Spanish, French, Dutch and English claims, and the first English colonies

Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Four nations, four aims, 1565 to 1630 (summaries in our words from the National Park Service). Card A, Spain: in 1565 Spain founded St. Augustine in Florida as a military base to guard the route of its treasure ships and to hold its claim. Priests built missions to convert Native peoples to Christianity. Card B, France: in 1608 France founded Quebec on the St. Lawrence River. Few French settlers came. The colony lived by the fur trade, and French traders depended on alliances with Native nations such as the Wendat and the Algonquin. Card C, the Netherlands: from 1614 the Dutch built trading posts on the Hudson River. The Dutch West India Company ran New Netherland as a business for furs. England took it in 1664 and renamed it New York. Card D, England: in 1607 the Virginia Company, a company of investors, founded Jamestown to make a profit. In 1620 Separatists seeking freedom to worship, and other passengers, founded Plymouth.

2. 1.

   Card B says few French settlers came and the colony lived by the fur trade. Which chain best explains why alliances mattered, Ari asks?

   • Many settlers and strong farms meant needing no Native trappers
   • Few settlers and a fur economy meant relying on Native trappers
   • Few settlers meant priests ran the colony in place of traders
   • Few settlers meant the French could take furs by force alone
3. 2.

   A student says all four nations founded colonies mainly to make money. How well do the cards support that, Bo asks?

   • Strongly: companies founded each of the four colonies shown
   • Weakly: Spain's base and England's Separatists do not fit
   • Not really: no card mentions money, furs or profit
   • Strongly: each of the four cards names furs or profit
4. 3.

   Cards A and D both involve religion. How do their religious aims differ, Esme asks?

   • Card A mentions religion; card D names profit as the sole aim
   • A: freedom for one's own worship; D: converting Native peoples
   • A: converting Native peoples; D: freedom for one's own worship
   • Both aimed to convert Native peoples, one by priests, one by settlers
5. 4.

   Suppose the fur trade collapsed. Using card B, which prediction is best supported, Kira asks?

   • A colony living by furs with few settlers would struggle
   • The Spanish base at St. Augustine would lose its main income
   • The French colony would grow rich from its many large farms
   • The French colony would end at once and its settlers would leave
6. 5.

   Which statement is supported by cards B and C together but not by card A, Luz asks?

   • Separatists sought freedom to worship in a new colony in 1620
   • A military base guarded the route of treasure ships and the claim
   • Their colonies lived on furs from Native trappers
   • Priests built missions to convert Native peoples to Christianity

7. Use this

   Whose land? Jamestown, 1607 to 1610 (summaries in our words from the National Park Service). Card E: Jamestown was built on land the Powhatan Chiefdom used. The chiefdom had thousands of people in more than 30 tribes. Card F: in the early years the Powhatan sent gifts of food to the English. In the winter of 1609 to 1610, the "Starving Time", about 60 settlers were still alive by spring. Accounts differ on how many had been there in the fall: about 500 by one count, about 300 by another. Card G: European rulers claimed land under what is now called the Doctrine of Discovery, the idea that a Christian nation could claim land not already held by a Christian ruler, even where Native nations lived.

8. 6.

   Card E says the Powhatan used the land at Jamestown. What does that mean for the idea of 'empty land', Milo asks?

   • The land was empty until the English cleared it
   • The land was theirs by law, so the English had no claim
   • Many people lived there, so 'empty' is not accurate
   • The land was part of Virginia, a state since 1607
9. 7.

   Card E says the Powhatan used the land. Card G says rulers claimed land 'not already held by a Christian ruler.' What does the conflict show, Pia asks?

   • The claim covered just land that the Powhatan did not use
   • The claim showed the land was empty, so the Powhatan had left
   • The claim rested on European rules, not an empty land
   • The claim was void, so the English had no basis to settle
10. 8.

    Card F gives two counts for the same fall. What does that tell Ren about the evidence for the Starving Time?

    • Sources disagree on a basic number, so claims need a range
    • The counts agree, since each puts the survivors near 60
    • Both counts are wrong, so nothing is known about that winter
    • The higher count is right, since it shows more suffering
11. 9.

    Which question would best help Tala learn how the Powhatan saw the English arrival?

    • Which nation claimed land under the Doctrine of Discovery?
    • What did Powhatan people record or say about the English?
    • How many English settlers lost their lives in the Starving Time?
    • How many settlers were still alive in the spring of 1610?
12. 10.

    Which statement do cards E to G best support, Zee asks?

    • Jamestown failed because the Powhatan refused to share any food
    • Jamestown affected Native peoples, and settlers needed their help
    • Jamestown was founded on empty land and succeeded by itself
    • Jamestown was the first English attempt to settle in Virginia