Consider what you have learned from the textbook about the development of early civilizations in the Americas. Then answer the f
ollowing questions: What geographic conditions do you think made for a successful civilization? What geographic conditions posed the greatest challenge for early civilizations? For each question, provide at least two examples and pieces of evidence to support your ideas.
ANSWER 1: The Geographical conditions needed to build a successful civilization are: sources of water, land which are appropriate for cultivation, climatic condition to survive. This is necessary because the residents of the civilization will be able to farm food for themselves if not they depend on killing animals. Water is an essential item in order for any living organism to survive which is why a source of water is necessary for drinking purposes at the least. Such successful civilizations were Indus Valley Civilization, Egyptian Civilization etc. Both the civilizations were built around a river which became a source of water for the residents.
ANSWER 2: The geographical conditions which posed the greatest challenge for early civilizations were: Unsuitable climatic condition to live, not enough sources of water and barren or desert land. There are old civilizations which were once a thriving place but still went extinct due to lack of these basic supports. For example, the Khmer Empire of Cambodia is an example of how a civilization can end if there are no proper sources of water. The empire had a vast and well planned structure of waterways and reservoirs though in 15th century, the over-exploitation of nature caused water crisis which eventually led to the collapse. Another example is the Norse Viking settlement of Greenland where the people were forced to leave their land as a mini ice age began and it was not anymore suitable to live.
"The initial purpose for building the canal was to shorten the distance ships had to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean." - www.worldatlas.com
James Watt (1736 – 1819) improved Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine. Wat designed his own steam engine in 1776, with a separate condenser that eluded waste of energy, improving the power and efficiency of steam engines. It became key to the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain and all around of the world.
Who led the American forces against New Mexico in the Mexican War?
At that time, only about 75,000 Mexican citizens lived north of the Rio Grande. As a result, U.S. forces led by Col. Stephen W. Kearny and Commodore Robert F.
