• Compare and Contrast the Mesoamerican civilizations, the North American civilizations, and Caribbean Islanders. 
• Describe the geographical necessities when developing large population clusters.
• Describe the impact of religion in developing and maintaining societies in the Americas.
• Describe how commerce and conversion in Europe encouraged exploration into the Americas.
• Analyze the impact of religious conflict (Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam) on the social authorities of Europe.
• Explain how technological inventions encouraged exploration and conquest.
• Compare and contrast Muslim slavery to European indentured servitude.
• Describe the major West African kingdoms religions, political structure, and family structure.
• Explain the role of slavery in West African Kingdoms and the Islamic Empire.

Many of these text books are similar, but each has it's own style.  Find the one that you like the best, with the exception of the last one, which is the only text that tells about West Africa. 

Openstax US History

• Chapter 1 The Americas, Europe, and Africa Before 1492

The American Yawp-

• Chapter 1 The New World

• Chapter 3: British North America

History in the Making: A History of the People of the United States of America to 1877 –

• Chapter 1 
• Chapter 2 

Boundless U.S. History –

• Chapter 1 – Ancient America Before 1492

• Chapter 2 – European Encounters with the New World

U. S. History

• West African Society at the Point of contact

Exploring the Early Americas - (Library of Congress Exhibit)

The Cultures and History of the Americas: The Jay I. Kislak Collection at the Library of Congress

The Black Legend, Native Americans, and Spaniards Crash Course U.S. History # 1

West Africa and the Role of Slavery http://www.pbs.org/wonders/Episodes/Epi3/slave_2.htm https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/songhai-empire-ca-1375-1591/

Archive of Early American Images

Cahokia Mounds

Exploring the Early Americas

1. ​​​​​​Compare and Contrast the Mesoamerican civilizations, the North American civilizations, and Caribbean Islanders. 
2. Describe the geographical necessities when developing large population clusters.
3. Describe the impact of religion in developing and maintaining societies in the Americas.

1. ​​​​​Describe how commerce and conversion in Europe encouraged exploration into the Americas.
2. Analyze the impact of religious conflict (Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam) on the social authorities of Europe.
3. Explain how technological inventions encouraged exploration and conquest.

1. ​​​​​​​Compare and contrast Muslim slavery to European indentured servitude.
2. Describe the major West African kingdoms religions, political structure, and family structure.

Aztecs: Native American empire that controlled present-day Mexico through a system of trade and tribute, until 1521, when they were conquered by Spanish Hernán Cortés.

chinampas:  "floating islands" utilized for intensive agricultural production.

conquistadors: people from Spain who conquered the Aztecs that came to America because of its riches and to convert people to Christianity

Incas: Highly advanced South American civilization that developed sophisticated agricultural techniques in present-day Peru until they were conquered by Spanish forces under Francisco Pizarro in 1532.

Maya: A Mesoamerican civilization noted for its sophisticated and highly developed writing system that encompassed southeastern Mexico, all of Guatemala and Belize, and the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador.

Reconquista: Spain's effort to take back its land from the Moors; it lasted about 800 years from 711 to 1492

quipu: an arrangement of knotted strings on a cord, used by the Inca to record numerical information.

Arrange students into small groups. Have each group create a chart similar to the following

Each group of students should list the types of each for each people group. For example, religion for the Native Americans, West Africans, and Europeans, to compare similarities and differences between each people group.