1A2 - Early Growth of United States

Question 1

What was important about Christopher Columbus?

Map of Columbus’s travels.

Answer 1

1. He was one of the first Europeans to land in the “New World” in 1492.
2. He thought he had landed in India, which led to the region being called the West Indies.

Question 2

Which modern day regions did Spain control?

Answer 2

• Most of present day Central and South America.
• Modern-day Western United States.
• Mexico.

Question 3

Why was Hernan Cortes important?

Answer 3

In 1519, he invaded the Aztec empire and took present-day Mexico as a Spanish colony.

Question 4

Which countries owned territories that surrounded the original 13 American colonies?

Answer 4

• Great Britain
• France
• Spain

Question 5

What did the American colonists learn from Spain and England in terms of creating an economy?

Answer 5

Utilize slave labor to harvest raw materials.

Question 6

What types of animals brought by Europeans made an impact on the Americas?

Answer 6

• horses
• cattle
• sheep
• pigs

Question 7

Which group of settlers from England were devoutly religious?

Answer 7

Puritans

Question 8

What was the original name of New York?

Answer 8

New Amsterdam

New Amsterdam was founded by the Dutch in 1624, at the southern tip of the island now known as Manhattan. The city quickly became a thriving center of trade and commerce. In 1664, an English military expedition captured the city and renamed it New York.

Question 9

Which empire founded the New Amsterdam colony?

Answer 9

The Dutch

Question 10

Which group of Catholic priests from France were a part of France’s colonization efforts?

Answer 10

The Jesuits

These missionaries were members of the Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits, a religious organization dedicated to spreading Catholicism and opposing Protestantism.

Question 11

In which parts of the United States today can we see French influence?

Answer 11

Louisiana and Maine

Question 12

Name 3 ways Native American daily life changed after Europeans invaded their land.

Answer 12

1. European tools and ways of living flooded native communities.
2. New weapons.
3. Loss of land.

Question 13

What were two of the most important products produced in the English colonies?

Answer 13

1. Lumber
2. Tobacco

Question 14

How was the modern-day United States settled during the 1500s-1700s?

Answer 14

European countries competed to colonize the New World and have religious freedom.

Question 15

Explain:

Why were Europeans able to maintain settlements in America?

Answer 15

• Used abundant natural resources, such as fertile land, timber, and minerals, which supported their economies and sustained their populations.
• These resources also attracted continued investment and migration, fueling the growth of colonies.

Question 16

Where were European explorers trying to reach during the 16th century?

Answer 16

India and Asia

Question 17

Which colony had the largest number of German settlers?

Answer 17

Pennsylvania

The colony with the most German settlers was Pennsylvania. It’s home to Germantown, one of the first places where Germans settled in the U.S. Some people think that about one-third of the white people in Pennsylvania were German.

Question 18

Which colony was founded as a safe land for Catholics from England?

Answer 18

• Maryland
• Founded in 1632 by Cecil Calvert (also known as Lord Baltimore)

Question 19

What did the Appalachian Mountains provide for French and English colonists?

Answer 19

Natural barrier protecting different groups of colonies from each other.

Question 20

What was the most destructive element that Europeans brought to the New World?

Answer 20

The spread of diseases such as smallpox.

Along the New England coast between 1616 and 1618, epidemics claimed the lives of 75% of the native people. In the 1630s, half the Huron and Iroquois around the Great Lakes died of smallpox.