A New World.

The arrival of Europeans meant the eventual destruction of most traditional Indian economies, but the devastation was not inevitable or immediate. Natives adopted certain European plants, animals, and technologies into their older economic structures; in fact, some nations flourished for a time by embracing such Old World animals as the horse. Indeed, adjustment to the natural world and to European invasion was common throughout the continent. Yet, for those groups that survived the European onslaught, the shift from economic self-sufficiency to reliance on outsiders, including the federal government, ultimately undermined both their traditional and newly adopted economies.

Technology.

Native Americans had dynamic economies even before the Europeans arrived, but the pace of change quickened after 1500. The introduction and selective adoption of plants, animals, and technology from the Europeans played an important role in their ability to survive...