Colonial History Quiz on Mercantilism

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Questions and Answers

What was the main reason for the establishment of colonies in far off places during the mercantilist era?

To provide a source of cheap labor for European industries

To establish strategic military outposts

To spread Christianity to new lands

To create a market for European manufactured goods (correct)

What was one of the key premises of mercantilism?

Imports and exports should be balanced to maintain a stable economy.

Imports must always be greater than exports to make a profit.

Exports must always be greater than imports to make a profit. (correct)

Exports should always exceed imports unless the mother country is in a time of war.

Which of the following was NOT a reason why colonies turned to enslaved African labor?

Africans could be purchased permanently, eliminating the need to constantly find and train new laborers.

Africans were considered more obedient and less likely to rebel than European indentured servants.

Africans were immune to European diseases. (correct)

Africans were familiar with agricultural practices.

What was the main difference between European indentured servants and enslaved Africans in colonial America?

European indentured servants could earn their freedom after a set period of time, but enslaved Africans were permanently bound to their owners. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of these was NOT a reason why the Jamestown colony succeeded while previous colonial attempts in the same region failed?

The Jamestown colonists had a better understanding of the local environment. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is significant about the arrival of the first 20-30 Africans in Point Comfort, Virginia in 1619?

It marks the beginning of chattel slavery in North America. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What made the Atlantic Creoles particularly valuable to the colonists?

They were familiar with European culture and language, making them easier to integrate into colonial society. (A) Signup and view all the answers

Why did European colonists prefer to use enslaved Africans rather than European indentured servants in the long term?

All of the above. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What contributed to the shift from using indigenous people as laborers to relying on enslaved Africans?

Africans were a more readily available source of labor due to ongoing conflicts with Native Americans. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What was the significance of Anthony Johnson's case?

It highlighted the fluidity of social and racial categories in early colonial America. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary reason for the shift from a fluid system of labor to a more formalized system of enslavement in the 1640s and 1660s?

The need to establish a clear legal framework for the classification and treatment of enslaved Africans. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What does the information about Anthony Johnson's legal challenge regarding John Casor suggest about the nature of enslavement in early colonial America?

The concept of enslavement was still developing and open to interpretation. (C) Signup and view all the answers

How is the information about Anthony Johnson’s ability to farm and own property significant in understanding the development of slavery in colonial America?

It highlights the inconsistencies and inconsistencies in the legal and social system surrounding slavery. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What does the use of the word “alien” to describe Anthony Johnson after his death suggest?

That the legal system was starting to define enslaved Africans as a separate race. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of Anthony Johnson’s case in the context of understanding the development of slavery in colonial America?

It highlights the fluidity of the legal system and social practices surrounding slavery. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What central theme does the content focus on?

The role of law in the evolution of slavery in colonial America. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What was the initial agreement made between Elizabeth's father and Humphrey Higginson?

Elizabeth would be an indentured servant for nine years. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What was Elizabeth's primary argument in her lawsuit against Mottrom's family?

Her father was white and thus she should be free. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What legal loophole did Mottrom's family exploit to try and claim Elizabeth and her son as slaves?

They manipulated the fact that Elizabeth and her son were Black and that she was considered illegitimate, leading them to categorize them as slaves. (A) Signup and view all the answers

Why was the legal case of Elizabeth Key significant?

It was a landmark case that challenged the racial and legal justification of slavery in colonial Virginia. (A) Signup and view all the answers

How did the situation of white indentured servants compare to Elizabeth Key's?

White indentured servants were not subjected to the same legal discrimination and exploitation as Black indentured servants. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What can be inferred about the changing legal landscape of the time regarding slavery and Christian faith?

Christian faith was becoming a less reliable shield against enslavement in the later 17th century. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Why does the text state that Elizabeth "still built as much of a life for herself as possible" even in the midst of hardship?

She had a strong will to resist her circumstance and create a semblance of normalcy for herself. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Given Elizabeth Key’s legal victory, what can be inferred about the legal system in the 17th century in Virginia?

The legal system was imperfect but could be influenced by individual challenges to discriminatory practices. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What were the main goods that European traders brought to Africa during the first leg of the Transatlantic Slave Trade?

Textiles, iron, alcohol, firearms, and gunpowder (C) Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of enslaved Africans were brought to the United States?

5% (B) Signup and view all the answers

What made the experience of slavery in the Americas different from other forms of slavery that existed in Africa?

The existence of a legal system that codified and enforced racialized slavery (A) Signup and view all the answers

What were the main reasons why some enslaved Africans were sold by other Africans?

All of the above (D) Signup and view all the answers

What were the conditions like on a slave ship during the Middle Passage?

Crowded, unsanitary, and violent (D) Signup and view all the answers

What were some of the ways that enslaved Africans resisted their enslavement?

They attempted to escape and return to their homelands (A), They often staged rebellions and revolts against their captors (B), They passively accepted their fate and endured the suffering (C), They used acts of sabotage, such as slowing down work or damaging tools (D) Signup and view all the answers

What was the 'speculum orum', and how was it used on enslaved Africans?

A method used to force-feed enslaved Africans who refused to eat (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the term 'Middle Passage' in the context of the Transatlantic Slave Trade?

It refers to the journey of enslaved Africans from Africa to the Americas (C) Signup and view all the answers

What was the MOST crucial event in the transformation of a society with slaves into a slave society?

The seizure of power by slaveowners (B) Signup and view all the answers

What were the two main reasons for the shift in power between slaveholders and slaves as described in the text?

Alterations in slaveholders' demands and slaves' expectations (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main point the text makes about the transition from societies with slaves to slave societies?

The transition was a complex process that varied in speed, completeness, and outcome across different societies. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What does the text suggest about the relationship between the discovery of staple crops and the emergence of slave societies?

Staple crops were necessary, but not enough, to bring about slave societies. (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best reflects the text's perspective on racial ideologies in the context of slavery?

Racial ideologies justified the domination of slaves even when masters and slaves shared the same origin. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary argument the text makes regarding the importance of understanding slave/master conflicts?

It emphasizes the importance of integrating the experiences of slavery into the study of working class history and understanding slave agency. (B) Signup and view all the answers

How does the text characterize the development of slave societies in the Northwest?

It was shaped by evolving power dynamics between slaveholders and slaves. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main idea of the text?

The transition to a slave society was a complicated process influenced by various factors and varied in outcome. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the main ways that slaves resisted their enslavement, as described in the text?

They would intentionally break tools to slow down production. (A), They faked illness to avoid work. (B), They would attempt to escape to freedom. (C) Signup and view all the answers

How did the democratic revolutions of the late 18th century impact slavery?

They contributed to the decline of slavery in some areas but strengthened it in others. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the defining characteristic of "Plantation Generations" of enslaved people?

They were forced to grow crops crucial to the plantation economy. (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following was NOT a factor contributing to the degradation of black life under slavery?

The abolition of slavery in the United States in 1865. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following accurately represents the relationship between planters and enslaved individuals in society?

Planters saw enslaved people as property and a means to acquire wealth and power. (A) Signup and view all the answers

How did the growth of plantations impact the concept of "race"?

It solidified and reinforced the association of blackness with inferiority and servitude. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What does the text suggest about the European planters' approach to the origins and backgrounds of enslaved people?

They largely disregarded the origins and cultural differences of enslaved people. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is a key distinction between the Atlantic Creoles and their successors?

The Atlantic Creoles had stronger family ties and more access to Christianity. (C) Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

African American History to 1865

Unit is focused on the period from the late 15th century to the late 19th century.
Most Africans came from one of six regions.
These regions include Senegambia, Sierra Leone/Windward Coast, The Gold Coast, Bight of Benin, Bight of Biafra & West/Central Africa (Kongo and Angola).
An estimated 12.4 million Africans were trafficked through the Middle Passage.

The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

The Middle Passage was the second leg of a three-legged trade.
The first leg involved bringing textiles, iron, alcohol, firearms, and gunpowder from Europe to Africa.
The second leg of the journey involved exchanging goods for enslaved Africans.
The third leg shipped the enslaved people to the Americas.
An estimated 2 million Africans died during the Middle Passage.
5% of Africans were taken to the United States.
41% of Africans were taken to Brazil.
The remainder were distributed across the Central American and Caribbean Islands.
Africans sold other Africans due to several factors.
- Prisoners of war.
- Criminals (rarely).
- Poor members of society to pay off debts.

Loose Pack vs. Tight Pack

Refers to how enslaved Africans were packed onto ships during the Middle Passage.
Loose pack: Provided more space, but lessened profit. -Tight pack: Less space, more profit.

Life on a Slave Ship

Conditions were horrific.
People were packed tightly together.
Often chained down and unable to move.
Forced to relieve themselves in the same places they slept, ate, and sat.
A stench created from lack of ventilation was overwhelming.
Diseases such as yellow fever, malaria, smallpox, and dysentery spread rapidly.
Violence was commonplace, with women being sexually assaulted and captives being tortured.

Resistance

Enslaved Africans did not passively accept their situation.
They employed methods of resistance to reclaim control in unthinkable circumstances.
- Refusing to eat.
- Jumping overboard.
- Some held spiritual beliefs that water could take them back home.
- Enslavers exploited and developed several tools.
  - Speculum orum, a screw-like device to force the mouth open. Hot coals, and thumb-screws to torture slaves were used.

1700-1808

This period was the most destructive time of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
Roughly 2/3 (66%) of enslaved Africans were taken from Africa to the Americas during this period.
64 of every 100 Africans survived the trip to the coast (64%).
48 of the 64 survivors of that made it to the coast also survived the Middle Passage (75%). (25% died in passage)

Enslaved vs Slavs

The term "enslaved" focuses on the individual and the involuntary imposition of slavery, whereas "slave" describes the condition as an inherent part of someone's existence.

Royal African Company

This company maintained a monopoly on English trade to Africa following its inception in 1672.
Continued playing an active role in the early decades of the 1800s.

End of the Slave Trade

Traders continued trafficking Africans long after the international trade had been abolished in some locations (1808).
Domestic slave trade continued.
The Civil War ended the domestic slave trade in 1865.
Slavery was officially abolished in Britain, Brazil, Spain, Puerto Rico, and Cuba in different years.

Mercantilism

Colonial practice where home countries established offshoot colonies that produced resources in far-off lands.
Exports needed to be greater than imports to make profit.
Reducing production costs was paramount.
Slavery was suggested as a means of achieving this goal, by using the enslaved as forced labor and not paying them appropriately.

Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón

Established a colony in what is now South Carolina in 1526.
The colony failed.
Enslaved Africans fled to local indigenous people groups.

Point Comfort, Virginia

Thought to be where the first 20-30 Africans were brought into the Americas in 1619. This was where they became central to the success on the Jamestown Colony.

Indentured Servitude

Europeans came to the Americas as indentured servants; however, they were often unwilling to be disciplined at the same level as the African slaves.
Their contracts had time limits and Europeans did not want to be disciplined as harshly as the enslaved Africans.

Native Groups

Europeans did not immediately give up on indigenous labor.
Ongoing conflict with Native Americans caused imported Africans to become a more desirable source of labor.
Slavery rights and specifics were not formalized into law by this point.

Emergence of a Slave Society

Early policies established a clear social and political hierarchy that further entrenched African slavery.

Anthony Johnson

Shows early forms of enslavement in America and how it was codified.
Illustrated the possibilities for Black people before oppressive policies were formalized.

John Punch

A case where an enslaved person, John Punch, was sentenced to lifetime servitude after running away. This event helped establish the racial caste system.

Partus Sequitur Ventre

The legal principle that a child's race was determined by the mother's.

Development of Slavery

The legal parameters of slavery developed and expanded over many decades.
Became more central to the economic systems utilized in this period.
Examining court cases of that time provide a perspective of denied rights and liberties on enslaved Africans relative to the land-owning white men during early colonial society.

Elizabeth Key

One of the few enslaved people who gained freedom through the colonial legal system.
Case provides a detailed investigation of racial ideologies.

Natchez Indian Revolt

The Natchez Indians started resistance against French colonial domination.
Recruited multiple enslaved individuals as a means of achieving this resistance.
230 people were killed.

Making Slavery, Making Race

Difficulty in how slavery, and race, is defined.
The changing nature and implementation of slavery in the Americas and how violence is used for justification.

Race and Slavery

Slave is a product of violence against already vulnerable populations.

Slavery as Negotiation

Masters and slaves made concession to their respective legitimacy.

Slave Labor and Free Labor

Discusses varying interpretations of how slaves existed and the dynamic of the period.

Slave Labor and Free Labor

Analyzes how to approach slavery in a nuanced fashion.
Shows the complexity and nuances involved with understanding the history of slavery.

Slave Labor and Free Labor

How slavery affected class and structure in the Americas.

Slave Labor and Free Labor

Slave life differed greatly based on location.

Two Markets of Slavery

Slave societies differ as measured by the different ways they implemented slavey, and the differing impacts.

Two Markets of Slavery

Slave societies differ in how they depend on slavery to function.

Movement from One to the Other

The shifts and transformations in societies with slaves to societies where slaves are legally instituted and practiced.

Different Views on Cause of Change

Some views of why societies transitioned to slavery society.

Evolution of Slavery in NW

The nature of slave labor changed based on production, and how slaves and masters interacted.

Conflict Between Slave/Master

Conflicts happened in various forms, over the labor system.

Evolution of Slavery in NW

The varying results in the implementation of slavery in different parts of the world, based on varied factors.

Generations of Slavery

The various generations of slave owners and their experience with slavery.

Slave Societies

Characteristics and experiences of slave societies, including their unique aspects.

Slave Societies

Characteristics and experiences of slave societies.

Slave Societies

Characteristics and experiences of slave societies.

Slave Societies

The different aspects of slave societies in detail.

Slave Societies

Different views of how slavery developed.

Slave Societies

Various aspects of how slave societies originated and developed.

Slave Societies

The development of slave societies globally, with specific reference to the African continent.

Slave Societies

How slave trade affected different ethnic groups.

Slave Societies

Examining how enslaved Africans interacted with other races.

Slave Societies

Details about the identity of those enslaved.

Slavey Societies : Different interpretations and nuances of how the different slave societies were.

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Description

Test your knowledge on the establishment of colonies during the mercantilist era. This quiz covers key concepts such as the shift to enslaved African labor and the experiences of indentured servants in colonial America. Explore the factors contributing to the success of early colonies like Jamestown and the significance of the first African arrivals in Virginia.

Colonial History Quiz on Mercantilism

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Questions and Answers

What was the main reason for the establishment of colonies in far off places during the mercantilist era?

What was one of the key premises of mercantilism?

Which of the following was NOT a reason why colonies turned to enslaved African labor?

What was the main difference between European indentured servants and enslaved Africans in colonial America?

Which of these was NOT a reason why the Jamestown colony succeeded while previous colonial attempts in the same region failed?

What is significant about the arrival of the first 20-30 Africans in Point Comfort, Virginia in 1619?

What made the Atlantic Creoles particularly valuable to the colonists?

Why did European colonists prefer to use enslaved Africans rather than European indentured servants in the long term?

What contributed to the shift from using indigenous people as laborers to relying on enslaved Africans?

What was the significance of Anthony Johnson's case?

What was the primary reason for the shift from a fluid system of labor to a more formalized system of enslavement in the 1640s and 1660s?

What does the information about Anthony Johnson's legal challenge regarding John Casor suggest about the nature of enslavement in early colonial America?

How is the information about Anthony Johnson’s ability to farm and own property significant in understanding the development of slavery in colonial America?

What does the use of the word “alien” to describe Anthony Johnson after his death suggest?

What is the significance of Anthony Johnson’s case in the context of understanding the development of slavery in colonial America?

What central theme does the content focus on?

What was the initial agreement made between Elizabeth's father and Humphrey Higginson?

What was Elizabeth's primary argument in her lawsuit against Mottrom's family?

What legal loophole did Mottrom's family exploit to try and claim Elizabeth and her son as slaves?

Why was the legal case of Elizabeth Key significant?

How did the situation of white indentured servants compare to Elizabeth Key's?

What can be inferred about the changing legal landscape of the time regarding slavery and Christian faith?

Why does the text state that Elizabeth "still built as much of a life for herself as possible" even in the midst of hardship?

Given Elizabeth Key’s legal victory, what can be inferred about the legal system in the 17th century in Virginia?

What were the main goods that European traders brought to Africa during the first leg of the Transatlantic Slave Trade?

What percentage of enslaved Africans were brought to the United States?

What made the experience of slavery in the Americas different from other forms of slavery that existed in Africa?

What were the main reasons why some enslaved Africans were sold by other Africans?

What were the conditions like on a slave ship during the Middle Passage?

What were some of the ways that enslaved Africans resisted their enslavement?

What was the 'speculum orum', and how was it used on enslaved Africans?

What is the significance of the term 'Middle Passage' in the context of the Transatlantic Slave Trade?

What was the MOST crucial event in the transformation of a society with slaves into a slave society?

What were the two main reasons for the shift in power between slaveholders and slaves as described in the text?

What is the main point the text makes about the transition from societies with slaves to slave societies?

What does the text suggest about the relationship between the discovery of staple crops and the emergence of slave societies?

Which of the following best reflects the text's perspective on racial ideologies in the context of slavery?

What is the primary argument the text makes regarding the importance of understanding slave/master conflicts?

How does the text characterize the development of slave societies in the Northwest?

What is the main idea of the text?

What is one of the main ways that slaves resisted their enslavement, as described in the text?

How did the democratic revolutions of the late 18th century impact slavery?

What is the defining characteristic of "Plantation Generations" of enslaved people?

Which of the following was NOT a factor contributing to the degradation of black life under slavery?

Which of the following accurately represents the relationship between planters and enslaved individuals in society?

How did the growth of plantations impact the concept of "race"?

What does the text suggest about the European planters' approach to the origins and backgrounds of enslaved people?

What is a key distinction between the Atlantic Creoles and their successors?

Study Notes

African American History to 1865

The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

Loose Pack vs. Tight Pack

Life on a Slave Ship

Resistance

1700-1808

Enslaved vs Slavs

Royal African Company

End of the Slave Trade

Mercantilism

Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón

Point Comfort, Virginia

Indentured Servitude

Native Groups

Emergence of a Slave Society

Anthony Johnson

John Punch

Partus Sequitur Ventre

Development of Slavery

Elizabeth Key

Natchez Indian Revolt

Making Slavery, Making Race

Race and Slavery

Slavery as Negotiation

Slave Labor and Free Labor

Slave Labor and Free Labor

Slave Labor and Free Labor