Early Exploration
What goods did Marco Polo bring back from Asia that inspired other explorers?
Salt, spices, silks, and jewels
Who believed he could reach Asia by sailing west?
Christopher Columbus
What present-day states were part of New Spain?
California, Texas, and Florida
Which colonial region had rocky soil and cold winters?
New England Colonies
What was the first document to promote self-government in the colonies?
The Mayflower Compact
What were the three main reasons Europeans explored the New World?
God, Gold, and Glory
In what year did Columbus first sail to the New World?
1492
What country established the colony of New France?
France
Which colony was founded by William Penn as a safe place for Quakers?
Pennsylvania
What was the first representative legislature in the colonies?
The Virginia House of Burgesses
Why was traveling by water faster than land during the time of early exploration?
Water routes avoided land obstacles like mountains and deserts
What name did Columbus give to the people he met in the New World, thinking he had reached Asia?
Indians
What was New Netherlands later renamed after being taken over by the British?
New York
What kind of farms were common in the Middle Colonies?
Average-sized farms that grew grains like wheat, barley, and oats
What was salutary neglect?
A British policy of allowing colonies to govern themselves
What was the goal of explorers searching for the Northwest Passage?
A quicker water route to Asia through North America
Who conquered the Aztec Empire?
Hernán Cortés
Which colony was the first permanent English settlement in the New World?
Jamestown
Which colony was founded for debtors and prisoners to start over?
Georgia
What was the name of the first written constitution in the colonies?
The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
What was the Columbian Exchange?
The transfer of plants, animals, people, ideas, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds
What empire did Francisco Pizarro conquer?
The Incan Empire
What cash crop helped Jamestown survive economically?
Tobacco
What were large Southern farms called where cash crops were grown?
How did the First Great Awakening affect political thought?
It encouraged people to challenge government authority and promote citizen-led decisions