Questions and Answers 100% Pass
What was the primary motivation for European exploration of the Americas in the 15th and 16th
centuries?
✔✔To find new trade routes and expand territorial control
What was the significance of the Columbian Exchange?
✔✔It facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, plants, animals, and diseases between the Old and
New Worlds
What was the role of Spanish conquistadors in the Americas?
✔✔They led military expeditions that conquered indigenous civilizations and claimed territory
for Spain
What was the impact of European diseases on Native American populations?
✔✔It caused devastating population declines due to lack of immunity
What was the first permanent English colony established in North America?
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,✔✔Jamestown, Virginia
How did the encomienda system affect Native Americans?
✔✔It forced them into labor under Spanish colonial rule, often leading to exploitation and death
What was the main economic activity in the Spanish colonies?
✔✔Mining, particularly gold and silver
What was the significance of the Mayflower Compact?
✔✔It was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony, establishing a basic form of self-
government
What was the primary difference between the Spanish and English approaches to colonization in
the Americas?
✔✔The Spanish sought to convert and control indigenous populations, while the English focused
more on settlement and trade
What was the role of the Protestant Reformation in shaping European colonization efforts?
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, ✔✔It spurred religious conflict and the desire to spread Christianity in new territories
What was the "Virginia Company"?
✔✔A joint-stock company that established the Jamestown colony in Virginia
What was the primary cause of the French and Indian War?
✔✔Competition between France and Britain over territorial expansion in North America
How did the Native American tribes react to European colonization?
✔✔Some tribes formed alliances with Europeans, while others resisted and fought against
colonization
What was the purpose of the Headright System in colonial Virginia?
✔✔To encourage the settlement of land by granting settlers land for each person they brought to
the colony
What was the significance of tobacco cultivation in early Virginia?
✔✔It became the primary cash crop that fueled the colony's economy and growth
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