The most influential teacher in Chinese history.

Confucius

Discovering China - Confucius Video

Confucius came up with ideas about how to restore order to China.

Upset by disorder and people’s lack of decency, Confucius said that Chinese needed to return to ethics, or moral values.

The ideas of Confucius are known as Confucianism.

Theses are basic guidelines that Confucius thought would restore family order and social harmony:

Father should display high morals values to inspire their families. Children should respect and obey their parents. All family members should be loyal to each other.

Confucius’s ideas about government were similar to his ideas about family

Moral leadership, not laws brought order to China A king should lead by example, inspiring good behavior in all of his

subjects The lower classes would learn by following the example of their superiors.

Confucius and Society

ExamplesExplain how each historical figure and/or cultural group transformed their societies. Give two impacts on the society.

Mansa Musa

Confucius

Charlemagne

Qin Shi Huangdi

6.H.2.4 Explain the role that key historical figures and cultural groups had in transforming society.

Confucianism focuses on morality, family. Society, and government, people often think of it as philosophy or way of thinking.

Confucianism is a unique teaching that is both philosophical and religious.

Confucius believed that when people behaved well and acted morally, they were simply carrying out what heaven expected of them.

Over the centuries Confucius’s ideas about virtue, kindness, and learning became the dominant beliefs in China

Confucianism

Shi Huangdi which means “first emperor.” Shi Huangdi followed Legalist political beliefs. He created a strong government with strict laws and harsh punishments

Quin Shi Huangdi

Qin Shi Huangdi Video

Policies

Strong government with strict laws

Standard laws, writing system, money, and weight throughout China

Achievements

Unified China

Built network of roads and canals

Built irrigation system to improve farming

Built the Great Wall across northern China

Emperor Shi Huangdi Quick Facts

Mali’s most famous ruler. Under his skillful leadership, Mali reached the height of its wealth, power, and fame in 1300s.

Mansa Musa

Mansa Musa Video

Mansa’s influence, Islam spread through a large part of West Africa, gaining many new believers.

Mansa Musa also supported education

Mansa stressed the importance of learning to read the Arabic language so that Muslims in his empire could read the Qur’an.

Mansa added many important trade cities to its empire including Timbuktu.

Mansa Musa Quick Facts

Charlemagne was a brilliant warrior and strong king, and he led the Franks in building a huge empire.

Charlemagne

Charlemagne Video

To build this empire, Charlemagne spent much of his time at war.

Charlemagne, a Christian king, had conquered parts of the former Roman Empire.

On Christmas Day in 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans.

A great admirer of education, he built schools across Europe

Charlemagne brought scholars to teach these scholars were some of the greatest religious scholars and teachers of the Middle Ages.

Their teaching helped shape religious and social life in Europe for centuries.

Charlemagne Quick Facts