This work is a fascinating history of precontact North America, presenting the facts and engaging the reader by using alternative history--what if key facts were different?--to help develop critical thinking skills. The first title in ABC-CLIO's groundbreaking series Turning Points--Actual and Alternate Histories delves into the history of North America before European contact. There is much classroom literature on Native Americans after first contact; there is little on the history before. This work fills that gap, detailing the thousands of years before Europeans arrived. Climate changes, major battles, technology, and settlement patterns--all played a part in shaping the pre-Columbian history of North America. This book takes eight key points in history, presents the facts as they happened, and examines what might have happened if there were different outcomes. Small changes can produce vastly different results; this book shows how, and engages students' critical thinking skills while teaching them basic history.