History Paper

HISTORY 111 – RESEARCH ESSAY ASSIGNMENT

The research essay comprises one of the most important aspects of the course and it must be based on scholarly primary and secondary sources. You must choose your essay topic from the list of questions found below. The essay must be typed, stapled, use double-spacing with one-inch margins, include page numbers and five to seven pages of text in length. It must contain (a) an introduction with a thesis statement and a brief outline of the topics or points that you will discuss in the essay to support your thesis; (b) the body of your essay that develops your argument and provides examples; and (c) a conclusion that restates your thesis, expands on its relevance and where your work fits within the historical field. It must include a title page and bibliography (i.e. not a “Works Cited” page) that lists four scholarly peer-reviewed books and/or journal articles as a minimum number of scholarly secondary sources as well as three primary sources(the primary sources are provided below as links, you can choose the other 4 secondary sources from the web). Please use the past tense consistently when writing about past events and people, remember to use transitional phrases to connect your paragraphs together and to the thesis and avoid including too many quotes, instead rely on paraphrasing (with appropriate citations) to integrate specific examples into your essay to support your argument. You may also ask me to review your essay in advance, with enough notice, to give you suggestions for improvement in terms of argument, use of sources and/or presentation.

Please proofread your paper to correct errors and consult A Pocket Guide to Writing in History1for the proper format for endnotes or footnotes and the bibliography as well as the examples found below and sample bibliography posted on Blackboard. Please use only scholarly websites for sources, thus no Wikipedia or Encyclopaedia websites and you cannot use your textbook as a source for this assignment. Please use only the Chicago Style of citation (i.e. footnotes or endnotes) for your essay and you will be severely penalized if you use any other form of citation in your essay.

PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED POWER POINTS FROM MY CLASS LECTURES TO HELP WITH THE ESSAY ON THE Qing ESSAY

 

ESSAY TOPIC:

–         

 Qing China: Why were the Manchu able to conquer Ming China and with what effects on earlymodern China?

PRIMARY SOURCES (3)

1.      

http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/ric-jour.html

2.      

http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/taiping.asp

3.       http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/china/wang_youpu_exhortations

(You will need to find 4 other secondary sources)

Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties

Introduction about the Manchu and China

The Manchu in North China and Fall of the Ming

Rise of the Manchu and Rebellion

Establishment of the Qing Dynasty and Manchu Strategy

Kangxi (K’ang Hsi) Emperor and Qianlong Emperor

Foreign affairs

Conclusion

Expansion of the Qing Dynasty 1644-1911

The Manchu and China
Manchu as an ally of the Ming dynasty in face of threats from Japanese pirates and Mongols
Manchu used their knowledge of China to help establish new dynasty
Created the Qing dynasty 1644 and controlled all of China by 1659

Manchu in North China
Descendants of the Jurchens in north China in Jin dynasty (1127-1234)
Hunters, fishermen and farmers
United in early modern period under Nurhaci (1559-1626)
Incorporated bilingual individuals in his government

Nurhaci (1559-1626), leader of the Jurchen Dynasty (Jin)

East Asia c. 1100-1235

Fall of the Ming Dynasty
Peasant rebellions
Deflation
Flooding in 1642
Smallpox epidemic in 1643
Rebel forces emerged throughout northern China in the 1630s, such as those led by Li Zicheng

Peasant Rebel Leader, Li Zicheng (1606-1645)

Rebellion
By 1635 rebel leaders controlled much of north central China
April 1644 Li’s armies in Beijing when last Ming emperor hanged himself
Response to rebels led by General Wu Sangui
Opened gates of Great Wall to let the Manchu into China

Shanhai Pass in the Great Wall of China

Establishment of the Qing Dynasty
Wu and the Manchu occupied Beijing by June 1644 at the expense of the rebels
Installation of new emperor in 1644
Pursuit of Ming loyalists
Controlled all of China by 1659

Manchu Strategy
Qing system of government
Manchu as ethnically separate group
Use of the banner system
Creation of system to work with the Chinese, but to maintain Manchu identity, in government, society and military

Manchu Banners

Kangxi Emperor (1661-1722)
Prosperous and vibrant reign
Diligent and intelligent leader
Gained control of government by 1669
Economic and cultural achievements

Qing Emperor Kangxi (r. 1661-1722) at a young age

Primary source: “The Sacred Edicts”
What values do these teachings reflect?
What is considered valuable and why?
Do these edicts reinforce the power of the Emperor?
Transmission of imperial goals and use of traditional Chinese language and concepts to solidify his position and his dynasty

Qing Emperor Kangxi (r. 1661-1722)

Foreign Affairs
Concern about the northern borders
Conflict with the Russians on the Amur river in the 1680s
The Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689):
Fixed the border between Russia and China
Regulated trade across it until 1850
Qing control of Inner Mongolia by 1691
Expansion into Tibet, Taiwan and central Asia

Emperor Kangxi on tour throughout his empire

Qianlong Emperor (1736-95)
Emperor of the Middle Kingdom
– Accomplishments
– Strategies of Rule within China
– Interaction with other groups
– Economic development
– Last great Qing Emperor

Qianlong Emperor (1736-1795)

Lord Macartney (1737-1806)

Lord Macartney’s Trade Mission
In September 1793 Lord Macartney met with the Qianlong Emperor in an effort to open up trading system in China for the benefit of Britain
He wanted special trading privileges for Britain
The Qianlong Emperor refused to change the established system since it did not benefit China

Meeting between Qianlong Emperor and Lord Macartney in 1793

International Trade:

Cohong system in Canton (Guangzhou):

– Limited interaction between Chinese merchants and foreigners
– Importance of tea, silk, porcelain
– Foreigners subject to Chinese law
– Competition for British with Spanish and Portuguese

– Massive trade deficit for British merchants

View of Canton, ca, 1750-1800 (artist unknown)

Trade problems and issues
Opium:
1810s = 26 million taels of silver going
into China
1830s = 34 million taels of silver going
out of China
Effects of opium addiction in China and role of British in opium trade

Silver Currency in China
5 tael silver saddle coin
10 tael silver drum coin

Conclusion
The Ming dynasty fell by 1644 as a result of internal and external problems
The Manchu took advantage of Ming weakness and their knowledge of China to create the Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
The Qing dynasty experienced tremendous growth and great achievements, especially during the reign of two early emperors, but threats from the west increased instability and weakened China in the nineteenth century

Ming Dynasty 1368-1644

Establishment of Ming Dynasty

Reasons for Ming Success

Ming Economy and Society

Integration with World Economy

Threats to Stability

Arrival of Europeans – explorers, merchants, missionaries

Conclusion

Ming Dynasty 1368-1644

Establishment of the Ming Dynasty
Centralized bureaucratic regime
Traditions of rule and government
Integrated society
Rejection of sinicized Mongols
Loss of mandate of heaven by Mongol rulers
Establishment of Ming dynasty by peasant, Zhu Yuanzhang

Ming Dynasty within Asia

Sources of Strength
Confucianism:
Ideology
Educational system
Family-state connection and patriarchy
Neo-Confucianism

Timeline of Chinese Philosophy through the Song Dynasty

Hongwu Emperor (r. 1368-1398)

Ming Government
Strong Emperors:
Direct involvement in government
Hongwu Emperor (r. 1368-1398) established Ming capital at Nanking (Nanjing)
Yongle Emperor (r. 1403-1425)
Troops sent into Northern Vietnam
Set up elaborate tribute system
Promoted maritime expeditions to Southeast Asia, India, the Arabian Gulf and East Africa (1403-1433) under Zheng He, but last one sent in the 1470s

Yongle Emperor (r. 1403-1425)

Importance of taxes
Population growth
Increased agricultural yield and products
Government Finances and the Economy

Ming Bureaucracy
Importance of competent officials:
Structure of government based on Tang-Song models
Grand Secretariat, Censorate, Military, etc.
Multiple levels of government
Mandarins = government officials

Elegant Gathering in the Apricot Garden, c. 1437
Artistic representation of Chinese scholar- bureaucrats in the Ming dynasty

Portrait of a Ming dynasty scholar-official of the highest rank (jinshi)

Education and Officials
Importance of scholar-officials
Civil service examination system:
Based on Confucian classics
Staffed the government bureaucracy
Elaborate and intensive system of exams

Painting that depicts the Chinese examination system

Ming Gentry
Growth in numbers and importance in Ming dynasty:
Intermediaries between government and people
Chinese gentry
Link to local politics and education
Source of stability

Social Pyramid in Imperial China

Ming Economy and Society
Increased interaction between China and the rest of the world, including Europe, by 1500
Rising demand for Chinese goods led to expansion of the economy and later to negative effects on internal affairs
Arrival of European missionaries and merchants in the sixteenth century

Integration of Ming China in the World Economy
The effect of rapid growth in textile and porcelain industries on:
Agriculture
Currency
Trade
Cities

Ming porcelain vase

Lacquer box from Ming era

Urban Life in Ming China
Increased population
Diverse urban society
Dynamic urban culture
Urban economy:
Small businesses
Factories

Trade in Ming China

Problems in Ming China
Lack of technology
Corruption
Poor harvests
Inflation – influx of silver

Spanish Silver Coins Used in China
Spanish Colonial Cob
Spanish Pillar Dollar

Arrival of Europeans to Ming China
Reasons for European exploration
Navigation around the Cape of Good Hope – Vasco da Gama (1498)
Arrival of Portuguese in China, 1513 – expelled in 1533 – right to trade in Macao, 1557
Limited contact between foreigners and Chinese

Portuguese Exploration in the Early Modern Age

Missionaries in East Asia
Franciscans – appealed to the masses
Dominicans – appealed to the masses
Jesuits, such as Matteo Ricci – appealed to the scholar-elites and gentry in China
Matteo Ricci’s career and strategy in China

Matteo Ricci dressed in traditional robes of Chinese scholar

Ricci’s Success at Court
Knowledge of science and gave gifts to the Imperial Court
Adapted Catholic Christianity to Chinese cultural traditions
Primary Source: “On Chinese Government – Selections from his Journals”
In Beijing 1601-1610 with imperial stipend
European appreciation and knowledge of Chinese culture = sinology

Conclusion
Early Ming dynasty’s sources of strength:
Confucianism; Strong emperors; Improved government finances; Competent officials; Increased role and influence of the gentry
Latter half of Ming dynasty marked by economic prosperity, but with both positive and negative effects on Chinese society
Exacerbation of internal problems
Arrival of Europeans upset balance of power and influence within East Asia