ShmoopTube

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[ musical flourish ]

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And here's your shmoop du jour,

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brought to you by the Great Plains.

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Although, we've seen them and, trust us,

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they're more "plain" than "great."

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All right, well the introduction of European goods

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to the Great Plains affected the native population

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in all of the following ways except... what?

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All right, and here are the potential answers.

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Okay, well, what would the Native Americans

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ever have done without those thoughtful, loving, kindly Europeans?

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They were even kind enough to share their smallpox.

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That's generosity.

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But, okay, other than the spreading of disease,

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how were the Iroquois affected by their new neighbors?

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Well, what is B saying? "Expanding the territorial

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capabilities of the tribe"?

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Like how can a tribe be territorial?

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Well, yeah, Europeans introduced Native Americans

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to the horse. Well, with the suddenly improved mode of travel,

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remember the Segway still wouldn't be invented

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for a few hundred years, the Iroquois and other tribes

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could get places quicker and easier.

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Which meant they could expand their territory.

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Until the Europeans snatched it all back from them,

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of course. But, hey, it was fun while it lasted, right?

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Uh, so, keep in mind, we're looking for the answer choice

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that does not hold true.

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So let's keep looking. Well, what about C -

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increasing trade?

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Uh, well, if the horses helped them expand their territory,

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then they certainly also helped them trade

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with more distant tribes, so it can't be C.

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How about D - allowing for more effective big-game hunting?

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Ooh, once again, props to the horses.

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Naturally, it's easier to chase down your prey

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on four powerful legs than on two relatively scrawny ones.

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So hunting got the big bump, as well,

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which just leaves A - medicine.

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It's a shame, because they really could have used some.

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Especially after the white man swept in and

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infected them with all their fancy foreign viruses.

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But, uh, ah well, at least they had those horses, right?

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[ horse whinnying ]

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