The author Robert D. Kaplan emphasizes that the decline of indigenous peoples in America was not solely due to external forces like greed or disease. Instead, he argues that it was the introduction of manufactured goods from a dominant culture that truly undermined their way of life. Items such as guns, textiles, and iron products created dependencies that transformed their traditional societies.

This dependency on foreign goods led to a significant shift in their lifestyles and ultimately contributed to their destruction. The allure and necessity of these new products made it difficult for them to maintain their ancestral practices and autonomy, highlighting the profound impact of industrialization on indigenous communities.