Aron said 3/2...

Today in class we learned about the presence and effects of opium in global history.The existence of opium can be dated back to 3400 BCE. It was originated in the fertile crescent and was used by the sumerians and syrians. They smoked it and used it for realigous purposes. OPium is a calming drug. The british discovered opium from India and used it for medication such as cough syrup and for aching childs tooth aches. However smoking it was not permitted. However, they traded the majority of their opium to china. In China, there was underground opium dens. The chimese saw opium as a calmer, that it gave strength, and confidence. Many people became addicted and it would take over their lifestyles.The chinese government did not want Opium in their country.Tse-hsu of china sent a letter to Queen Victoria expressing his dismay with them selling opium to their country because all it does is hurt them. However it was never outlawed and the british would even smugglew it in through restricted ports to increase the opium circulation in China. From 1839-1842 a series of wars called the opium wars were fought between china and Britain. This was due to the opium epidemic in China. However, it was a useless gesture by the chinese because their ships and weaponry were no match to that of the birish navies. However before the end of the wars the grand canal was destroyed which made a huige blow on chinas economy. Eventially the war was ended by the Treaty of Nanjing which china was not present for the writing and signing of. China considered it the unequal treaty.The next person to blog will be Alex.

Aron