Simon Lee Critical Thinking Questions Unit 1: Colonial Era Chapters 1-6 Chapter 1 1.

. Indian societies were more agricultural based and depended on their environment while the Europeans were already manufacturing and had gone through their Industrial Revolution. The Indians, especially the Aztecs and Incas, and the Europeans had a similar world view. They were both societies that had conquered surrounding lands and were more advanced compared to neighboring competition. 2. Disease was the main factor to why the Indians lost everything they had, sometimes losing entire civilizations. Forced labor helped the Americas become a vital extension to any motherland country, providing millions of manual laborers from around the world. The Black Legend could have been true or false. It could be true because many Indians did in fact die from the Spanish. However, the English could have created the myth as propaganda against their competitors. 3. The differences in culture between Latin America and North America are due to the difference in English and Spanish cultures, the two countries that dominated most in the Americas. Since the Europeans were more powerful, they would have changed their captives to model their own cultures. If the English had conquered Mexico and Peru, Latin America would not be called Latin America, perhaps Anglo America. Also, todays North American culture would mirror that certain outcome. The same would apply for the Spanish. 4. The Spanish Conquistadores should not be blamed for the deaths via disease. They did not purposely spread the disease to kill then natives. It was just a stroke of good luck. However, the actions that they could control, the cruelties, should be blamed on the Conquistadores. The Black Legend simply depicts the cruelties by the Conquistadores, enforcing the argument. 5. The long term significance of intermarriage between Conquistadores and native Americans is the creation of a new race and a new culture, a blend of Catholic Spain and Latin America.

Simon Lee Chapter 2 6. I think that English settlers of the New World, before the Anglo-Spanish War, wanted national glory, alongside Spain. Finally, after the Anglo-Spanish War, England watched as Spanish dominance in the New World decreased and English rule increased. Later on, due to social and religious tensions, migration between the two worlds was caused by social tensions. 7. The English settlers were much crueler to the native Indians because they did not consider converting them to Christianity at first. The Conquistadores, on the other hand, were striving to conquer while converting natives to Catholicism. Since the Conquistadores were attempting to convert, they formed amicable relationships with the natives. You cant convert dead people. This mingling of cultures brought a mixture of both, which inevitably leads to diffusion of culture. 8. The involvement of African slaves in the North American colonies was somewhat inevitable. Most people would rather order others around rather than have to work themselves. People are generally lazy. If the North American colonies did no rely on slavery, the colonies would probably not have progressed as quickly as they did. 9. Reliance on plantation agriculture acted as a leech on the colonists. Since they were so focused on rural activity, they did not attempt at improving other aspects of the colonies, just more land. Their societies were generally loose because of the laid back system of having a rural, plantation economy. 10. One major similarity is that the Iroquois Confederacy and the United States of America are both a group of separate clans/states that worked together for the greater good, benefiting themselves in the long run. Also, each clan/state had its own system of government and culture, being semiautonomous to a degree. The main difference is that the USA has a head, a place of most power, essentially Washington DC. The Iroquois Confederacy did not have one. 11. The Iroquois used the English and French rivalry to benefit themselves, allying with the side that benefited them most. The decision to ally with the British was definitely the most decisive, since it was the cause of their demise. Chapter 3 12. I believe that Puritans did in fact come to America to seek religious freedom and create a haven for others. However, after the majority became Puritans, the Puritans wished for a truly pure Puritan colony, persecuting others with different beliefs, making them one of

Simon Lee the largest hypocrites in history. 13. The state and the church in New England were purposely separated in order to differentiate with motherland England, where the priests had so much power because of their assets in parliament. The colonial reason behind this was to stem corruption by separating them and to prevent religious persecution. The same idea is in place today. 14. Both New England and the middle colonies were founded through religion. New England was an attempt at a pure Puritan, opposite of England, and the middle colonies were founded by the Dutch, Quakers and people seeking refuge from religious persecution. They were similar to the south because they were still involved with agriculture. They were very different because New England and the middle colonies did not accept slavery. 15. The middle colonies, because they accepted people of many backgrounds and religions, they were much more lenient in nature towards all kinds of people. This also made them a very diverse group of colonies. Since some people were more qualified to contribute to government than others, the middle colonies were not all completely democratic. 16. Can not be answered. It is Makers of America: The English. Not Makers of America: The Puritans. 17. Can not be answered. It is Makers of America: The English. Not Makers of America: The Puritans. Chapter 4 18.