Study Guide for Early Settlement
Name ______________________ # ___________
1. Why did the Spanish want to start settlements in the New World?
1. find gold and riches
2. make money ($) from trade
3. bigger empire (land = power!)
4. spread Christianity - Catholic
2. When and where did the Spanish start settlements?
Mid 1500s (1565); South and Central America, Mexico, Florida, Texas, New Mexico
3. What was the name of the first Spanish settlement in present-day United States?
St. Augustine (Florida) *oldest city in the USA*
4. What are 3 main ways the Spanish began to create negative interactions with other
people in the New World?
1. forced natives and African (slaves) to work on plantations and in mines
2. destroyed (burned) French forts
3. fought with the English navy
5. What were the French and Dutch (Netherlands) searching for in the New World
(what was it called)? Did they find it? Why or why not? Northwest Passage; no; it
doesn’t exist
6. The New France colony was settled in what present-day area? What was the main
settlement? Canada; Quebec
7. Who was the leader of French settlement? What river did he discover in Canada?
Samuel de Champlain; St. Lawrence River
8. What did the French establish that made them have a rich colony and become
friends with the Native Americans? Fur trade (beavers!)
9. Why did the Dutch want to settle in the New World? They wanted to make money
from the fur trade.
10. The New Netherlands colony was settled in what present-day state? What was the
main settlement? What is it called now? New York; New Amsterdam; New York City
11. Who was in charge of the Dutch (Netherlands) settlement? What river was named
for him? Henry Hudson; Hudson River
12. What 2 things were the English looking for in the New World?
1. wanted to find gold
2. wanted to make money off natural resources
Study Guide for Early Settlement
Name ______________________ # ___________
13. What was the name of the first English colony that failed? What was its nickname?
Where was it located? Roanoke; The Lost Colony; North Carolina/Virginia coast
14. Who was the leader of this colony? Who tried to later help, but couldn’t? Sir Walter
Raleigh; John White
15. List the problems that caused the colony of Roanoke to fail. Hint: There were
problems in England and Roanoke. Running low on supplies, winter was
approaching with no supplies, John White couldn’t return for 3 years with supplies,
war with Spain
16. Why was England able to focus more on settlement in the New World? Who had
they defeated in battle? Spanish Armada
17. What was the name of England’s 3rd try at making a colony? When was it settled and
where? Jamestown; 1607; Virginia
18. List some problems this new colony faced. Built on a swamp, mosquitoes = malaria,
wasted time digging for gold = not enough houses, sandy soil = not good for farming
(starvation), extreme weather (harsh winters/drought=fires), salty water = not good
for drinking, native attacks, fighting with each other, poor leadership
19. Who first helped Jamestown become a successful colony? John Smith
20.List the ways he helped the colony. Brought order = rules, grew crops and fished,
traded with natives, built houses (fences), dug wells
21. Who was the 2nd man that helped Jamestown remain a rich and successful colony?
John Rolfe
22. List the ways he helped the colony. Introduced tobacco as a cash crop ($), married
Pocahontas (peace with the natives)