Great Wall Of China Essay

The Great Wall of China was first built by the Qin Dynasty. The Qin Dynasty (221 BCE- 206 BCE) won the Warring States Period in 221 BCE, a war between all the states (dynasties) in China. Qin took over the entire land of China! Once the leader, Shi Huangti, achieved this, he took down all the walls separating all the dynasties from each other, but he kept the walls in the North. He built the first 2100 miles of the Great Wall in the North to keep out the barbarians.
When he ordered the construction of the wall, around 300,000 to 400,000 died building it. People who tried to escape were beaten or executed. Also, many of the dead people were buried in the wall. Soldiers, slaves, old men, and other types of people were forced to build it! Many other dynasties built the Great Wall too!
They built more fortifications to keep out barbarians. Next was the Northern Wei Dynasty (368 AD-535 AD), who repaired and extended the wall. From 550 AD to 577 AD was the Bei Qi Dynasty, who repaired the wall, and built an extra 900 miles of it. Then came the short reign of the Sui Dynasty (581 AD-618 AD). They repaired and extended the wall a lot. Next was the Tang Dynasty (618 AD-907 AD). During its rule, the Great Wall of China lost its importance because the Tang Dynasty expanded its territory beyond it. Next was the rule of the Song Dynasty (960 AD-1274 AD). Then came the Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty (1206 AD- 1368), which controlled parts of Asia, China, and Europe. They used the Great Wall for trade routes, not for defense. The Ming Dynasty (1368 AD-1664 AD) built most of the Great Wall of China that still remains today. They built 5,000 miles of it. Lastly was the Qing Dynasty (1664 AD-1912 AD), which was the last dynasty that built the Great Wall of