Q&A Hero

Q: During the colonial period, most of the slaves sent to the North American colonies were supplied by the ________. A) Dutch B) Americans C) Portuguese D) Spanish E) British

Q: In the early seventeenth century, Virginia's blacks ________. A) were encouraged to marry white women B) occasionally served in the House of Burgesses C) sometimes became planters D) greatly outnumbered whites E) slowly integrated into white society

Q: Of the estimated 11 million African slaves carried to the Americas, the great majority were sent to ________. A) Brazil and the Caribbean B) British North America C) Chile D) Argentina E) Central America

Q: By the late 1600s, the gap between rich and poor in white Chesapeake society ________. A) steadily shrank B) steadily widened C) remained unchanged D) could not be estimated E) is not mentioned by contemporary chroniclers

Q: Compared to New England, Chesapeake society ________. A) was more democratic B) was characterized by small farms C) had fewer families D) was more densely populated E) had fewer slaves

Q: The most important reason for the difference between the New England and Chesapeake colonies was based on ________. A) the different crops exported B) the much higher mortality rate of the Chesapeake colonies C) the practice of slavery in the southern colonies D) contrasting economic systems E) varying degrees of ethnic diversity in the populations

Q: Sumptuary laws ________. A) made excessive gluttony a crime B) established statutes that limited the wearing of fine apparel to the wealthy and prominent C) criminalized frivolity on the Sabbath D) provided that only "visible saints" could be buried in a church cemetery E) made church attendance compulsory

Q: The society created by Puritans in New England ________. A) copied the social order they had left behind in England B) was modeled on contemporary Dutch society C) represented a near-total rejection of traditional English ways D) was quite similar to that of the Chesapeake region E) adapted to include slavery

Q: In New England, women ________. A) enjoyed rights and powers equal to those of men B) outnumbered men in church by two to one C) had no economic power whatsoever D) could easily divorce their husbands E) began to lobby for voting rights in this colonial period

Q: New England families differed from those of other English colonies in that they often included ________. A) Native Americans B) grandparents C) polygamy D) widows E) extended families living in one household

Q: The explanation for the tremendous population growth of seventeenth-century New England can be found in the ________. A) extraordinary fertility of New England women B) emphasis Puritans placed on having large families C) good relations maintained with local Indians D) long lives of New England settlers E) agricultural richness of the New World

Q: Puritans viewed which of the following as essential to their New England commonwealth? A) strict adherence to personal hygiene measures B) a flexible form of colonial administration C) a healthy family life D) the rapid creation of an urban society in New England E) honest public officials

Q: The character of the first English settlements in the New World ________. A) remained remarkably similar throughout the seventeenth century B) differed from colony to colony because of government rules C) differed substantially from colony to colony from the very beginning of colonization D) was determined primarily by the religious preference of each colony E) was not significantly influenced by geography

Q: Which statement provides the best interpretation of this sentence from text page 53? "The diversity of early English colonization must be emphasized precisely because it is so easy to overlook." A) Most historians did not realize how similar the English colonies were when they were initially settled. B) The reasons that people settled the English colonies were so complex that they have only begun to be understood recently. C) Settlers of the English colonies tended to overlook the hardships that they would face because they were so eager for religious freedom. D) The experiences of the early English colonists cannot be separated from their experiences back in England. E) Because most of the colonists were English, and eventually formed a single nation, many assume that they were originally more alike than different.

Q: How did the religious beliefs of the Quakers compare to those of the Puritans? A) Both rejected the Church of England and wanted to separate and form their own new religions. B) The Quakers rejected the Church of England in favor of their own form of worship; the Puritans merely wanted to reform the Church of England. C) Both considered all people equal in the sight of the Lord and saw no need for a learned ministry. D) The Quakers did not seek converts, but simply wanted to practice their own beliefs peacefully; the Puritans sought to convert people throughout England. E) Unlike the Quakers, the Puritans felt that there was no need for spiritual leaders, since one person's interpretation of the Bible was as valid as anyone else's.

Q: The lives of Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson provide strong evidence that ________. A) Puritans seldom disagreed on matters of theology B) Massachusetts Bay officials insisted on freedom of religious thought and expression C) Massachusetts Bay faced difficulties in creating a society based on a religious principle D) Massachusetts Bay Colony sent preachers to frontiers as missionaries to the Indians E) most Puritans had wanted to break away from the Church of England

Q: Why did the new colonists of Georgia demand slaves? A) Farmers were given so many acres of land that they felt they could not farm efficiently without slaves. B) The main crop of Georgiatobaccocould be cultivated only with slave labor. C) The colonists felt that since they had no voice in government, they needed a class of people even lower on the social rung than they were. D) The English settlers in Georgia were used to having slaves and demanded that they could not get along without them. E) The colonists believed that they could compete economically with South Carolina only if they were allowed to have slaves.

Q: Which made the economy of Carolina different from the other southern colonies? A) Carolina's economy was based on slavery and cotton. B) Carolina's economy was as diverse as that of the Middle Colonies. C) Carolina's economy became dependent on rice as a staple. D) Carolina's economy was based on selling slaves and rum. E) Carolina's economy was based on sugar, which was easy to grow in the colony.

Q: Why was William Penn's Frame of Government remarkable for its time? A) It included more personal liberties than other English colonies. B) It denied the right of due process for citizens. C) It established the Quaker religion in Pennsylvania. D) It granted freedom of conscience to all except Catholics. E) It prevented the religious rule of the Church of England.

Q: Seventeenth-century Quakers were known for their ________. A) aggressive and overbearing personalities B) belief in humility and pacifism C) concept of predestination D) unwillingness to seek the conversion of others E) belief in the necessity of an educated clergy

Q: Which best describes how the colony of New York was settled? A) New York originally was settled by the Duke of York and subsequently became Dutch. B) New York originally was settled by the Dutch and then taken by force by the English. C) New York was settled exclusively by the Dutch. D) New York was settled originally by African Americans who were later pushed out by the English. E) New York was settled originally by the French who were later pushed out by the Dutch.

Q: Anne Hutchinson's skillful self-defense at her trial before the magistrates of Massachusetts Bay was ruined by ________. A) her affinity for the dictum of works B) her claim of personal revelation C) her reliance on the Scriptures D) her rejection of free grace E) the fact that she was female

Q: How did Roger Williams' religious ideas clash with those of the Puritans? A) Williams believed that settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony who had unconventional religious views should be punished by the colonial leaders. B) Williams felt that it was not enough to purify the Church of England from within, but to separate from it. C) Williams did not believe that the Puritans should separate from the Church of England, but rather to try to improve it. D) Williams did not support religious toleration and insisted that the members of the Church of England try to preserve their own freedom of worship. E) Williams believed that colonial leaders could not also be religious leaders.

Q: Which is the only category in which seventeenth-century colonists in Massachusetts were more successful than Virginia's colonists? A) relating to the Indians B) establishing the Anglican Church C) finding a profitable staple crop D) adopting a concept of community welfare E) collecting taxes to pay for community services

Q: How did someone become a member of a church in the Massachusetts Bay Colony? A) They became part of whatever church was in their community. B) A person who already belonged to the church had to provide testimony for anyone new who wanted to join. C) A new member needed the testimony of neighbors before acceptance in a church. D) A person had to perform community service before being allowed to join a community church. E) The church community would vote in order to decide whether to let a new member in.

Q: The founding of Georgia can be described as _______. A) religiously-motivated B) political C) economically-motivated D) idealistic E) strategic

Q: The Pilgrims who left Holland to settle in America ________. A) were non-Separatists from the Church of England B) feared their way of life was being undermined by the ways of their Dutch hosts C) had few alternatives because they were harassed by the Dutch D) arrived in Virginia, even though their destination was Massachusetts Bay E) were Catholic radicals eager to overthrow England's monarchy

Q: Which identifies why the Mayflower Compact is considered an important historical document? A) It was the first example of colonists describing the hardships endured on a voyage to the New World. B) It was a legal document that authenticated the Pilgrims' right to settle in New England. C) It included a list of the passengers on the Mayflower who became the first New England colonists. D) It was the first example of colonists forming their own government in North America. E) It was the first example of colonists negotiating a treaty with Native Americans in North America.

Q: Lord Baltimore's settlement in Maryland ________. A) became a successful feudal outpost in America B) declared war on Virginia in 1639 C) never succeeded in becoming a feudal society D) became a haven for persecuted Protestants E) successfully put into effect his vision

Q: Why did the original boundaries of Maryland present a problem to colonists? A) They were vaguely defined. B) They accidentally crossed into Virginia. C) They did not extend to the coast. D) They cut through territory of the Algonquin. E) They extended much further than Charles I had planned.

Q: In 1622, the Native American tribes of Virginia ________. A) attacked the English settlements B) formed an alliance with the Native American tribes of New England C) established permanently good relations with the English settlers D) learned from the English settlers how to grow tobacco E) migrated westward to avoid future contact with settlers

Q: Those who migrated to the Chesapeake Bay area as indentured servants were ________. A) usually from the dregs of English society B) English farmers who saw a better future in the New World C) normally single males in their teens or early twenties D) married individuals who came with their families E) generally convicted criminals who traded jail time in England for indentures

Q: Indentured servants ________. A) were working off the cost of their passage to America B) served the same number of years regardless of age or experience C) had no more legal rights than slaves D) were never legally emancipated E) usually lived long enough to complete their terms of service

Q: What eventually solved the economic problems of seventeenth-century Virginia? A) the cultivation of tobacco B) the reorganization of the joint-stock company C) a successful agreement with the Native Americans D) trading with Barbados E) stopping the import of goods from England

Q: The first three years of Jamestown's history witnessed ________. A) terrible hardship and suffering B) the discovery of gold and silver C) successful attempts at growing many profitable crops D) the establishment of a representative form of government E) the erection of the first Christian church in North America

Q: In the early days of the Virginia Colony, which is the best description of its settlers? A) They were about evenly divided between men and women. B) They were well-prepared to establish a colonial outpost. C) They preferred to search for riches rather than farm. D) They had few troubles except for unfriendly Indians. E) They organized a successful community government.

Q: Which of these was ultimately most important in leading to divisions among settlers in Pennsylvania? A) Penn's support for Quakerism B) the colony's location C) the institute of proprietorship D) Penn's propaganda E) the granting of headrights

Q: Which of these was true of the relationship between political events in England and English colonization in North America? A) The two were unrelated. B) Events in England impacted the direction of colonization repeatedly. C) After about 1650, events in England had no effect on the colonies. D) Colonization caused the fall of two English governments in the 1600s. E) Because of the difficulty of ocean journeys, events in England produced no effects in the colonies.

Q: To its founding leaders, ____________ would be a "City on a Hill." A) Rhode Island B) Connecticut C) Maryland D) Pennsylvania E) Massachusetts

Q: Large numbers of the first English settlers in the Carolinas came from ________. A) Ireland B) Barbados C) Rhode Island D) Jamaica E) the Virgin Islands

Q: The colony of Pennsylvania was established as a religious sanctuary for ________. A) Puritans B) Catholics C) Baptists D) Quakers E) Presbyterians

Q: The English takeover of New Netherland (which was subsequently renamed New York) ________. A) had little immediate effect on the colony B) was followed by the expulsion of the Dutch C) led to the prompt creation of a legislature D) met with armed resistance by the Dutch E) sparked a war between the English and the Dutch

Q: Because of its policy of religious toleration, ________ attracted unusual numbers of independent-minded people. A) Maryland B) Connecticut C) Pennsylvania D) New York E) Rhode Island

Q: The Puritans of Massachusetts Bay believed that the best way to reform the Church of England was to ________. A) separate from it and reform it from the outside B) rely on help from the English monarchy C) remain in the Church and reform it from the inside D) refuse to associate with it in any way E) actively work to destroy the tenets with which they disagreed

Q: King Charles I disbanded Parliament in 1629 because he could not deal with intense criticism from the ________. A) Puritans B) Baptists C) Catholics D) Anglicans E) Presbyterians

Q: Seventeenth-century English Puritans ________. A) were only a tiny minority of all Englishmen B) were committed to significant institutional change C) were firmly supportive of the status quo D) accepted the tenets of Catholicism with reservations E) were neurotic and self-righteous

Q: The document in which the Pilgrims established a civil government for their Plymouth colony has become known as the ________. A) Bill of Rights B) Mayflower Compact C) Statement of Principles D) Cambridge Agreement E) Plymouth Agreement

Q: Initially, Lord Baltimore intended that Maryland be a haven for ________. A) Quakers B) Puritans C) Catholics D) Baptists E) Separatists

Q: In 1624, Virginia became ________. A) an independent commonwealth B) a proprietary colony C) a royal colony D) part of Maryland E) the primary destination for female settlers

Q: In which colony was the death rate for the early colonists most severe? A) Massachusetts B) New York C) Rhode Island D) Virginia E) Pennsylvania

Q: James Oglethorpe was responsible for the founding of ________. A) New Jersey B) Carolina colony C) Georgia D) Maryland E) Connecticut

Q: Under the headright system in Virginia, ________. A) every adult male could vote B) every child was guaranteed a primary education C) 50 acres were granted for each new settler, free or indentured D) new immigrants were guaranteed a year's provisions E) every new settler was entitled to one slave

Q: Georgia was founded as a refuge for ________. A) religious dissenters B) the poor of London C) Native Americans D) former slaves E) French exiles

Q: The man who taught Virginians how to grow tobacco was ________. A) Captain John Smith B) Powhatan C) John Rolfe D) Sir Edwin Sandys E) the Duke of Marlboro

Q: Jamestown's prosperity was ensured by ________. A) the discovery of gold B) the development of fur trading C) royal financial support D) tobacco cultivation E) potato cultivation

Q: Jamestown might have gone the way of Roanoke had it not been for the perseverance of ________. A) John Winthrop B) John Smith C) Pocahontas D) Richard Hakluyt E) Cotton Mather

Q: The selection of a site for Jamestown was based primarily on the settlers' ________. A) fear of surprise attacks B) desire for a healthful place to live C) belief that friendly Indians lived nearby D) need for close proximity to the open ocean E) fear of diseases in the swamps

Q: In which colony were religious reasons least important in its founding? A) Massachusetts B) Rhode Island C) Maryland D) Virginia E) Pennsylvania

Q: The ________ Company was responsible for the settlement of Jamestown. A) New England B) Royal African C) Virginia D) American E) New World

Q: Joint-stock companies allowed for _______. A) concentrated wealth in the hands of a few B) more successful colonization C) more investors D) more profit E) more royal control

Q: William Penn acquired the Three Lower Counties to provide Pennsylvania with A) Philadelphia. B) settlers. C) access to the Atlantic. D) arable land lacking in Pennsylvania. E) mineral resources.

Q: The founding of Pennsylvania was tied to the ________. A) Quaker movement B) Restoration C) Glorious Revolution D) institution of the joint-stock company E) agricultural revolution

Q: English settlers in seventeenth-century America could best be characterized in terms of their ________. A) striking social diversity B) similarity to French and Spanish migrants of the same period C) unity of purpose and motivation D) desire to help each other E) homogeneity

Q: Which is the best description of the most important message Richard Hakluyt's stories communicated to European readers? A) Readers were convinced that the New World was a paradise that was theirs for the taking, disregarding the native people already living there. B) Readers were cautioned not to settle in the New World without first being aware of the potential dangers that they could face. C) Readers were convinced that the Native Americans were agreeable and eager to help them get settled in exchange for trading new ideas and goods. D) Readers were warned to be sensitive to the concerns of Native Americans and not to treat the New World as a place that was simply theirs for the taking. E) Readers were convinced that they would find precious metals in North America, and Hakluyt's stories told them where to find those precious metals.

Q: Which is the best interpretation of historian Davis Eltis's statement: "In terms of immigration alone... America was an extension of Africa rather than Europe until the late nineteenth century." A) The colonists set up communities in the New World that were much closer to the communities of Africa than those of Europe. B) Many European colonists gave up the traditional ways of their homelands, while people brought to America from Africa retained most of their traditions. C) The new colonies were governed in ways that were unlike any kind of European government and more like African governments. D) Africans were not the largest group to immigrate to America, but they had the greatest influence on the new colonies. E) More Africans than Europeans came to North America in the early years of colonization.

Q: What was the key difference between the English and Spanish colonial systems? A) The English Crown totally funded the colonies, while the Spanish Crown offered little aid to its colonizers. B) The English efforts were private, and the Spanish colonies were supported by the Crown. C) The English settled the interior lands, while the Spanish settled primarily in coastal regions. D) Religion played a central role in all the English colonies, but had little or no impact in New Spain. E) The English were more concerned with finding wealth in the New World, while the Spanish wanted to establish permanent settlements.

Q: How did Richard Hakluyt keep the dream of colonizing America alive? A) He explored the New World and brought exotic products back to England. B) He interviewed explorers and told their stories in a popular book. C) He started a successful colony that made reasonably good profits. D) He wrote a work on the variety and cultural diversity of Native Americans. E) He wrote a fictional story about a settlement but claimed it was a factual account.

Q: Which does NOT identify a reason why the Roanoke colonies were doomed from their inception? A) poor planning by the organizers of the settlement B) England's distraction because of its preparations for war C) England devoting resources to its impending war with Spain D) religious conflicts among settlers E) hostilities with Native Americans

Q: Which of the following is incorrectly matched with its colonies? A) France: Canada B) Portugal: Brazil C) Spain: Puerto Rico D) England: Cuba E) Spain: Mexico

Q: Why was English Protestantism able to spread so successfully in the 1500s? A) popular dissatisfaction with the clergy B) the fact that Martin Luther and John Calvin were both English C) the fervent Catholicism of the Tudor Kings D) the English hostility to the French Huguenots E) Mary I becoming queen of England

Q: Who backed the first colonization efforts undertaken by the English in the New World? A) Henry VII B) Italians acting for the English monarch C) Parliament D) Catholic merchants E) Elizabeth I

Q: Which of the following identifies the catalyst for the Protestant Reformation in England in the 1500s? A) Henry VII's severing of all ties with the pope B) the Act of Supremacy C) the death of Edward VI D) land that belonged to the Catholic Church was transferred to private owners E) Henry VIII's wish to dissolve his marriage to Catherine of Aragon

Q: Why was England initially reluctant to establish an empire in the Americas? A) Colonization threatened the English alliance with Spain. B) Colonization threatened the English alliance with France. C) Colonization would force Spain to ally itself with Portugal and France against England. D) The English did not want to bring about conflict with the Pope. E) Colonization threatened English trading agreements with the Dutch.

Q: What was the chief reason France was slow to establish a North American empire? A) poor relations with the Indians of Canada and the West B) the French government's indifference to affairs in the New World C) too many French settlers moving to the New World too quickly D) an inability to find anything of economic consequence in the New World E) too much competition with the English settlers over land in the New World

Q: Which statement best describes how the early French colonists viewed Native Americans? A) as obstacles to dominating the fur trade B) as potential slaves C) as valuable economic partners D) as obstacles to settling the land in North America E) as likely converts to Christianity

Q: Why was Spain's wealth acquired from the New World considered to be a mixed blessing? A) Spain was forced to send a large proportion of its population to the New World to help ship gold and silver back to Spain. B) The Spanish got wealthy from silver and gold in the New World, but lost most of their army and navy in battles with Native Americans. C) Because Spain used the New World only as a source of wealth, it did not consider establishing real settlements there. D) Because Spain gained its wealth so quickly, it caused great inflation for ordinary Spaniards. E) Most of the wealth ended up in the hands of Portuguese shippers.

Q: How did the Historia de las Indias change the colonization of the New World? A) It helped the Spanish recognize that they needed to be ruthless in order to prevail. B) It led Spain to improve its treatment of Indians under their rule. C) It helped the Spanish recognize that they would not be able to prevail over the powerful empires in the New World. D) It led the Spanish to the conquest of the Aztecs. E) It helped the Spanish recognize that Spanish culture was vastly inferior to native culture.

Q: Which was a key reason Corts was able to conquer Montezuma, the Aztec emperor? A) Montezuma's unarmored horseman were unable to fight the armored horses that Corts brought with him. B) Corts convinced the Aztecs to fight against their own corrupt leader, Montezuma. C) Corts and his men overwhelmingly outnumbered the Aztecs. D) Corts was able to recruit thousands of nearby Native Americans who helped him defeat Montezuma. E) Montezuma believed that the Spaniards were gods and did not resist them at first.

Q: Why was "America" named after Amerigo Vespucci? A) Vespucci published a falsified travel account that convinced mapmakers that he had been the first European to reach the continent. B) Vespucci had been on Columbus's last voyage, but unlike Columbus realized that they had found a new continent. C) Vespucci's travels to the Americas brought great wealth to Spain, and he was rewarded with a continent named for him. D) Vespucci was the first person to make contact with what is now the Bahamas, and the continent he reached was named after him. E) Vespucci convinced the king and queen of Spain that Columbus had falsified reports of his travels, and proved that it was he who had been the first to reach the Americas.

Q: Why did the Portuguese reject Columbus's proposed route to Cathay? A) They wanted Columbus to sail to India, not Cathay. B) They believed that Columbus had underestimated the Earth's circumference. C) They believed the Earth was round. D) They believed that Columbus had no intention of reaching Cathay and was presenting a false route simply to gain monetary support. E) They thought that Columbus would encounter too many hostile Indians on his proposed route.