APUSH Short Answer Question Answers for The New World

👋 Welcome to the APUSH Unit 1 SAQ (The New World) Answers. Have your responses handy as you go through the rubrics to see how you did!

⏱ Remember, the AP US History exam has a mixture of free-response questions and allotted times. For these types of questions, there will be 3 SAQs, and you will be given 40 minutes to complete the SAQ section. (This means you should give yourself ~13 minutes to go through each practice SAQ.)

Questions with Answers & Rubric

(a) Briefly describe ONE specific historical difference between the Spanish and English exploration of the New World.

🏆 Successful answers would explain how:

• The Spanish conquistadors landed in the Caribbean or Central America and most English explorers arrived along the eastern coast of North America
• Spanish conquistadors were successful at finding gold and silver in Mexico and Peru, whereas the English had little success in finding mineral wealth
• The Spanish had created many more successful missions like St. Augustine during the time period as the English do not develop a successful colony until 1607 with Jamestown

📄 Additional Resources: 

• Study Guide: European Exploration in the Americas

(b) Briefly describe ONE specific historical similarity between the Spanish and English exploration of the New World.  

🏆 Successful answers would explain how:

• Both the Spanish and English explored the new world to colonize other countries in the pursuit of gold and resources
• Both the Spanish and the English based their explorations off of the concept of mercantilism and improving the wealth of the mother country
• Both the Spanish and English attempted to convert Native Americans to Christianity
• Both the Spanish and English used new technologies like the caravel and compass to guide their exploration

📄 Additional Resources:

• Study Guide: European Exploration in the Americas

(c) Briefly explain ONE specific historical change in the New World as a result of Spanish or English exploration.

🏆Successful answers would explain how:

• The development of slave labor societies began to develop as indicated by the encomienda system and use of slave labor from Africa
• The Columbian Exchange would take place allowing for the sharing of foods (such as the potato) and animals (such as horses and pigs)
• The spread of disease by Europeans would kill millions of Native Americans by 1607, resulting in huge population losses in the New World
• Class and caste systems would change dramatically as English and Spanish developments begin to grow

📄 Additional Resources:

• Study Guide: Columbian Exchange, Spanish Exploration, and Conquest

Next Steps

• • 🧠 Want to continue reinforcing your knowledge of Unit 1? Check out Unit 1 Trivia, either as a document or as a game
• • ⏭ Ready to move on to the next topic? Take a look at the collection of Unit 2 resources.
• • 📚 Want to review multiple units? Check out all of the APUSH SAQs, LEQs, and DBQs