Exploring Texas History Quiz

Who was Martin De Leon, and what colony did he found?

• He was an explorer who discovered the Mississippi River.

• He was an empresario from Mexico and founded the town named Victoria.

• He was a Spanish viceroy in Texas.

• He was a soldier who fought in the Mexican Revolution.

What is an empresario?

• A Spanish military leader.

• A land agent who brought settlers, divided up the land, and kept the law.

• A ruler who acts in the name of the king.

• A person who explores new territories.

What motivated Spain for European exploration to the New World, including present-day Texas?

• To find new spices and trade routes.

• They wanted power and land.

• To establish new religious missions.

• To escape from European wars.

How did Mexico's independence from the Spanish colonial government impact Texas?

• It led to the immediate end of all Spanish missions.

• The population of Texas increased as some Mexicans moved there during the war and stayed after.

• It caused a decrease in trade with the United States.

• It resulted in the construction of new presidios.

What were some of Stephen F. Austin’s achievements in Texas?

• He discovered the City of Gold.

• He settled 300 families in Mexican Texas and organized the government.

• He led the Mexican Revolution against Spain.

• He was the first to map the Texas coastline.

Who was the first explorer to reach Texas in 1519 and map the coastline?

• Francisco Vasquez de Coronado

• Alonso Alvarez de Pineda

• Rene-Robert Cavalier, Sieur de LaSalle

• Martin De Leon

What is a presidio?

• A Spanish mission.

• A Spanish military fort.

• A type of Spanish ship.

• A Spanish trading post.

How did settlers from the southern United States affect the economic development of Texas?

• They introduced new forms of government.

• They taught Texans how to grow different crops and ranch cattle, and they also brought slavery with them.

• They built new presidios.

• They established new trade routes with Mexico.

Where did Rene-Robert Cavalier, Sieur de LaSalle explore, and what did he claim for France?

• He explored the Colorado River and claimed Texas.

• He explored the end of the Mississippi River and named the surrounding land Louisiana.

• He explored the Rio Grande and claimed New Mexico.

• He explored the Gulf of Mexico and claimed Florida.

What did American Indians share with the Spanish?

• Knowledge of European politics.

• How to farm, ranch, and about plants. They brought new foods and traded goods.

• Techniques for building presidios.

• Navigation skills for ocean exploration.