U.S. Hist 1301 Potential SAQs

Why did Europeans want to explore other parts of the world?

• Europeans were fascinated by foreign technology and goods.

• Mansa Musa introduced Europe to the wealth of the gold and salt trade.

• Europeans sought luxury goods that could not be produced locally.

• Prince Henry the Navigator opened a navigation school in Portugal.

• This allowed Europeans to advance in navigation technologies.

• Improved navigation let Europeans seek sea routes to the spice islands instead of land routes.

• The spice islands were the most lucrative trade route in Europe.

• Explorers like Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama expanded exploration to reach these goods.

What new things have you learned about regarding Christopher Columbus? What are your thoughts about that?

How is the English defeat of the Spanish Armada critical to later development of British colonies in America? To what extent were the Spanish right to try intervening in England?

• Parliament approved Elizabeth I as queen; she aimed to bring prosperity to England.

• She supported sea exploration and funded voyages to the New World.

• Spain initially dominated the New World after its early discoveries and colonization.

• English privateers sailed to the Americas, ignoring the Treaty of Tordesillas.

• The Spanish Armada attempted to defend Spain’s empire but was defeated by England.

• Spain’s defeat allowed England to establish colonies in North America; otherwise, Spain may have maintained dominance.

How is the accurate story of the Pilgrims/Separatists different from the myth of the Pilgrims most students learn about? Why so much mythology?

• Religious differences in the Church of England, so Pilgrims sailed to New England

• When they established Plymouth, they experienced starvation and practiced cannibalism and raided native villages

• More ships came over; religious issues with the Pilgrims. Lord Baltimore was trying to establish Maryland for Catholics

• Myths depict Pilgrims as being friendly towards Native Americans, but the opposite happened in real life, with some being enslaved

How does a civil war in England influence and help to cause rebellions in English colonies across the Atlantic?

• The English Civil War distracted Britain from managing its colonies.

• Colonies, dependent on their own governments, were left defenseless.

• Colonists felt they had to protect themselves, seeing it as them vs. the government.

• Colonies began forming their own militias.

• England passed stricter laws to tighten control, angering colonists.

• Rebellions broke out, including Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia as direct resistance.

Why is there so much mythology (false pretenses in the story) of the Salem Witch trials?

How can the Seven Years' War be considered the first global war?

• The Seven Years’ War is considered the first global conflict.

• Conflict began over the Ohio River Valley, contested by Britain, France, and Native Americans.

• Fighting spread to Europe, involving Britain, Spain, and other European powers.

• Most states in both the Old World and New World were drawn into the war.

• Britain and France clashed in North America; Britain also fought Spain over Cuba and the Philippines.

• Thousands of soldiers were deployed worldwide, making it a truly global war

How did slavery begin and expand in the colonies?

• Slavery in the colonies grew through the Triangular Trade system.

• African slaves were transported to the Americas in exchange for cash crops.

• The Middle Passage brought enslaved Africans directly to the Americas, often on New England ships.

• As Native American populations declined, colonists turned increasingly to African slavery.

• Laws made slavery hereditary — children of enslaved women were also enslaved.

• Rising wages for indentured servants made slavery a cheaper, long-term labor source

Why did religious groups move to the colonies?

• Many religious groups moved to the British colonies to freely practice their faith without government control.

• In England, the Church of England was the official religion; dissenters often faced persecution.

• Separatists (Pilgrims), influenced by Calvinism, founded Plymouth in 1620 to practice their religion.

• The Mayflower Compact (1620) established principles of self-government in Plymouth.

• Quakers, persecuted in England, founded Pennsylvania as a safe haven for their beliefs.

• Overall, religious freedom was a key motivation for migration to the colonies.

How did relationships between Native Americans and Europeans evolve/change?

• Early Native American–European relations were violent.

• Spanish conquistadors conquered land in the New World, devastating native civilizations.

• Disease and war wiped out large portions of the Native population.

• Native Americans were initially subservient due to European technological advantages.

• Over time, Native Americans gained some autonomy.

• After the Seven Years’ War, Pontiac resisted British expansion into the Ohio River Valley.

• The Proclamation of 1763 reserved the Ohio River Valley for Native Americans, showing a shift in relations

In what way was mercantilism promoted in the English colonies?

• England promoted mercantilism to maximize profit from colonies and cover costly voyages.

• The Navigation Acts enforced mercantilist policies, revised over time but maintaining the same core idea.

• Colonies were restricted to trading only with Britain.

• Colonies exported cash crops and imported manufactured goods from Europe.

• System ensured exports to the mother country exceeded imports, fulfilling mercantilism’s goal.

What are the causes and effects of the Seven Years’ War?

• Cause: Dispute over the Ohio River Valley between Britain and France.

• Cause: Colonel George Washington’s failed attempt to capture the Ohio River Valley escalated British involvement.

• Cause: Competition over the fur trade, which was highly valuable.

• Course of War: Spread globally, with Britain attempting to take Quebec and other French territories.

• Effect: France expelled from most of the Americas, losing key territories.

• Effect: Britain emerged as a major world power.

• Effect: Britain accumulated heavy debt from war expenses like shipbuilding and transportation.

What were some of the key cultural and social characteristics of these diverse indigenous groups?

What were the causes and effects of the Glorious Revolution and Hanoverian Succession?

• King James II was unpopular because he was a Catholic who relaxed penalties against non-Anglicans.

• When James II leaves England to head to France, the crown is declared vacant by Parliament and succeeded by William and Mary.

• Maryland government is overthrown by Protestants, and Catholics are excluded from being king/queen in 1701.

• Later on, there are no more Protestant Stewarts left to assume the throne, so George I of Hanover takes over.

• Prime Minister Robert Walpole uses salutary neglect after declaring the navigation acts as being unenforceable.