Linking to the Past

  1. How did the legacy of ancient Americans influence their descendants’ initial encounters and subsequent economic, social, and military relations with Europeans in the sixteenth century? (See chapter 1.)

  2. Before the arrival of Europeans, Native Americans in the New World had no knowledge of Christianity, just as Europeans had no knowledge of Native American religions. To what extent did contrasting religious beliefs and assumptions influence relations among Europeans and Native Americans in the New World in the sixteenth century? (See chapter 1.)