CE until the Norman Conquest.
But its influence persists today in many contemporary fantasy works of which J. R. R. Tolkiens Lord of
the Rings trilogy and J. K. Rowlings wildly popular Harry Potter series are perhaps the most
recognizable(paragraph 1). This shows that Beowulf has influenced the modern world greatly giving it
a new form of literature. There were also many other events that influence the modern world greatly as
well such as the Crusades and the fall of the Roman Empire; both of which have influences that can be
seen widely today.

Although, events of the Ancient Era and the Medieval Era influence us greatly(perhaps even the most),
events and ideas of the nearer past influence us as well; the Modern Era. Events in the Modern part of
history deal with contemporary history, or things that influence directly today. Occurrences such as the
invention of the telephone and WWII all fit under this category and affected our present world greatly.
The invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell, founded with the foundation set by the people
of the past, is what set the way for all modern communication included cell phones and email and
anything of the sort. And WWII was one of the greatest wars fought, especially for the United States, and
it ultimately affected our present world by introducing new technologies and inventions, as well as uniting
the people of the United States. These new technologies led up to what we have today, and the ideas of
unity that were formed are what make this country as well as other countries around the world work
effectively. To substantiate, The University of British Columbia notes the following about the creation of
the telephone, , The invention of the telephone lead to development of city centers, office buildings and
the concept of an urban worker society. It has lead to the creation and destruction of jobs. The need for
positions such as messenger boys, telegraphers and, ironically, operators (paragraph 3). This proves
that the telephone affects us greatly, some in ways many people would be oblivious to. As for current
events of the 21st century, school shootings and the Boston Marathon bombing has subsequently led to
increased security in the NFL and in schools, and also led to the peoples better awareness of such danger.
It has already been established many times now that our history affects us greatly today, but how does our
history teach what our responsibility is to others? In actuality there is no one answer similar to many
things in life, however based on our history one of our responsibilities to others is to learn from our
history. To learn of the good things to improve our future and help all those in it, and learn about the bad
things in order to prevent such horrors to be repeated for the good of the people that live amongst you. By
learning about your history, you ultimately have the ability to help others which is the reason that
studying your history is a responsibility not necessarily towards others, but for others. Another example of
a responsibility towards others would be to not lie unless it is for the good of the people, because there
have been multiple accounts in history where lying and other things similar have caused great conflicts.
In conclusion, all parts of history:ancient, medieval, and modern, as well as prehistory affect and
influence the world today and the people living in it, directly and indirectly. One such way it affects us is
teaching our responsibility to others, which is to learn from history in order to better the lives of yourself
and everyone around you. This history that teaches us so much, is what defines us as a society and as a
person, and ultimately determines who you are, what you are going to do, and overall how you will
continue history. And this is the reason is why by examining our history we can learn about our present
lives as well as why history is the greatest teacher.