Early Exploration & Native Americans
Who was the Italian explorer sent by Spain who landed in the Caribbean in 1492?
Christopher Columbus
What was mainly transported across the Middle Passage from Africa to America?
What American crop became a staple food in Europe, especially in Ireland?
Potatoes
Spain’s colonies were centered on what system of land and labor?
Encomiendas/large slave plantations focused on conversion and profit
Which European nation established New Amsterdam, later renamed New York?
The Netherlands/Dutch
Which Native American group lived in longhouses and formed a confederacy of five tribes?
The Iroquois/Haudenosaunee
What goods were commonly used to purchase slaves in Africa?
Rum, guns, tobacco, etc.
Which Old World crop introduced to the Americas became a key plantation crop in the Caribbean?
Sugarcane
France established colonies mainly for what purpose?
Fur trading with Native Americans
Which European nation failed in colonizing the Delaware River but introduced the log cabin to America?
Sweden
What motivated Europeans to look for a faster route to Asia?
God, Glory, and Gold (Could also say spices, land, etc.)
What products were most commonly grown on plantations that used enslaved labor in the Americas?
Sugar, Tobacco, and Cotton (also Rice and Indigo)
Name one positive and one negative effect of the Columbian Exchange for Native Americans.
Positive: new animals for food and transportation; Negative: exposure to deadly diseases like smallpox
Which settlement founded in 1565 was the first permanent European colony in North America?
St. Augustine, Florida
Why did the Dutch struggle to attract settlers to their colonies along the Hudson River?
Few incentives to migrate; stronger opportunities elsewhere in Europe.
What similarity exists between the Iroquois Confederacy and the United States?
The Iroquois were a confederation of 5 tribes, and the US is a federation of 50 states.
Why was the Triangle Trade so profitable for Europe but devastating for Africa?
Europe gained wealth from goods and enslaved labor, while Africa lost millions of people, weakening societies and economies
How did the Columbian Exchange contribute to population growth in Europe?
Nutritious crops like potatoes and maize improved diets and reduced famine, leading to population growth
Why did French colonization result in fewer long-term settlers?
The French focused on trade, not farming communities; only enough settlers came to maintain trade posts
What weakness in Dutch colonization made it easy for the English to take over their territory in 1664?
Small population, limited military presence, and weak settlement base
Compare the goals of European explorers with the lifestyles of Native Americans. How did these differences shape early conflicts?
Europeans sought land, wealth, and conversion, this land was already occupied by Native tribes, causing conflict.
In what ways does the legacy of the Atlantic Slave Trade still impact societies in the Americas today?
Could give a number of answers, Racial inequalities and diversity, economic disparities, etc.
Why did the introduction of the horse change Native American societies, especially on the Great Plains?
It improved hunting, warfare, and mobility, creating new nomadic cultures centered around the buffalo
Compare Spain’s and France’s approaches to colonization. How did these differing strategies affect their relationships with Native Americans?
Spain imposed conversion and forced labor which led to conflict; France built trade alliances and generally friendlier relations with Native Tribes.
How did Spanish colonization impact Native American populations culturally and socially?
Forced conversions, intermarriage (mestizo culture), and the destruction of many native traditions