1A1 - Impact of European Colonization

Question 1

What does the term “Old World” refer to?

Answer 1

Europe, Africa, and Asia.

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Question 2

What does the term “New World” refer to?

Answer 2

North America, South America, and the Caribbean.

Question 3

Identify:

4 major European powers that existed in the Old World

Answer 3

• Spain
• England
• France
• Portugal

Question 4

What are some of the important colonies around the world that England established?

Answer 4

• India
• Australia
• South Africa
• America

Question 5

What were 4 reasons for European exploration and colonization?

Answer 5

1. Access to natural resources.
2. Acquiring new land for colonies.
3. Spreading the Christian faith.
4. Making home countries more powerful.

Question 6

What did the phrase ‘Gold, Glory, God’ signify in the context of European exploration?

Answer 6

wealth, fame, and spreading Christianity

Question 7

What is the primary reason England began exploring the New World in the early 17th century?

Answer 7

Economic opportunities: growing valuable crops like sugar and tobacco.

While economic opportunities were a major driving force, other factors like religious freedom, political ambitions, and social pressures also played significant roles.

• Religious Freedom: To provide a haven for religious groups seeking freedom from persecution, such as the Pilgrims and Puritans.
• Trade and Commerce: To establish new trade routes and markets for English goods.
• Political and Strategic Reasons: To expand English territory and influence, and to compete with other European powers like Spain and France.
• Population Pressure: To relieve overpopulation and poverty in England by providing new land for settlement.

Question 8

What were the motivations for early English settlers in North America?

Answer 8

• Escaping religious persecution.
• Economic opportunities.

Question 9

What were the two most valuable metals in Europe that European explorers sought in the New World?

Answer 9

1. gold
2. silver

Question 10

What was the main motivation for many English settlers in North America?

Answer 10

Using the land to grow valuable crops.

Question 11

Identify:

3 main objectives of Spanish, Portuguese, and French explorers in the New World

Answer 11

1. Spreading the Catholic faith.
2. Creating trade routes and expanding their reach to gain more resources.
3. Dominating territory.

Question 12

What new foods were introduced into Europe as a result of the Columbian Exchange?

Answer 12

• Corn
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Squash

Question 13

What order of priests was formed during the Counter-Reformation to spread Catholicism in the Americas?

Answer 13

Jesuits

Question 14

What was the main reason behind the Age of Discovery?

Answer 14

Europeans wanted trade routes for silks, spices, and new crops.

Question 15

What was the significant impact of European colonization on spreading new religions to Native Americans?

Answer 15

Europeans used Christianity as a tool to dominate and take over Native communities, and make their communities serve European interests.

Question 16

How did European colonization impact race in the Americas?

Answer 16

• Created a caste system based on hierarchy.
• Gave preference to lighter skin and European features.

Spanish colonizers engaged in marriages and rape with indigenous and African women, leading to mixed races.

Question 17

What was the Columbian Exchange?

Answer 17

Inter-continental trade of food, material goods, livestock, and disease.

The exchange significantly impacted Native Americans through the introduction of new tools, diseases, and livestock.

Question 18

Describe what happened during the Crusades.

Answer 18

The Crusades were a series of violent wars led by Christian soldiers against Muslims in the Middle East.

These wars were fought for religious dominance, control of territory, and trade routes, which inspired future European colonizers to venture into the New World.

Question 19

What were the two primary challenges faced by the Jamestown colonists during their early years?

Answer 19

1. They did not plan ahead in terms of their food supplies.
2. They suffered from disease.

Question 20

Describe two disadvantages that Native Americans faced as the English began creating settlements.

Answer 20

1. They did not have access to gunpowder and muskets.
2. Exposure to diseases.

Question 21

How did slavery begin in the American colonies?

Answer 21

The first captured Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619 on a Dutch ship.

These Africans were brought by an English privateer ship that had seized them from a Portuguese slave ship. Initially treated as indentured servants, they were later subjected to a system of racial slavery that evolved through laws and customs in the colonies.

Question 22

Explain:

Importance of the Mayflower Compact

Answer 22

• First form of self-government created for the American colonists.
• Bound its members to follow laws and form a government.
• Pledged them to abide by any laws and regulations that would later be established “for the general good of the colony”.

Question 23

Describe the significance of the Puritans.

Answer 23

They fled religious persecution in England and established the Massachussets Bay Colony.

Question 24

How did Bacon’s Rebellion impact the Virginia colony?

Answer 24

1. Failed to overturn the established order in the colony.
2. The population of African slaves multiplied, while that of white immigrants slowed.
3. Racial unity between poor and wealthy whites was defined as the slave population grew.
4. Racial distinctions became interwoven into the laws and social fabric of the colony.

Question 25

Describe the significance of the Virginia Slave Codes.

Answer 25

• Defined all slaves as real estate.
• Acquitted masters who kill slaves during punishment
• Forbid slaves and free peoples from physically assaulting white persons.
• Denied slaves the right to bear arms or move abroad without written permission.

Question 26

Why was the French and Indian War an important event leading to the American Revolution?

Answer 26

• The war provided Great Britain enormous territorial gains in North America.
• Disputes over subsequent frontier policy and paying the war’s expenses led to colonial discontent, and ultimately leading the colonists to rebel.

Question 27

What were the three key motivations for European countries to colonize the Americas?

Answer 27

1. Religion
2. Riches and wealth
3. Expansion of territory

Question 28

What was the encomienda system implemented by the Spanish?

Answer 28

A labor system in which the Spanish enslaved native people to farm and mine in the Americas.

Question 29

Define caste system.

Answer 29

A social system in which class status is determined at birth.

Question 30

What was the structure of the caste system in New Spain?

Answer 30

1. Spanish born in Spain.
2. Spanish born in the Americas.
3. Mixed race Spanish and Native American or enslaved African.
4. Native Americans and Africans.