Native Americans Before European Contact
What land bridge did the first Native Americans use to migrate to North America?
The Bering Land Bridge
Which country sponsored Christopher Columbus’s voyages to the Americas?
Spain
What was the first permanent English settlement in North America?
Jamestown
What two European nations fought against each other in the French and Indian War?
France and Britain
What does the phrase "No taxation without representation" mean?
Colonists believed they should not be taxed by the British government unless they had representatives in Parliament.
Which Native American civilization developed a complex calendar and written language?
The Maya
What was the primary motivation for European nations like Spain and Portugal to explore new trade routes?
To find spices and wealth and avoid high prices set by Arab traders.
Which crop became essential to the economic survival of Jamestown?
Tobacco
What was the main reason for the French and Indian War?
Control over land in North America, especially the Ohio River Valley.
Which act placed a tax on printed materials in the colonies, such as newspapers and playing cards?
The Stamp Act
Which Native American group built cliff dwellings in the American Southwest?
The Ancestral Pueblo
Which Portuguese explorer was the first to sail around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa?
Bartolomeu Dias
Who helped improve relations between the Powhatan people and the Jamestown settlers?
Pocahontas
What was one major outcome of the French and Indian War for the British?
They gained land but were left with debt, which led to taxing the colonies.
Which group was formed to protest British taxes and organize colonial resistance?
The Sons of Liberty
What was the main crop grown by many Native American societies, including the Maya and Aztec?
Corn
Who was the first European explorer to reach India by sailing around Africa?
Vasco da Gama
What was indentured servitude, and why was it used in the early American colonies?
Indentured servitude was a system where workers agreed to work for a period of time in exchange for passage to America and, sometimes, land or freedom. It was used to meet the high demand for labor, especially in tobacco farming.
Which document issued by the British government after the war forbade colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains?
The Proclamation of 1763
Which battle is considered the turning point of the American Revolution because it convinced France to support the colonists?
The Battle of Saratoga
How did the geography of the Great Plains influence the lifestyle of Native American tribes living there?
They relied on hunting buffalo and lived nomadically because the flat, open grasslands were not suitable for farming.
What was a major reason Europeans were eager to find a sea route to Asia in the 15th century?
To gain direct access to spices and avoid the high prices set by middlemen like the Arabs and Venetians.
What challenges did the Jamestown settlers face in the early years of the colony?
Starvation, disease, and conflicts with Native Americans.
Why did many Native American tribes side with the French during the French and Indian War?
The French were less interested in land and more involved in the fur trade, posing less of a threat to Native American lands.
Which treaty officially ended the American Revolution and recognized American independence?
The Treaty of Paris (1783)