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Communities in West Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Driving Question: What commonalities linked societies in diverse and different regions during this period?

In this lesson, you will encounter societies in three very different regions. You’ll begin on the far western edge of Afro-Eurasia, in the Sahel region of West Africa. The Sahel is a transitional zone that lies between the Sahara Desert to the north and savannahs to the south. Amidst lucrative trade routes, empires like the Ghana Empire, Mali Empire, and Songhai Empire were able to maintain control and accumulate wealth, all while serving as centers of Islamic culture. You’ll compare these communities with those in the world’s largest ocean, the Pacific, where the island communities of Oceania were connected by vast networks of exchange and migration. In the Americas, you’ll read about diverse communities stretching from Canada in the north to the Andes Mountains in the south.

  1. Evaluate how communities were structured in West Africa, the Americas, and Oceania, identifying similarities and differences.
  2. Use graphic biographies as microhistories to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives from this time period.
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4
STEP 5
Extension Materials
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Inca Empire

The Inca Empire began as the Kingdom of Cusco. Under the leader Pachacuti, the Inca brought other groups under their tribute system. This system helped the Inca build its famous monuments and grow into a sophisticated empire with ten million residents.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
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Aztec Empire

The Aztec Empire was formed through an alliance of Tenochtitlan with other city-states in Mesoamerica. A complex system of tribute and conquest allowed this empire to dominate and build impressive architecture.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
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Pre-Colonial Caribbean

Indigenous Americans created communities in the Caribbean and established networks of exchange between islands and with the mainland. Trade goods such as jade, ceramics, shells, and teeth moved across aquatic highways.

Key Ideas

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