Unit 1: Period 1: 1491-1607 (copy)

What year did Christopher Columbus arrive in the New World?

1492

What marked the beginning of the Contact Period between Europe and the Americas?

Christopher Columbus's arrival in 1492.

What was the Bering Land Bridge?

A land connection between Eurasia and North America that allowed the first people to inhabit the Americas.

Which two groups are commonly confused when discussing Native Americans?

Native Americans and native-born Americans.

What impact did European settlers have on Native American cultures?

They brought different cultures, religions, technologies, and caused conflicts.

What was the cause of the significant decline in Native American populations?

Enslavement, diseases brought by Europeans, and conflicts.

What agricultural development from Mexico supported economic growth in North America?

Maize cultivation.

What was the primary aim of explorers during the Age of Exploration?

To find gold, glory, and spread Christianity.

Define the Columbian Exchange.

The period of rapid exchange of plants, animals, foods, and diseases between the Old World and the New World.

What system granted colonists authority over natives in Spain's colonies?

The encomienda system.

What was the headright system introduced by the Virginia Company?

A system granting land to settlers to attract new colonists.

Who was Pocahontas and what was her significance?

She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, married John Rolfe, and helped ease tensions between Native Americans and English settlers.

What was one of the main crops planted in early Virginia that led to the establishment of plantation slavery?

Tobacco.

What did the Mayflower Compact establish?

A legal authority and assembly for self-governance in the Plymouth Colony.

Who founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony?

John Winthrop.

What was Anne Hutchinson known for in colonial America?

She challenged Puritan beliefs and authority, leading to her banishment.

What major conflict arose from European colonization with respect to Native Americans?

Debates on how to treat Native Americans, leading to different approaches to dominance and coexistence.

What fueled the growth of slavery in the English colonies?

The demand for labor for cash crops like tobacco and rice.

What were the conditions of the Middle Passage?

Brutally inhumane, with many Africans dying during the journey to the Americas.

What did the triangular trade route signify?

A trade system involving Africa, Europe, and the Americas centered around the slave trade.