Final answer:
Maps reveal the geographical context that made Native Americans living near the Great Lakes susceptible to the Iroquois Confederacy due to proximity and strategic importance. The Iroquois, allied with the British, had a significant military reach, unlike the smaller, more autonomous tribes in the region who were less united and often used by Europeans in their own conflicts.
Step-by-step explanation:
A map can provide crucial geographical context to understand why certain Native American groups living near the Great Lakes might have been vulnerable to the Iroquois Confederacy. The Iroquois, being a powerful military and economic alliance, had territorial aspirations that spanned from modern-day Vermont to Lake Erie. Native tribes situated near the Great Lakes would be geographically within the reach of the Iroquois and might not have the necessary alliances or resources to effectively resist encroachment or military action.
In the dynamics of the time, the Iroquois had allied themselves with the British, thereby gaining additional military support. Conversely, tribes such as the Wabanaki Confederacy, which were Algonquin-speaking, allied with the French. This European backing only further drove conflict in the region, as it intensified the longstanding wars for regional control, often turning local tribes into targets or pawns in a larger geopolitical struggle for dominance and access to fur trade routes and resources.
Furthermore, since many of the groups in the Great Lakes area were autonomous and not unified, they were less able to resist larger, more centralized powers like the Iroquois. Also, European colonial activities often manipulated tribal hostilities to their own advantage, thereby exacerbating vulnerabilities and making native groups easier targets.