Colonial Period Quiz

Aly Ford

History 111: Section 701

Quiz 1

1. Hernán Cortés was a Spanish Conquistador that led an expedition to the mainland of the “New World” and landed in territory occupied by the Mexica People in 1519. At the time the Aztec empire was the most powerful known state in the Americas with Moctezuma as their King. When Cortés arrived he was welcomed by Moctezuma and given 20 women as a peace offering, only to take Moctezuma hostage. After failed negotiations and as much gold was taken, war and inevitable disease waged. Cortés used cannons and wiped out the Tlaxcalan and Mexica people.
2. Chesapeake, Virginia in 1607 144 Englishmen arrived on the Virginia Company charter and founded Jamestown. They build a fort to shield themselves from the Powhatan Indians, but they heavily relied on the natives for food, instruction, and what led to a very lucrative industry. By 1619, society was shaped by tobacco and harbored the rise of slavery in the United States. In 1619, 20 “slaves” arrived in Chesapeake and from then for the next 150 years, arrivals by the thousand and population growth led to slaves making up to 40% of the population in 1770.
3. The Powhatan Indians occupied the area that later became known as Jamestown. With the leader Powhatan’s death in 1618, relations between settlers and the tribe grew hostile. Warfare killed 1/3 of the settlers which lead to further conflict
4. Jamestown was established May 14, 1607. A triangular fort was built by the Englishmen to protect themselves from the Powhatan Indians. The conditions of the land, diseases brought over, and the inability of the Englishmen to sustain themselves led to a significant death rate. Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in America and eventually the Powhatan Indians taught them a skill that would become profitable: tobacco.
5. Tobacco shaped society in Jamestown starting with the first shipment to Europe in 1617. It’s a labor-intensive crop that requires yearlong care, exhausting its soil in only 3-4 years. The first shipment in 1607 was 60 thousand lbs., and by 1700, the shipments were beyond 35 millions lbs. The need for human labor in tobacco fields and on plantations eventually led to the need for slave labor and the rise of slavery in the United Sates.
6. Indentured servants were a vital start to the tobacco industry up until 1680. Indentured servants work under a contract for a definite amount of time, usually without pay, but with something in return when the time was complete. Most white laborers in Virginia in the 17th century were indentured servants working on tobacco plantations. By 1680, the majority of indentured servants were replaced by slaves.
7. Roanoke Island was established by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584. Known as the “Lost Colony,” Roanoke was originally inhabited by 115 settlers. Three years later colonists returned to Roanoke to find it deserted and only a skeleton leading to mysterious conclusions.
8. Tenochtitlan  was an Aztec state founded in 1321, located in the Valley of Mexico. 1519 Cortés arrived, welcomed by Moctezuma. At the time the population is estimated to have been between 200,000-300,000 people. Two years later in 1521, Cortés and his fleet took siege on Tenochtitlan and defeated them in August of 1521.
9. The Tainos inhabited much of the Caribbean upon Columbus’ arrival in 1492. Women were not among Spaniards on this voyage, and many mestizo children were born as the result of the rape of Taino women. Following the settlement of the Spanish, many diseases spread. In 1493 Columbus returned to Haiti to find his men killed, giving him justification to attack and enslave them. By 1495, 250,000 Tainos were dead. This encounter gave light to the cruelties of the New World and the Spanish leading destruction in the Caribbean.
10. John Smith was a commoner who was on the 1607 voyage to Jamestown. His strength and determination saved the colony from immediate despair and his personality aided in dealing with conflicts brought about by the Powhatan Indians. In December of 1607, John Smith was captured and brought to meet Chief Powhatan. Here he met Pocahontas who saved him from harm at her father’s hands. If it weren’t for Smith, the first colony, Jamestown, would have met early death and destruction.

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