Name: ______

Europeans Explore/Settle the New World

Part I-Fill in the blanks in the paragraphs.

Young Spaniards called Conquistadors led the exploration and conquest of the Americas in the 1500s. Eager to convert Native Americans to the Catholic faith, ______also settled in the Americas. Hernando Cortes conquered Mexico, home of the ______civilization, and ______took control of Peru from the ______

empire.

Spain’s American colonies were governed by ______and their advisory councils, who were appointed by the monarch. King Philip granted large estates called ______to Spanish nobles. Religious settlements called ______were founded by priests to spread the Catholic faith.

England attempted to establish a colony on ______Island near the coast of present day North Carolina but was unsuccessful. English merchants encouraged settlement by starting ______companies backed by investors. Ordinary people could settle in America if they sold their labor in exchange for passage to the colonies as indentured servants.

The settlers in Jamestown faced a severe ______shortage the first year (1607). Jamestown would have failed without the leadership of John ______. The colony became successful after the settlers grew ______and sold it for a profit. The Jamestown colonists established a ______government. Plymouth was settled by a religious group called ______and governed by the Mayflower Compact.

Part II-Answer the following questions by either filling in the black or answering in complete sentences where appropriate.

  1. As a result of the ______, European merchants increased their trade with the Middle East.
  2. Increased trade and travel led to a burst of learning called the ______.
  3. Person sent by Spain to rule the Spanish colonies ______
  4. Why was Magellan’s expedition important? ______

______

______

  1. Founder of the first permanent settlement in New France ______
  2. Dutch leader who bought ManhattanIsland from local Native Americans ______
  3. Why did European nations search for a northwest passage during the 1500s? ______

______

  1. Leader who saved the Jamestown settlement from failure ______
  2. Agreement signed by the Pilgrims before going ashore ______
  3. What hardships did the Jamestown settlers face? ______

______

True or False

Read the following statements. If a statement is false, replace the underlined word(s) to make the statement correct.

  1. The fate of the settlers of Roanoke remains a mystery. ______
  2. In 1607, 105 colonists settled in Virginia and named their colony Plymouth. ______
  3. The economy of Jamestown improved when the colonists began to grow tobacco. ______
  4. The founding of Parliament was the beginning of representative government in the English colonies. ______
  5. The Pilgrims came to North America in search of religious freedom. ______
  6. The signers of the Magna Carta agreed to work together to make the Plymouth colony succeed. ______