Christopher Columbus
What was year Columbus wrote the journal entries?
1492.
This island, home to millions before Spanish conquest, was once called?
Hispaniola.
What was the main Crop grown in Virginia?
Tobacco.
Who did John smith mention in his book to have “saved” him?
Pocahontas
Who is Pocahontas?
Pocahontas was a Native American woman of the Powhatan people. She is known for her interactions with explorer John Smith and later married the English settler John Rolfe,
The first island Columbus and his men landed on was called?
Guanahaní (San Salvador)
What rough estimate did de la casas give of the natives who died under the Spanish occupation?
12-15 million
What happened if a slave died from their master’s “correction”?
The 1669 law allowed masters to avoid punishment if a slave died while being corrected.
Who was James Smith ?
An English explorer and early leader of the Jamestown Colony.
What was the job of Powhatan women ?
They were responsible for agriculture, household management, including preparing meals as well as making clothing.
Columbus thought the islands would be useful for finding this precious metal?
Gold.
What were the main methods used by the Spanish to control Indigenous people?
The Spanish used war, slavery, and murder to suppress leaders and populations.
What law showed that discipline and property rights were prioritized over humane treatment?
The 1668 act allowed corporal punishment of runaway servants, even though their service time was already extended.
What are some of the differences between James smith in the film “Pocahontas” and James smith in reality?
Movie: romance between Smith and Pocahontas
Reality: there was no romance
Movie: Pocahontas saves John smith,Reality: Although smith claims to have been saved by Pocahontas, historians believe it to be fabricated
Movie: Pocahontas and smith are around the same age
Reality: Pocahontas is 9-13years old, while Smith is in around his 20s.
What was the method of agriculture (harvesting/ farming)for the Powhatan people called?
“Slash and burn” the practice of growing the crops for a period of time and then burning the fields for fertilization
On October 15, Columbus named a new island this?
Santa María de la Concepción.
What happened to many Caribbean islands after Spanish conquest?
Las Casas said that entire islands, like Jamaica and Puerto Rico, were left abandoned and empty.
What legal change helped expand slavery across future generations?
This 1662 law made slavery a hereditary condition by connecting a child’s status to the mother.
Who did John Smith accuse of capturing and torturing him in his text “The Founding of Jamestown (1607)”?
Chief Powhatan
What was the relationship between the English and the Powhatan initially like?
Initially they had a mutual interest. While the English provided weapon for the Powhatan, the Powhatan provided crops. There was a sense of “peace”.
Columbus said the island was so big that it might take this many days to walk around it?
Two Days.
What motivated the Spanish to treat the Indigenous so cruelly?
The Spanish acted this way because they wanted gold and riches.
What change ensured that the children of enslaved women would remain enslaved, expanding slavery through generations?
The 1662 law tied children’s status to the mother rather than the father, breaking with English common law.
What were the biggest challenges faced by the early colonists in Jamestown? What was this time period referred to as?
Starvation
“Starving time”
What led to the end of the “peaceful” relationship between the Powhatan and the English?
One of the Powhatan people stole a weapon from the English, in retaliation the English burnt all of their crops.