Answer the below while watching the

`America before Columbus’ Documentary

Historians often view people and events through the lenses/categories of Political History, Social History and
Economic History:

1. Political - government, leaders, law, voting, type of government, war…

2. Economic - Money, Depressions, Trade, Economic Collapse/Bankruptcy, Economic System,
Capitalism, Communism, Taxes…
3. Social - People, Religion, Education, Culture, Food, Music, Media, Language...

As you watch the documentary, make study notes listing details of the 3 categories of historical information for
the following groups:

(if you’d rather read, the full transcript can be found here: https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/2019/02/03/america-
before-columbus-2009-transcript/ )

Mississippians
Political:
-
Economic:
-
Social:
-

Inca
Political:
-
Economic:
-
Social:
-

Anasazi
Political:
-
Economic:
-
Social:

Europeans
Political:
-
Economic:
-

Social:
-

Powhatan
Political:
-
Economic:
-
-
Social:
-

Additional Questions:

1. What was smallpox and why is it important to understanding American history?

2. Explain the Columbian Exchange - what was it, how did it impact groups of people involved?

3. Which factors motivated Europeans to travel to the Americas?

4. How would you characterize the interactions between Indigenous peoples and Europeans?