Traditionally, u. s. history surveys begin the narrative of the nation’s past with early new england. told from this perspective, the cultural, political, economic, and religious values of puritan settlers become formative in the development of the values and aspirations of the nation-state. however, the textbook for this course and our lecture and class discussions began with a detailed discussion of european, native american, and african civilizations. why is it important to begin u. s. history here? how does studying the histories of these three parts of the world you understand their contributions to american history and the evolution of the nation?