Step 4: Put It All Together

Now, take a step back and try to explain the big picture. Remember to use specific examples from the chapter in your answers.

Click here to download the exercise for Step 4 in MS Word.

EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES

  • How did geography and climate shape migration and settlement patterns in the Americas?
  • How did the Olmec help lay the foundation for later Mesoamerican societies?
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THE CLASSICAL ERA

  • How did trade link the societies of the Americas during the classical era?
  • Compare and contrast the classical societies of Mesoamerica and North America. How would you explain the similarities and differences you note?
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AZTEC AND INCA EMPIRES

  • Compare and contrast the imperial expansion of the Aztecs and the Incas. What factors created pressure for continued expansion in each empire?
  • Compare and contrast imperial government in the Aztec and Inca empires. How did each empire control subject peoples and exploit their labor and resources?
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LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD

  • What important similarities are there between the histories of the Western and Eastern Hemispheres prior to 1500? How would you account for these similarities?
  • How might European conquest and colonization of the Americas after 1500 have shaped our view of the civilizations of the Americas as they existed prior to 1500?
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