Colonial America and European Exploration

What was a primary reason that fueled European exploration and colonization of the Americas?

• To find new trade routes to Asia.

• To acquire resources and wealth.

• To spread Christianity to new lands.

• To escape political persecution in Europe.

Who accidentally discovered the "New World" in 1492 while searching for new trade routes to Asia?

• Ferdinand Magellan

• Vasco da Gama

• Christopher Columbus

• Amerigo Vespucci

What was the population status of the Americas before the arrival of European explorers?

• It was uninhabited.

• It was home to tens of millions of Native peoples.

• It was sparsely populated by small nomadic tribes.

• It was primarily settled by Asian traders.

Which European country was the first to conquer and colonize the New World, establishing its first capital in Santo Domingo on Hispaniola?

• England

• France

• Spain

• Portugal

By the 1700s, which areas in North America had Spain successfully colonized in addition to Mexico, Central America, and most of South America?

• Canada and the Great Lakes region.

• Florida, California, and the US Southwest.

• The entire eastern seaboard of North America.

• Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.

What was the first permanent English colony established in North America?

• Plymouth

• Jamestown

• Massachusetts Bay

• New York

Which colony was originally colonized by the Dutch and called New Netherland?

• Pennsylvania

• Delaware

• New York

• Maryland

Which of these colonies was NOT part of the New England region?

• New Hampshire

• Connecticut

• Rhode Island

• New Jersey

Which colony was established as a buffer zone against Spanish settlements in Florida?

• Virginia

• Maryland

• Georgia

• North Carolina

Who founded Quebec and focused on building the French fur trade with the Huron Indians?

• René Robert Cavelier

• Samuel de Champlain

• King James I

• William Penn