Individuals have always found ways to improve communities. Going back to the middle ages, people created alliances to join forces against other countries. Most people in those alliances had set roles since they were conceived. Identity was not a choice back in the 1500's, because the community defined who you are. John Hewitt describes communities during the past and the present. He explains, “Communities of the past were in many respects self-sufficient entities." Self-sufficient communities rarely associated themselves with people outside their community. In the modern world, Hewitt explains that there are, “Many communities, few of which are economically self-sufficient, and most of which are dependent on other communities and on the society as a whole.” He puts forth facts to describe that the modern communities are much different compared to the previous self-sufficient communities. However, Smallman and Brown discuss the community in a different perspective. They focus on nations’ history to describe how the society has developed. As apposed to Hewitt’s description of a person in a community, Smallman and Brown state that the world is made up of separate societies, that connect to share their views. Therefore, they all have similar thoughts about the community as a whole, but are different in the way they present their community. In the text, “Person in Modern Society,” and, “Introduction to International and Global Studies”, Hewitt, Smallman, and Brown both agree that communities are depend on one another. Hewitt presents the person as one who, “must work outside the neighborhood and interact frequently with strangers.” The explanation of working outside your community, brings about a huge characteristic of being interdependent. Also, Smallman and Brown agree on the explanation, but position it at the more global level of society. They described that, “the Portuguese turned to African slaves as the main