Chapter 1 Questions and Answers
Graded A+
What event marked the beginning of European exploration of the Americas?
✔✔The voyages of Christopher Columbus in 1492
What was the main goal of European explorers during the Age of Exploration?
✔✔To find new trade routes to Asia
What was the significance of the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494?
✔✔It divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between Spain and Portugal
What was the primary reason for the Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca Empires?
✔✔To acquire wealth, especially gold and silver
What was the impact of the Columbian Exchange on the Americas?
✔✔It led to the exchange of goods, crops, and diseases between the Old World and the New
World
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,What crop became a staple of European diets after its introduction to the continent from the
Americas?
✔✔Potatoes
What was one major effect of European diseases on Native American populations?
✔✔A significant decline in population due to lack of immunity
What was the primary economic activity in the early English colonies?
✔✔Agriculture, particularly tobacco farming
What was the first permanent English settlement in North America?
✔✔Jamestown, Virginia, established in 1607
What was the significance of the Mayflower Compact?
✔✔It was an early example of self-government and majority rule in the English colonies
What was the primary reason for the founding of Plymouth Colony in 1620?
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, ✔✔To establish a colony based on religious freedom for the Pilgrims
What was the result of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692?
✔✔A series of trials and executions of people accused of witchcraft, leading to a loss of
confidence in the legal system
What was the purpose of the House of Burgesses, established in 1619 in Virginia?
✔✔To create a representative government in the English colonies
What did the Great Awakening in the 18th century emphasize?
✔✔A renewed focus on religion, personal faith, and emotional worship
What was the primary cause of the French and Indian War (1754–1763)?
✔✔Competition between France and Britain for control of North America
What was the outcome of the Treaty of Paris in 1763?
✔✔It ended the French and Indian War, with Britain gaining control of Canada and lands east of
the Mississippi River
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