Before Columbus
In 1491, how were the Americas and Afro-Eurasia connected?
They weren’t—two separate worlds
In what year did Columbus first sail to the Americas?
1492
Name one crop that went from the Americas to Europe.
Corn, potatoes, tomatoes, or tobacco
What was the first permanent English colony in America?
Jamestown, 1607
What war led Britain to tax the colonies heavily?
French & Indian War
Name one type of society or people who lived in the Americas before Columbus
Aztecs, Incas, Or Native Americans
Who sponsored Columbus’s voyage?
Ferdinand or Isabella
Name one animal that Europeans introduced to the Americas.
Horses, cattle, or pigs
What crop saved Jamestown economically?
Tobacco
What was the Stamp Act?
Tax on paper goods like newspapers, legal documents, playing cards
What foods were native to the Americas before European contact?
corn, potatoes, tomatoes, or cocoa
What was Columbus originally trying to find?
A faster trade route to Asia
What deadly effect did the Columbian Exchange have on Native populations?
smallpox
What is the mystery of the “Lost Colony”?
Roanoke disappeared; theory includes joining Native tribes, starvation, or attack
What event involved colonists dumping tea into Boston Harbor?
Boston Tea Party
Why were Native populations so vulnerable to European diseases?
They had no immunity to Old World diseases
What significant global connection began because of Columbus’s voyage?
The Columbian Exchange
Besides goods, what two groups of people were forced or encouraged to migrate to the Americas?
Europeans & enslaved Africans
What were two major struggles the Jamestown colonists faced?
Disease, starvation, poor relations with Natives
What was Benjamin Franklin’s famous cartoon with a snake cut into pieces called?
“Join, or Die”
What was the population decline percentage among Native Americans after European diseases arrived?
Up to 90%
Why is Columbus a controversial figure today?
Colonization’s harsh impact on Natives, forced labor, disease spread
How did the Columbian Exchange permanently change diets around the world?
New staple foods like potatoes, corn, sugar, coffee reshaped global diets
How did John Rolfe change Jamestown’s future?
Introduced tobacco as a cash crop, making it profitable
Why did colonists believe Britain’s taxes were unfair?
“No taxation without representation” — they had no say in Parliament