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State Building in the Americas

Teacher Resources

Driving Question: How did states in the Americas develop and why did they change over time?

Afro-Eurasia wasn’t the only place where stuff was happening from 1200 to 1450. That’s probably pretty obvious to you, considering there’s a whole other hemisphere out there! As you make your way through the history of the Americas, you’ll notice some big differences between societies in those two geographic areas. But there were also many similarities.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Explain how states in the Americas developed.
  2. Describe how states in the Americas changed over time.
  3. Use close-reading strategies to examine the development of states in the Americas.
  4. Use change over time skills to evaluate the development of societies in the Americas.

Vocab Terms:

  • continuity
  • evidence
  • narrative
  • perspective
  • polytheistic
  • tribute
STEP 2

The Americas 1200–1450

Many diverse and advanced civilizations existed in the Americas well before the arrival of Europeans around the end of this period. In this article you will explore some of these societies to analyze the similarities and differences between them—and you may see commonality with other civilizations you have studied in this unit!

STEP 3

Pre-Colonial Caribbean

The Caribbean region became an epicenter of globalization in the post-1492 world—but what was life like for the Indigenous people of this region before then? And how did their migratory patterns affect the Caribbean?

Pre-Colonial Caribbean External link

Vibrant networks of exchange connected the islands of the Caribbean since c. 5000 BCE. So why do we usually only hear about this region starting in 1492 CE?

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 4

Long-Distance Trade in the Americas

Trade and trade routes have been an important part of our story thus far. This importance is still evidence in our studies of the Americas c. 1200–1450 CE. But how much do we really know about trade in the Aztec Empire during this time?

STEP 5

Communities of Movement

People are used to origin stories as they relate to superhero movies, such as Superman or Batman. But did you know that Ancestral Pueblo origin stories existed well before blockbuster films?

Communities of Movement External link

The Ancestral Pueblo built large, complex agricultural societies across the Colorado Plateau. Their farming communities relied on repeated migrations.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 6

Closer: State Building in the Americas

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. What about poetic imagery? A picture painted with words may be worth just as much!