Deck 18: Conquest and Exploitation: The Development of the Transatlantic Economy

Question 1

All of the following describe the Atlantic slave system except (Global Perspectives, pp. 434-435)

A) an efficient system of labor organization.
B) a vast system of exploitation that disturbed political and social structures in Africa.
C) the means by which Africans learned how to cultivate rice.
D) a source of contradictions that may have contributed to revolutions.

Answer 1

the means by which Africans learned how to cultivate rice.

Question 2

The eighteenth century was a "golden age of smugglers" because

A) most Native Americans did not respect European laws.
B) New World colonists wanted goods at the cheapest price regardless of where they came from.
C) most European ships were too small to carry large amounts of goods.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Answer 2

New World colonists wanted goods at the cheapest price regardless of where they came from.

Question 3

Why were the Spanish able to conquer the Aztecs?

A) The Aztec emperor believed Cortes might be a god.
B) The Spanish military technology had horses, which were unknown to the Aztecs.
C) Aztec subject peoples aided the Spaniards.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Answer 3

All of these answers are correct.

Question 4

The Spanish Crown disliked and eventually sought to replace the encomienda system because it

A) gave the Native Americas too much independence.
B) was too complicated for most colonial officials to administer effectively.
C) created a powerful independent nobility in the New World.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 5

According to Olaudah Equiano (Document, pp. 452-453), slaves on a slave ship feared all of the following except

A) the possibility of being eaten by the whites.
B) being separated from their families.
C) catching a dreadful disease.
D) being eagerly purchased by frightful men.

Question 6

Why did the European nations wish to establish empires in the Americas? How, if at all, did Spain, France, and England's motivations for pursuing such an empire differ?
Conceptual

Question 7

How did the Spanish organize their empire in the Americas? Was it an economically efficient operation? Why or why not?
Conceptual

Question 8

What role did the Catholic Church play in the encounters with Native American civilizations? How did its role compare with that of the Protestant church?
Conceptual

Question 9

Describe the encomienda system. How did it differ from the repartimiento? What role did the hacienda play in rural and agricultural life?
Conceptual

Question 10

Where were African slaves obtained and how were they treated? How did slavery affect the transatlantic trade economy? How did it affect West African societies?
Conceptual

Question 11

Discuss mercantilism in theory and practice. What were its main ideas? Did they work? Which European country was most successful in establishing a mercantilist empire? Why?
Conceptual

Question 12

What was the primary economic activity for British settlers in the Americas? How did that differ from the activities of French and Spanish colonizers and why did that difference matter?
Conceptual

Question 13

What was the Columbian exchange? In what ways did it influence European conquest and colonization of the Americas?
Conceptual

Question 14

What were the main reasons for colonial conflict between Britain, Spain, and France in the Americas?
Conceptual

Question 15

Why were Europeans able to dominate Native American civilizations so completely from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries?
Conceptual

Question 16

Did all Europeans adopt the same approach toward Native Americans during their exploration and colonization of the Americas? If not, how and why did their approaches differ?
Conceptual

Question 17

How, if at all, did slavery differ from other types of forced labor in the Americas?
Conceptual

Question 18

Compare and contrast Spanish and Portuguese conquest and colonization with French and English colonization. What factor or factors best account for the differences between them?
Conceptual

Question 19

Did the Spanish fully live up to their reputation as represented by the Black Legend? What are some examples of Spanish policies or actions that might cast doubt on labeling them as selfish and evil? What do you think was their primary motive or motives in dealing with Native Americans?
Conceptual

Question 20

How did the Catholic Church justify the conquest of indigenous civilizations in the New World? What was the religious connection between the conquest of Native American civilizations and Spain's struggle against Islam during the Middle Ages?
Conceptual

Question 21

Discuss the operation of the flota system. How effective was it? What economic consequences did it have for Spain and its colonies?
Conceptual