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AP®HistoryCollege BoardUS HistoryExam QuestionsPeriod 2: 1607-1754European Colonization

European Colonization (College Board AP® US History): Exam Questions

6 mins6 questions
11 mark

"On the twentieth, eve of the day of the blessed Apostle and Evangelist St. Matthew, having prayed to Our Lord and His Blessed Mother, supplicating them to give us victory against those Lutherans, because we had already agreed to take the twenty ladders we had brought along, to attack them by scaling the walls in their sight. And His Divine Majesty did us such mercy and guided it in such a way that, without the death of a single man, and with only one man knocked on the head [who is already well], we won the fort and everything within it. One hundred thirty-two men had their throats cut and, the next day, ten more who were taken prisoner in the woods. Among them were many gentlemen."

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Letter to King Philip II, October 15, 1565

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés’s justification for attacking the French fort in Florida is most closely associated with which of the following Spanish colonial policies?

  • The encomienda system, which granted land and labor to Spanish settlers

  • The Laws of the Indies, which regulated Spanish settlements and colonial governance

  • The Spanish Crown’s commitment to Catholic missionary efforts and religious warfare

  • The Requirement (Requerimiento), which justified the forced conversion of Indigenous peoples and non-Catholics

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21 mark

"On the twentieth, eve of the day of the blessed Apostle and Evangelist St. Matthew, having prayed to Our Lord and His Blessed Mother, supplicating them to give us victory against those Lutherans, because we had already agreed to take the twenty ladders we had brought along, to attack them by scaling the walls in their sight. And His Divine Majesty did us such mercy and guided it in such a way that, without the death of a single man, and with only one man knocked on the head [who is already well], we won the fort and everything within it. One hundred thirty-two men had their throats cut and, the next day, ten more who were taken prisoner in the woods. Among them were many gentlemen."

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Letter to King Philip II, October 15, 1565

The excerpt reflects which broader historical trend in Spanish colonization?

  • The competition between European nations for control of the Americas

  • Spanish reliance on alliances with French Protestants to maintain Florida

  • The peaceful coexistence of Spanish, French, and Native American groups in Florida

  • The expansion of English settlements into Florida

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31 mark

"On the twentieth, eve of the day of the blessed Apostle and Evangelist St. Matthew, having prayed to Our Lord and His Blessed Mother, supplicating them to give us victory against those Lutherans, because we had already agreed to take the twenty ladders we had brought along, to attack them by scaling the walls in their sight. And His Divine Majesty did us such mercy and guided it in such a way that, without the death of a single man, and with only one man knocked on the head [who is already well], we won the fort and everything within it. One hundred thirty-two men had their throats cut and, the next day, ten more who were taken prisoner in the woods. Among them were many gentlemen."

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Letter to King Philip II, October 15, 1565

Which of the following best describes a major difference between Spanish colonization efforts and those of the Dutch, English, and French during the 16th and 17th centuries?

  • The Spanish relied on peaceful negotiations with Native Americans, whereas the English, French, and Dutch used military force to take land.

  • The Spanish established a centralized colonial system focused on resource extraction, while the Dutch, English, and French developed economies based on trade and settlement.

  • Unlike the Dutch and English, the Spanish sought to establish permanent settlements without using African slavery.

  • The Spanish focused exclusively on mining precious metals, while the English, Dutch, and French relied entirely on agricultural economies.

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41 mark

“As soon as they with God's help arrive in New Netherland, Wulffert Gerritssz and the aforesaid persons shall go before the commander and council and make promise there that not one of them will trade in any peltries or skins, on forfeiture of their wages. On the way over they shall take care of 12 ewes and one ram which I have bought and send thither, that the same may arrive safely.”

 Kiliaen van Rensselaer,“Instructions to Wolfert Gerritsz, January 16, 1630,” in Van Rensselaer Bowier Manuscripts, ed. A.J.F van Laer, 1908

As suggested in the excerpt, which of the following was the original intention of Dutch colonies in the New World? 

  • Populate settlements for Dutch colonists in New Netherland 

  • Establish a military base along the coast to protect Dutch interests against the British

  • Create a trading post for Dutch commercial products

  • Spread Protestantism to the New World through Dutch immigrant communities  

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51 mark

“As soon as they with God's help arrive in New Netherland, Wulffert Gerritssz and the aforesaid persons shall go before the commander and council and make promise there that not one of them will trade in any peltries or skins, on forfeiture of their wages. On the way over they shall take care of 12 ewes and one ram which I have bought and send thither, that the same may arrive safely.”

 Kiliaen van Rensselaer,“Instructions to Wolfert Gerritsz, January 16, 1630,” in Van Rensselaer Bowier Manuscripts, ed. A.J.F van Laer, 1908

The desire for the products mentioned in the extract prevented Henry Hudson from establishing

  • New Amsterdam 

  • The Dutch East India Company

  • The Northwest Passage to Asia 

  • The “$24 Deal”

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61 mark

“As soon as they with God's help arrive in New Netherland, Wulffert Gerritssz and the aforesaid persons shall go before the commander and council and make promise there that not one of them will trade in any peltries or skins, on forfeiture of their wages. On the way over they shall take care of 12 ewes and one ram which I have bought and send thither, that the same may arrive safely.”

 Kiliaen van Rensselaer,“Instructions to Wolfert Gerritsz, January 16, 1630,” in Van Rensselaer Bowier Manuscripts, ed. A.J.F van Laer, 1908

Growing Dutch commercial success along its seaport towns resulted in which of the following events? 

  • The establishment of Jamestown in Virginia to rival Dutch mercantile dominance

  • A change in English colonial focus toward agriculture rather than trade

  • The development of New Amsterdam as a major trading hub 

  • The Second Anglo-Dutch War, which sought to reduce Dutch commercial power  

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