Unit 2 Flashcards
What was France’s initial motivation for exploring the Americas in 1524?
To find a water route to Asia for trade.
Who established the first permanent French settlement in 1608?
Samuel de Champlain in Quebec.
What was the primary French interest in the Americas?
Trade (fish and fur) rather than conquest.
What colony did the Dutch establish, and what was its main economic purpose?
New Amsterdam (later New York), serving as a trading hub.
Why did the British colonize the Americas?
Economic hardship, declining wealth of nobles, and religious freedom.
What crop saved the Chesapeake colony of Jamestown?
Tobacco.
What was Bacon’s Rebellion, and why did it occur?
A 1676 uprising against native raids and Governor Berkeley’s neglect, highlighting tensions between settlers and elites.
Why did New England colonists primarily come to America?
For religious freedom and to establish a farming-based family life.
What was the primary crop in the British West Indies, and what labor was used?
Sugarcane, cultivated by enslaved Africans.
What made the Middle Colonies economically distinct?
Their export-oriented economy and religious tolerance (e.g., Pennsylvania founded by William Penn).
What was the Triangular Trade?
A trade system where rum was traded for slaves, who were then sold for sugar, which was used to make more rum.
What was the purpose of the Navigation Acts?
To restrict colonial trade to benefit England’s economy.
How did the Spanish treat Native Americans compared to the British?
The Spanish subjugated and enslaved natives, while the British often expelled them.
What was the Pueblo Revolt of 1610?
A Native American uprising against Spanish rule, temporarily expelling the Spanish from the region.
What was Metacom’s War (King Philip’s War)?
A conflict between Native Americans and English settlers over land encroachment.