Question 1

Which European nation-with the help of Genoese financiers, merchants, and navigators-initiated an exploration along the Atlantic Coast of Africa in search of new sources of gold, silver, and copper?

Accepted Answer

Portugal, with the help of Genoese financiers, merchants, and navigators, initiated an exploration along the Atlantic Coast of Africa in search of new sources of gold, silver, and copper. This exploration eventually led to the Portuguese establishment of a trading network along the coasts of West and East Africa, as well as the discovery of new territories such as Brazil, India, and parts of Asia.

Question 2

What motivations for exploration by Europeans are expressed in the following two quotes? Bartholomew Diaz: "[T]o serve God and his Majesty, to give light to those who were in darkness, and to grow rich as all men desire to do." Hernán Cortés: "I have come to win gold, not to plow the fields like a peasant."

Accepted Answer

Both quotes express a desire for wealth accumulation, but Diaz also includes a motivation to spread Christianity and bring enlightenment. Cortés, on the other hand, is solely focused on obtaining gold. Therefore, the best choice is C, which includes both wealth accumulation and conversion to Christianity as primary motivations for exploration.

Question 3

At the time of his death, Columbus believed the islands he found were

Accepted Answer

Columbus believed that the islands he found were located off the coast of Asia, and he referred to the native people he encountered as "Indians," thinking he had reached the East Indies. There is no evidence to suggest that he believed the islands were settled by a civilization of vast wealth and sophistication, and he did not have knowledge of a new continent or isolation from other land masses at the time of his death.

Question 4

How did Portuguese merchants obtain most of their slaves in Africa?

Accepted Answer

Portuguese merchants typically obtained most of their slaves through trading with local leaders, who captured and sold members of enemy tribes or people who were considered criminals or debtors. While some slaves may have been taken through warfare, raiding parties, or seizing people on the coastline, trading with local leaders was the most common method of acquiring slaves for Portuguese merchants.

Question 5

How did English colonies differ from other major European colonies in their treatment of African women?

Accepted Answer

English masters rarely freed the children that they fathered with female slaves, which was different from other European colonies. In places like Spanish and Portuguese colonies, mixed-race children were often freed or granted a higher social status than in English colonies. In French colonies, there were even laws protecting the rights of slaves and granting them more freedom. However, in English colonies, the offspring of African women and English men were still considered slaves and were not given any special treatment.

Question 6

"Within a few days after our departure from every such town, the people began to die. . . . [B]y report of the oldest men in the country [this had] never happened before. . . . [The people] were persuaded that it was the work of our God." This quote from Thomas Hariot's report (Evaluating the Evidence 14.2) refers to what effect of European colonization?

Accepted Answer

The quote describes the spread of disease among Native Americans after the arrival of European colonizers. This was a devastating effect of European colonization, as it led to significant population decline and cultural disruption among Native American communities.

Question 7

Which of the following best characterizes the immigration patterns (forced and unforced) of Europeans and Africans to the Americas between 1500 and 1800?

Accepted Answer

During the transatlantic slave trade from the 1500s to the 1800s, it is estimated that around 12 million Africans were forcibly transported to the Americas, while around 2.5 million Europeans voluntarily migrated to the Americas during the same period. This means that about four times as many Africans were brought to the Americas compared to Europeans. Thus, the best choice would be B.

Question 8

According to Map 14.3: Seaborne Trading Empires in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, what nations dominated the global sea trade routes during this period?

Accepted Answer

According to Map 14.3, the dominant seaborne trading empires during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were coastal European nations bordering the Atlantic, such as Portugal, Spain, France, England, and the Netherlands.

Question 9

Based on Map 14.1: The Fifteenth-Century Afroeurasian Trading World, Afroeurasian trade during this period was centered on what body of water?

Accepted Answer

Map 14.1 shows that the trading routes and centers during the fifteenth century spanned across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, with a focus on the Indian Ocean as the main body of water for Afroeurasian trade. Therefore, the best choice is D, the Indian Ocean.

Question 10

How did the Turks' expansion of the Ottoman Empire and their conquest of the Byzantine Empire and its capital Constantinople in 1453 influence European exploration?

Accepted Answer

The conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire led to the closure of the overland trade routes to China, which forced European merchants to seek alternate routes by sea. This, in turn, led to the age of exploration and the discovery of new sea routes to Asia.

Question 11

Bartolomé de Las Casas asserted that the Indians

Accepted Answer

Bartolomé de Las Casas believed that the Indians had human rights and should be treated with respect and dignity, despite their different culture and beliefs. He argued against the mistreatment and exploitation of Native Americans by European colonizers, advocating for their protection and fair treatment.

Question 12

How did Europeans initially justify the enslavement of Africans?

Accepted Answer

Europeans often justified the enslavement of Africans by claiming it was a civilizing mission that brought Christianity and European culture to them, portraying it as beneficial for the enslaved.

Question 13

How did French colonies respond to the problem of the low migration levels from France?

Accepted Answer

Colonial officials encouraged French traders to form ties with and marry native women, in order to increase the population of the colonies. They hoped that the French traders who had settled and married in the colonies would encourage more French migrants to do the same. This policy was known as "métissage".

Question 14

Which of the following plays by Shakespeare highlighted the issue of race?

Accepted Answer

Othello is a play that deals directly with issues of race, as the title character, a black man, faces discrimination and mistreatment from the other characters based on his race.

Question 15

How did the Spanish monarchy seek to maintain control over its colonies?

Accepted Answer

The Spanish monarchy established intendants with broad administrative and financial authority who were responsible directly to the monarchy in order to maintain control over its colonies. This system allowed the monarchy to bypass corrupt or inefficient colonial officials and directly control the operations of the colony. Additionally, the intendants were tasked with ensuring the collection of taxes and the enforcement of colonial policy, further cementing the monarchy's control.

Question 16

"[E]veryone gives the title of barbarism to everything that is not according to his usage." How did Michel de Montaigne offer a counterpoint, expressed in the quote above, to Europe's growing imperial activities?

Accepted Answer

Montaigne countered Europe's growing imperial activities by rejecting the notion that one culture is superior to another. He argued that the label of 'barbarism' was subjective and arbitrary, and that different cultures should be appreciated and respected for their unique qualities rather than judged against European standards. This view challenged the dominant European attitude of cultural superiority, which was used to justify colonialism and imperialism.

Question 17

How did justifications for slavery change from the fifteenth to eighteenth century?

Accepted Answer

During the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries, justifications for slavery shifted from religious and cultural arguments to those based on pseudoscientific ideas about race and nature, as the Enlightenment era brought about new ways of thinking that included racial theories.

Question 18

How did the encomienda system function?

Accepted Answer

The encomienda system granted Spanish conquerors the right to employ or demand tribute from groups of Native Americans in exchange for providing food and shelter. This system was similar to feudalism and led to exploitation and cruelty towards Native Americans.

Question 19

In chronological order, what were the three successive commercial empires established by Europeans in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries?

Accepted Answer

The Portuguese established their trading empire in the fifteenth century, followed by the Spanish in the sixteenth century, and the Dutch in the seventeenth century. The other options provide incorrect sequences of empires.

Question 20

What was the primary cause of the emergence of inflation in Spain in the sixteenth century?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What was the primary cause of the...

Quiz 14: European Exploration and Conquest 1450-1650