What technological advancement did Native Americans lack that hindered their progress?

The choice regarding the wheel highlights a significant technological advancement that was not utilized by Native American societies prior to European contact. The wheel, as a technology, enabled more efficient transportation and facilitated trade through the development of vehicles. In societies where the wheel was adopted, it dramatically transformed agriculture and commerce by allowing for the transport of heavier loads over greater distances and improving mobility.

The absence of this technology among many Native American tribes limited their capacity to create complex trading networks and may have hindered agricultural advancements, as the wheel plays a critical role in enhancing farming practices, especially in the usage of carts and other transport mechanisms.

In contrast, while options like the plow, gunpowder, and the compass had their own impacts, the wheel specifically represents a fundamental engineering innovation that significantly altered the dynamics of transportation and trade in societies where it was employed, emphasizing why its absence was notably impactful in the context of Native American development prior to European influence.