History of the Americas Review Questions

(some) Possible ID Terms:
The Starving Time
Jamestown
Admiral Penn
The New Laws of 1544
Oliver Cromwell
Indentured Servants
Jean-Baptist Colbert
Signoreal
The Intolerable Acts
Second Continental Congress
Legba (Ellegua)
Vincent Oge
Gens de couleur
Gran Colombia
Possible short answer questions:
Read the following quote from your reading, and then answer this question: How was the impossibility of English self-sufficiency integral to the foundation of mercantilism?

1. The ideal was a self-sufficient England, but in practice, such self-sufficiency was impossible. Colonies were seen as a means of reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign countries.
Increasing the population of New France was central to the imperialist goals of Jean Baptist Colbert. Why, and what steps did the French government take in both the short and long term to ensure a large Canadian colonial population? Your answer should focus on explaining the imperial motivations behind creating and maintaining a large colonial empire.

2. The Haitian Revolution was brought about by a Crisis of Expectations amongst the middle class, yet ultimately it destroyed that class. What was this crisis and how did it resolve itself? Please explain how and why the revolution ultimately did not satisfy the desires of this crisis.
During the period of political unrest in England (1649-1688) the colonies underwent a period of “benign [not harmful] or salutary [beneficial] neglect.” How did this effect the lives of the Colonial British?

3. What were the motivations and consequences of Simon Bolivar’s political life? How and why did he become the “Great Liberator” and why did he feel that his revolution was ultimately a failure?

Possible Essay Topics: be prepared to discuss all the following topics in essay form. If you are interested in possible essay questions, please email me!

Creolization and Nationalism

Revolution and Post-Colonialism