How did environmental differences among the various regions of America shape the cultural development of pre-Columbian Indian cultures? Did these diverse civilizations have any common elements among their cultures? If so, what were they?

Discuss the impact of the Columbian exchange for residents of both the Old and New Worlds. What kinds of exchanges occurred between the explorers and the natives, and how was each side affected by these interactions? Was it possible for things to have turned out differently? If so, how?

What political, economic, and cultural factors pushed Europeans to explore beyond their borders during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries? What were the various goals of these expeditions and settlements?