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Background:
Warfare has plagued human existence since prehistoric times. It has existed in form of inter- or intra-tribal warfare, religious strife, economic conflict, and full blown wars between nations. Whatever the causes leading to wars, the end result has always been the same - destruction of human life, environmental degradation, upsetting of the social order, and general chaos.
Objective:
The objective of this lesson plan is to discuss reasons why people engage in wars or battles, and what is the impact of such encounters on human life, the environment, and the social order. The Great Plains have witnessed many such phenomena, from the earliest human settlements in the region to the present. Through this lesson, students will also explore the causes and effects of warfare, over time, on the environment of the Great Plains region.
Plan:
Discuss reasons why people engage in wars or battles. Answers will vary. Some of the answers can be:
(a) The desire for more land, or more control over land resources, stemming from a strong competition for resources.
(b) Other economic reasons like control of trade, increasing the subject population for production purposes like labor for agricultural or manufacturing activities.
(c) More power wanted: the ruler and the ruled syndrome.
(d) A feeling among certain individuals or groups that their rights have been violated.
(e) Religious reasons.
(f) Freedom from oppression.
(g) To keep world peace.
Focus the discussion predominantly on the first two answers in a prehistoric context. Elaborate on these answers, bringing in issues like rising populations and the consequent increase in the demand for natural resources, pressures on agricultural production for food procurement, , breaking up of larger groups in smaller units, and the ever increasing migratory domain in search of new sources of food. The overall result could be internal strife within groups or inter-tribal warfare in a region for control of diminishing resources.
Wars, instead of settling the issue, further aggravate the problem. Destruction of both human life and the fragile ecological balance is the direct outcome of any such confrontational activity. Groups break up into smaller units, with each unit staking its claim to a piece of land. There is more pressure on the land to provide for more entities. Also, dominant groups try to increase food production. Possession of superior food resources is an indicator of material wealth, and hence, of more power. The not so powerful groups also try to increase their control of natural resources in order to come up to the level of the existing powerful groups. The result of the ensuing competition for resources is over-exploitation of the earth's limited bounties without any concern for the long-term implications of such short term needs.
Testing, Grading and Evaluation:
Students should be able to outline the effects on the environment and the living conditions if warfare is a recurring phenomenon in human existence. Some of these effects could be: migration, overpopulation in small areas, depletion of food sources and manpower to produce food, damage to land used for agriculture and horticulture, water scarcity, and depletion of raw materials needed for other manufacturing activities.
Also, have the students examine the various effects of warfare on the prehistoric populations of the Great Plains. An excellent resource to start will be the following World Wide Web page on the Internet: http://www.usd.edu/anth/epa. Click onthe Crow Creek Massacre, 1325 AD unit. Students should then compare their findings with incidents of warfare in the present and see if themes like 'competition for resources' still lead to wars and other strife. Are we destroying our environment in our pursuit for power and control.?
Primary Course: Social Studies
Applicable Grades: 4 - 10
Related Courses: History, Geography
Time Required: 1 hour
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