10th Grade Humanities Name: _____________________________

Frontier Comparison: It’s a Small New World

Frederick Jackson Turner described a frontier as a place undergoing “social
evolution.” Evolution means development and change. This assignment asks you
to think about how the early interactions between European and Native American
people may or may not have been part of a process of social evolution.
INSTRUCTIONS: Complete the chart below with information from your work in this class over
the past few weeks. Answer the questions based on the information you write in the chart.
Frontier Hispaniola Mexico Peru Connecticut
Spanish, Columbus
Europeans

Native Mohegans,
allies Narragansett
Native Aztecs, Moctezuma
enemies
Dates 1492 1519-21 1531-32 1637

Major
events

What patterns and connections do you notice between the four frontiers above?

Do you think Cortes would believe in the idea of social evolution? Would Moctezuma? Why?

How could things be different? Can you imagine a more just and humane pattern of
conduct between Europeans and natives?