Quiz of the Day
Early American History
Thursday, 14 May 2026
Jamestown anniversary (1607) — colonial history, exploration, New World discoveries
1. In what year was Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America, founded?
- 1587
- 1607
- 1492
- 1620
Jamestown was founded on May 14, 1607 by 104 colonists. The first two years were catastrophic — by 1610, only 60 of the original settlers were still alive, due to famine, disease, and conflict with the Powhatan people.
2. Who was the Powhatan leader whose daughter Pocahontas became famous?
- Wahunsenacah (Chief Powhatan)
- Geronimo
- Squanto
- Sitting Bull
The Disney version of Pocahontas is largely fictional. She was about 11 when she met John Smith, and later married John Rolfe. She travelled to England, was presented to King James I, and died at age 21, never returning home.
3. What ship brought the Pilgrims to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620?
- The Santa Maria
- The Mayflower
- The Discovery
- The Susan Constant
The Mayflower carried 102 passengers on a 66-day voyage. The ship was actually headed for Virginia but was blown off course. The Mayflower Compact, signed aboard, became a foundation document for American democracy.
4. What crop saved the Jamestown colony from economic failure?
- Cotton
- Tobacco
- Sugar cane
- Corn
John Rolfe introduced a sweeter strain of tobacco from the Caribbean in 1612. By 1620, Jamestown was exporting 50,000 pounds annually. Tobacco became so valuable it was used as currency — you could even pay your taxes with it.
5. What was the 'Starving Time' at Jamestown?
- A religious fast
- A drought that killed crops
- A winter of extreme famine in 1609-1610
- A trade embargo
During the winter of 1609-1610, the population dropped from about 300 to 60. Archaeological evidence confirms reports of cannibalism — the remains of a 14-year-old girl showed butchering marks consistent with being eaten.
6. Which explorer is credited with 'discovering' America in 1492?
- Christopher Columbus
- Amerigo Vespucci
- Ferdinand Magellan
- Leif Erikson
Columbus never set foot on mainland North America — he landed in the Bahamas, Cuba, and Hispaniola. Vikings under Leif Erikson reached North America around 1000 AD, about 500 years earlier. Indigenous peoples had been there for over 15,000 years.
7. What was the first representative assembly in the American colonies?
- Virginia House of Burgesses
- Continental Congress
- Plymouth Colony Council
- Massachusetts General Court
The House of Burgesses first met in a church in Jamestown on July 30, 1619. It was the beginning of representative government in America. Notable later members included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry.
8. What did the Native Americans teach the Pilgrims that helped them survive?
- How to make clothing
- How to build ships
- How to grow corn and fish for fertiliser
- How to mine gold
Squanto (Tisquantum) showed the Pilgrims how to plant corn using fish as fertiliser, where to find wild food, and how to tap maple trees. Without his help, the colony would likely have failed completely.
9. What was the Lost Colony of Roanoke?
- A colony destroyed by a hurricane
- A fictional colony from a novel
- An English colony that mysteriously disappeared in the 1580s
- A colony abandoned due to gold fever
When Governor John White returned to Roanoke in 1590 after a 3-year supply run, all 117 colonists had vanished. The only clue was the word 'CROATOAN' carved on a post. Their fate remains one of America's oldest mysteries.
10. What year did the first enslaved Africans arrive in English North America?
- 1555
- 1650
- 1607
- 1619
In August 1619, a ship carrying '20 and odd' enslaved Africans arrived at Point Comfort, Virginia. This marked the beginning of slavery in English North America — an institution that would last 246 years and shape the nation profoundly.
11. Who was the Wampanoag leader who allied with the Pilgrims?
- Massasoit
- Metacom
- Tecumseh
- Powhatan
Massasoit made a peace treaty with the Pilgrims in 1621 that lasted over 50 years. The first Thanksgiving feast was a joint harvest celebration. Tragically, his son Metacom later fought King Philip's War (1675) after settlers broke the peace.
12. Why is America named 'America'?
- After explorer Amerigo Vespucci
- After a Native American word
- After an ancient word for 'new land'
- After a British king
German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller named the continent after Vespucci in 1507 because Vespucci correctly identified it as a 'New World' rather than Asia (as Columbus believed). Waldseemüller later had doubts but the name had already stuck.
13. What was the Columbian Exchange?
- A university programme
- The widespread transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds
- A trade agreement
- A gold trading route
Europe gained tomatoes, potatoes, corn, chocolate, and tobacco. The Americas got horses, cattle, wheat, and sugarcane. But diseases like smallpox devastated Indigenous populations — killing an estimated 90% in some areas.
14. What was the purpose of the Mayflower Compact?
- To set trade agreements
- To establish self-governing rules for the colony
- To declare independence
- To claim land for the king
Signed on November 11, 1620 by 41 male passengers, the Mayflower Compact was a social contract agreeing to majority rule. It was remarkably democratic for its time and is considered a precursor to the US Constitution.
15. What was the primary motivation for most early English colonists coming to America?
- Military conquest
- Gold and riches
- Religious freedom
- A mix of economic opportunity and religious freedom
Jamestown settlers came mainly for profit (the Virginia Company was a business venture). Plymouth Pilgrims sought religious freedom. Most later colonists came for economic opportunity — land was cheap and plentiful compared to crowded Europe.