APUSH HW #1

What were Native American civilizations like before European contact & colonization?

Answer explanation

Before European contact and colonization, there were many different American civilizations that varied greatly in their cultures, languages, and ways of life. Civilizations like the Maya and Aztec and the Inca in South America, were highly organized and developed complex societies with sophisticated agriculture, architecture, and trade networks. Others, such as the various Native American tribes across North America, lived in smaller communities and were primarily hunter-gatherers. Despite their differences, many of these civilizations shared a deep respect for nature and a spiritual connection to the land.

What were the effects of contact between Europe and the Americas?

Answer explanation

Contact between Europe and the Americas had significant and lasting effects:

- the spread of diseases (ex smallpox) that crushed the Native population

- exchange of technologies and crops between the Old and New World

- establishment of European colonies

- transatlantic slave trade

- spread of Christianity and European cultural practices

Why and how did European powers colonize the Americas?

Answer explanation

European powers colonized the Americas because of the desire for wealth and resources, the spread of Christianity, and the pursuit of national glory and power.

They were able to colonize the Americas through a combination of military force, technological superiority, and alliances with some indigenous groups. They relied on the forced labor of indigenous peoples and later enslaved Africans to extract resources such as gold, silver, tobacco, sugar, and cotton, which were highly valued in Europe.

 What were the effects of European colonization of America?

Answer explanation

1) The displacement and marginalization of indigenous peoples, often through forced relocation, enslavement, or genocide.

2) The introduction of new diseases that decimated indigenous populations.

3) The spread of European cultural practices and languages, which often led to the loss of indigenous cultures and traditions

4) The creation of colonial economies that depended on a few export crops (sugar, tobacco) which increased the demand for Native American and then slave labor

Which of the following contributed most to the changes shown in the graph?

• Loss of territory and access to natural resources

• The introduction of new plants and animals

• The introduction of new diseases

• Warfare with Europeans

Which of the following was the most direct effect of the changes shown in the graph?

• European settlers relied mainly on indentured servants and enslaved Africans for labor.

• Trade between European settlers and Native Americans expanded.

• Conflicts among Native American groups became more intense.

• European settlers were able to gain control over Native American lands.

Which of the following best describes the impact European colonization had on the Western Hemisphere's native population?

• the native population was highly respected in terms of territorial possessions and religious beliefs

• the Europeans for the most part did not interact with the native population

• Spain was the only European country to successfully create an alliance with the native population

• Native populations were often killed off or driven away by the Europeans

European diseases that arrived in the New World were particularly deadly because...

• little medical aid was available so far from European urban centers
• the European conquerors deliberately accelerated the spread of the most deadly strains
• the Native Americans had no natural resistance to these diseases
• the vast devastation of warfare with the Europeans left few to care for the sick

In the view of the encomienda system, Native Americans were seen primarily as...

• a source of labor
• a group to be protected
• a focus of evangelization
• outcasts to be excluded from Spanish settlement

One significant impact of the Columbian Exchange on the Old World was...

• the growth of the food supply and subsequent population increase

• the introduction of slavery as a significant source of labor for European landowners

• the widespread devastation of new diseases among the poor

• a draining of capital from the royal families and a shift of wealth to the hands of the merchant class