Ellis 1
Page 15
1. Describe life in the big cities of Europe when Columbus set sail in 1492. What was “in-
migration”, and why did it save those early cities from extinction? Describe the great disparity
that existed between the rich and poor in fifteenth-century Europe.
2. If one ventured outside the cities of Europe, was the quality of life better in the countryside?
Given the graphic descriptions of living conditions pictured in this essay, explain why the people
of Europe frequently turned on each other during witchcraft hysteria.
3. What perceived needs preoccupied the wealthy of Europe, and why were these desires an
incentive for the voyages of Columbus and contemporaries? Did the native people that
Columbus encountered have an abundance of gold? Explain the system that Columbus
developed to encourage these people to find gold and the punishment he inflicted if they failed.
4. Describe Columbus’s first impressions of the new land he “discovered” and the people who
inhabited it. What significance did his landing in the New World have to the Catholic Church in
Spain?
5. In what way was the requerimiento only an excuse to treat native people brutally, confiscate
their land, and enslave them? What was the likely disease that killed so many Native Americans
when Columbus returned on his second voyage and established the town of Isabela? Why were
the native people more vulnerable to this plague than the Spanish?
6. Genocide and holocaust are strong value-laden words that are usually associated with the
horrible actions of a Nazi Germany during World War II. Do these words apply to what the
Spanish did to the native people they encountered? If so, what motivated such unpardonable
actions- was it a conscious greed for gold or an unconscious disregard for human life?
Ellis 2
Page 27
1. Sixteenth-century immigrants to the American colonies came from England, Scotland, Ireland,
France, Germany, Holland, and Sweden. What characteristics does Page Smith suggest they had
in common?
2. How did conditions in seventeenth- and eighteenth- century England fuel emigration to the
colonies? Describe the system of indenture. How did convicted felons, rogues, and vagabonds
end up coming to America?
3. Describe the ordeal of the ocean crossing for indentured servants and for convicts. If they
