SAT II US History : Summary of U.S. Political History from Pre-Columbian to 1789

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II US History

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Example Questions

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Example Question #91 : U.S. Political History From Pre Columbian History To 1789

The Treaty of Tordesillas was an attempt by which two countries to divide the territory of the New World?

Possible Answers:

Spain and Portugal 

England and France

England and Spain

Spain and France

England and Portugal

Correct answer:

Spain and Portugal 

Explanation:

The Treaty of Tordesillas was an agreement between Spain and Portugal about how the newly discovered lands, ripe for conquest and empire-building, should be divided. Very little of the land had actually been seen by any Europeans yet, but essentially the Treaty gave almost all of the Americas to Spain, with a small section of South America (modern Brazil) reserved for Portugal, and almost all of Africa and Asia to the Portuguese. The Treaty was loosely respected for a time by both countries and is a massive determining factor in the culture, language and society of many modern nations around the world. 

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