Chapter 1 - Lesson 3 - American Indian Government and Economy

What is the basic purpose of government? (page 26)

• to trade or sell raw materials or goods

• to make decisions on behalf of a group

• to answer questions and establish a religion

• to use commodities to make homes for a group

Which is the best example of an economy helping people survive? (pages 30-31)

• Some members of a group hunt seals while others make clothing from fur.

• Several groups come together in a confederacy and agree to stop fighting.

• Some members of a group eat while other members sleep.

• Several groups split from a nation and settle different areas.

How did the governments of small nomadic groups compare to the governments of an Indian confederacy? (pages 26 & 28)

• Members of small nomadic groups would vote to reach decisions, while a chief made decisions in an Indian confederacy.

• Members of small nomadic groups elected councils, while members of Indian confederacies chose advisers.

• A male member led most small nomadic groups, while councils made decisions in Indian confederacies.

• Female members led small nomadic groups and selected the councils of Indian confederacies.

Read this passage from the Iroquois Constitution. Then answer the question.

If any man or any nation outside the Five Nations shall obey the laws of the Great Peace....they may trace the Roots to the Tree and if their minds are clean and they are obedient and promise to obey the wishes of the Confederate Council, they shall be welcomed to take shelter beneath the Tree of the Long Leaves.

What is the best conclusion to draw from this part of the Iroquois Constitution? (page 28)

• The Five Nations were small groups that survived because they kept other groups out.

• The "Roots to the Tree" was the seat of power in the Iroquois Confederacy.

• The Great Peace brought all Iroquois together in one group that lived in the Tree of the Long Leaves.

• The Confederate Council was the decision-making body for all members of the Iroquois Confederacy.

Which statement best analyzes the likely economic effect when Indian groups from different environments joined a league? (pages 28-29)

• The groups exchanged different goods, and their economies grew.

• The groups shared resources, which caused their economies to shrink.

• The groups competed for resources, which caused their economies to shrink.

• The groups exchanged the same goods so their economies stayed the same.