History Exam #1 Flashcards
Where did the first settlers in North America come from?
From Across the Bering Land bridge between Asia and North America
What conditions allowed people to migrate from Asia to North America?
The last ice age lowered sea levels and exposed parts of the sea floor to the surface
What was the Bering Land Bridge?
A strip of land that connected Asia and North America
What most likely motivated people to cross the Bering Land Bridge?
The search for resources and animals to hunt.
Which American Empire was located on the Pacific Coast of South America?
The Incas
What was the basis of the Incan Empire? Did they improve their Environment or make it easier to move trade across their territory?
The Empire was based on Trade and they created roads to make that trade easier
When was the Mayan Empire founded and where?
The Mayans were located in the Yucatan Peninsula and were founded around 2000 B.C.
What happened to the Mayan Empire?
The empire collapsed under mysterious circumstances, probably due to civil war or disease
Where was the Aztec Empire located?
Central Mexico
Were all of the people living in the Aztec empire Aztecs?
No. the Aztecs conquered tribes around their empire and forced them into the empire
Were there any Empires in North America before the arrival of Europeans?
No
To which Empire did Spain previously belong?
The Roman Empire
Which Group moved into rule the Spanish area of what had been the Roman Empire?
The Visigoths
What was the goal of the Christian Kingdoms that came to rule Spain?
To become the new Roman empire
Why would European kingdoms no longer lend the Spanish kingdoms money?
The wars being fought between rival Spanish kingdoms never seemed to end
What Religion became dominant in North Africa during the 7th Century?
Islam
What institution was the unifying factor in Europe following the end of the Roman Empire?
The Catholic Church
Who invaded Spain in the 8th Century A.D.?
North African Kingdoms
What is the Reconquista and approximately how long did it last?
8 centuries
Who was Spain’s main ally in the Reconquista?
The Catholic Church
Which two royal houses united the Spanish Crown?
Aragon and Castille
Which nation emerged as a rival to Spain, mainly based on its exclusive trade routes?
Portugal
What trade goods were being sought from Asia?
Silks, Spices and Jewels
How did the African Slave trade begin?
The Portuguese began to trade their African partners for prisoners of war
What was Spain’s solution to the monopoly given to Portugal?
To sail west across the Atlantic ocean
Where did Columbus think that he’d landed when he arrived in the Western Hemisphere?
Somewhere near India
Did Columbus find the trade goods he was looking for when he came to North America?
No
What did Columbus try to market as a good when he returned to Europe?
Native American Slaves
What was the major target for Spain in the early years of the American Conquest?
Cuba
Who was Hernan Cortes and why did he come to the West?
A conquistador who hoped to secure land and titles for himself in Cuba
Who ordered Cortes to invade the Aztec Empire?
No one. He defied orders to do so.
Who was Emperor of the Aztecs when Cortes arrived?
Montezuma
How did Cortes defeat the Aztecs?
With Native American allies and diseases
What is the Columbian Exchange?
The exchange of diseases, plants and animals between the old and new worlds
Are Horses Native to the New World?
No
Where did the French establish their settlements in North America?
Modern day Canada, far to the north of the Spanish holdings in North America
Why were the English considered enemies of the French and Spanish?
The English were protestant and had fought wars against Catholic France and Spain
What is the Protestant Reformation?
A period in which the supremacy of the catholic church was challenged and reforms were pushed on the way Christianity functioned
Who established the Church of England?
Henry VIII
Which English monarch is Virginia named after?
Elizabeth I
Why was Roanoke established?
As a military base to raid French and Spanish shipping in the Atlantic
What happened to Roanoke?
The settlers disappeared after a lengthy absence of resupply ships
How was Jamestown financed?
By investors, including James I, in a joint stock company
What were some of the problems faced by the colony of Jamestown?
The ground was unsuitable for agriculture, disease was rampant and the settlers didn’t know how to survive in the wilderness
Who is credited with “saving” Jamestown?
John Smith, a mercenary
What was the nature of the relationship between Pocahontas and John Smith?
There was no real relationship, other than possible contact during native American rituals
Who introduced the idea of cash crops to the Jamestown settlement?
John Rolfe
What was the first profitable cash crop for the English?
Tobacco
What did the English Separatists want?
To have the Church and State be separated from one another In the church of England
Where did the Separatists initially try to move?
Holland
Why did the English king want the Separatists to settle in what is today Massachusetts?
It was far from Jamestown and England, and the Separatists could keep and eye on the French in Canada
Who settled in Massachusetts bay?
Puritans
What did the Puritans believe?
They wanted to “purify” the church of England of Catholic influence
Maryland was founded as a colony for whom?
English Catholics
Who was the founder of the Colony of Maryland?
Baron of Baltimore
What started the English Civil War?
King Charles I wanted more power and wanted to dissolve Parliament
Which English King was executed following a loss in the English Civil War?
Charles I
Who ruled over the English Protectorate following the death of Charles I?
Oliver Cromwell
What is the English Restoration?
After Cromwell’s death, the English people decided to restore the house of Stuart to the Throne of England
Which Monarch took the throne after the Restoration?
Charles II
What did William Penn ask for as a favor from the Crown following the restoration?
He wanted his own colony
What was the main idea behind the founding of Pennsylvania?
Religious tolerance for all faiths
