Impact of European Colonialism in the Americas

Which factor did not play a part in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires?

• Internal conflicts left the empires fractured and unstable.

• The indigenous population had no immunity against the European diseases.

• African slaves outnumbered the indigenous population by nearly 50 percent.

• The Europeans had stronger weapons and better armor than the indigenous population.

Why were the Spanish explorers interested in conquering the Aztec and Inca empires?

• They wanted new slaves for their farms.

• They wanted to capture the empires' gold and resources.

• They worried that the empires would unite and invade Spain.

• They wanted more land than they had gotten in trade agreements.

How were some indigenous workers able to escape the encomienda system?

• The indigenous workers were able to escape into the wilderness.

• Many colonists refused to enforce the practices of the encomienda system.

• The indigenous workers traded gold and gemstones they found for freedom.

• Some colonists freed the workers after an agreed-upon number of years.

Why did the Europeans want African slaves who were farmers?

• Slaves who could farm were sold for less money than warriors.

• Slaves who could farm would be excited to cultivate new types of crops.

• Farmers were placed at the top of colonial social structures.

• Slaves who could farm would already know how to care for the crops.

Why was it important to Spanish colonists that their slaves did not know the terrain of the land?

• They would be less likely to run away from the plantations if they were unfamiliar with the land.

• They would be more willing to grow foreign crops on the land if they knew little about it.

• They would be more likely to convert to Christianity if they were transported to a new place.

• They would be less likely to realize how terrible the working conditions were if they were in a new land.

How was the experience of the Aztecs under Hernán Cortés similar to that of Africans brought to the New World in the 1500s?

• Both groups became major parts of the triangular trade.

• Both groups were devastated by exposure to unfamiliar diseases.

• Both groups were forced to perform labor for European colonists.

• Both groups gained their freedom through rebellion and aggressive military campaigns.

Why might African leaders have been willing to participate in the exchange of slaves for goods?

• It allowed them to reduce their own populations and prevent starvation.

• The slaves were often prisoners from the interior of Africa, not their own people.

• They could sell the goods to pay off loans owed to the Europeans.

• They were interested in starting their own colonies in the Americas.

How did African slaves build strong community ties with one another in the Americas?

• They tried to work as quickly as possible to allow extra time to engage in leisure activities.

• They drew elements from different African cultures to create a new culture they could all participate in.

• They celebrated European culture as something that could bring slaves from different regions together.

• They chose to learn the same West African language so they could communicate more easily with one another.

Which phrase best describes the criteria used to determine a person's social class in Spain's American colonies?

• A person's contributions to the Spanish military

• The racial history of a person's family

• The amount of money a person contributed to the Catholic Church

• The total number of slaves a person owned

Which phrase defines the encomienda system?

• A legal system that allowed Spanish colonists to use indigenous peoples for labor

• A system of extending political and economic control over another area

• A Spanish caste system that put people into different social groups

• A system of transporting African people across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas