SS 2-3

Why did Portugal search for new trade routes to Asia along the African coast?

• The journey from Portugal to Asia was shorter along the African coast.

• The Portuguese hoped to learn about trade routes from African merchants.

• Portugal did not have a port on the Mediterranean Sea.

• Portugal wanted to gain control of the African slave trade.

Which explorer was most responsible for making Portugal the "marketplace of Europe?"

• Vasca de Gama

• Marco Polo

• Christopher Columbus

• Bartolomeu Dias

What is one way in which Columbus's explorations impacted the Americas?

• Native peoples of the Americas quickly adopted European lifestyles.

• Native peoples of the Americas largely abandoned their territory to live in Europe.

• Native peoples of the Americas formed military alliances with European nations.

• Native peoples of the Americas began losing control of their lands.

What is one reason Spain's monarchs supported Christopher Columbus's explorations?

• They hopes to launch a new crusade against Islam.

• They wanted to spread Protestantism to Asia.

• They wanted a new source of labor for Spanish plantations.

• They wanted to find new markets for Spanish goods.

How did Amerigo Vespucci's voyages impact European knowledge of the world?

• Europeans learned that many wealthy civilizations lived in the Americas.

• Europeans accepted that there was no direct western route to Asia.

• Europeans recognized that South America was a continent, not part of Asia.

• Europeans learned that is was possible to sail completely around the world.

What was the purpose of the Treaty of Tordesillias?

• It divided claims in the Americas between Spain and Portugal.

• It gave Portugal complete control of the African slave trade.

• It ended a war between Portugal and England over control of North America.

• It limited exploration of North America to the east coast.

How did Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro manage to conquer the Aztec and Inca?

Answer explanation

Cortes and Pizarro conquered these mighty empires for many reasons. First, the Spanish had weapons and animals the Aztec and Inca had never seen. The Spanish had guns and cannons. They rode horses and had huge, ferocious dogs. Cortes also received help from some native people who were willing to overthrow their harsh rulers. Finally, disease played a huge role. For many native groups, contact with the Europeans was deadly. With no immunity, the Aztec and the Inca suffered terrible epidemics.

Where did native peoples fall in the social order that emerged in the settlements of New Spain? Discuss how that might have happened.

Answer explanation

The lowest class were native people and enslaved Africans. The Spanish and Portuguese received gold, silver, copper, dyes, tobacco, and sugar from their American colonies. They first used Native Americans as enslaved laborers in mines and fields.