The Mississippi Question
A civilization represents a new and particular type of human society, made possible by the immense productivity of the Agricultural Revolution. Sumer, Egypt, Indus, and Chinese were four river civilizations. What historians have noticed about these four river civilizations is that each one is between the 25 degrees North and 40 degrees North latitude. Historians also noticed that there is another river in this latitude, but it lacked the simple developments that formed an early civilization. This major river is the Mississippi/Missouri. The Mississippi River was absent of animal domestication which is a leading reason as to why an early civilization did not develop in this location. Even though the river lacked animal domestication it did have plant domestication, but that was not enough to sustain an early civilization.
Absence of animal domestication deeply affected the Mississippi/Missouri area. To have a civilization immense power is needed. Immense power comes from domesticated animals. Without goats, sheep, pigs, cattle, or horses, Americas people did not have good sources of protein, manure, or the strength to draw a plow or pull carts. All of these sources were available to the
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This pattern of agriculture development took place in many different locations across the Americas. It is also the reason why the Mississippi River did not develop a civilization. Plant domestication did strengthen the Mississippi/Missouri, but not enough. For example, the crop maize was able to be domesticated and reached the Mississippi River valley by 500 C.E. through diffusion, but this valley had already domesticated several minor crops, such as sunflowers. With only having minor crop domestication they lacked immense power and the many other benefits that came from having major animal