Chapter 1 - The First Humans Essay

Last updated over 1 year ago

1 question

Note from the author:

Follow up essay to classwork.

Instructions

Below you will see three source documents. 
Using these three documents write an essay to prove or disprove a claim.
A claim is a statement of belief. It can be true or false.
Pick one of the following claims to prove or disprove OR create your own!
Claim 1 - Humans have changed over time.
Claim 2 - There existed types of humans before us.
Claim 3 - Humans use technology to survive and adapt to new environments.

Source 1
Secondary Source
Human Evolution Interactive Timeline
https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-evolution-interactive-timeline
Click the link to view the timeline. 
Anything found in the timeline can be used as evidence for your essay.

Source 2
Primary Source
Neanderthal Composite Skeleton
Age: Between 70,000 and 60,000 years old
Species: Homo neanderthalensis
Built for the cold
Neanderthals of Europe, who had evolved by about 200,000 years ago, had to endure winter cold and even ice ages. A short, broad body shape helps to retain heat, which is useful in cold environments like those inhabited by Neanderthals. The lower arm and leg bones in this Neanderthal skeleton are short compared to the upper arm and leg bones, a feature that also reduced heat loss. This skeleton is reconstructed based on La Ferrassie 1 and Kebara 1.

Homo neanderthalensis; Skeleton
(Chip Clark, Smithsonian Institution)

Source 3
Primary Source
Photographs of William Lanne with Truganini and Bessy Clarke
Photograph Taken: 1860 CE
Species: Homo Sapien Sapien [Same as you!]
Isolated from other humans for 10,000 years.
William Lanne(y) (1835?–69), Tasmanian Aborigine, was one of John Lanne and Nabrunga's six children. Displaced from their traditional lands, the family migrated into the north-west only to be captured in 1842 and taken to Wybalenna. Both parents died and William was sent to the Orphan School in Hobart, then apprenticed to whaling ships. He formed a close relationship with Truganini and took an active interest in the Aborigines at Oyster Cove, complaining to the Colonial Secretary about their inadequate rations. On leave from his ship Runneymede in 1869, William became ill in Hobart and died. He was reputed to be the last full blood male Tasmanian Aborigine, and his body became the focus of an unseemly battle between the Royal Society and Dr WL Crowther, leading to an unauthorized exhumation of the body and the theft of remains.
William Lanne with Truganini and Bessy Clarke, 1860 (AOT, PH30/1/3645)
(https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/L/William%20Lanne.htm)

Hint: Simple World Map to show you where Tasmania is.

Source 4
Secondary Source
Global Human Journey Map
Last Updated: October 19, 2023
Once some groups of modern humans began their migration out of Africa some 60,000 years ago, they kept going until they had spread to all corners of Earth. How far and fast they went depended on climate, the pressures of population, and the invention of boats and other technologies. Less tangible qualities also sped their footsteps: imagination, adaptability, and an innate curiosity about what lay over the next hill.

Required

Write an essay to prove or disprove a claim using source documents.
Make sure your essay states a claim, uses evidence, explains evidence, and links the evidence/explanation to the claim.
Rubric (How you will be graded for this essay.)
4 - I wrote an essay with a claim, used evidence, explained evidence, and linked evidence to the claim.
3 - I wrote an essay with a claim, used evidence, and explained evidence.
2 - I wrote an essay with a claim and used evidence.
1 - I wrote an essay with a claim.
0 - I did not write an essay.

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