Question

what was one lasting effect of hernando de soto’s expeditions? choose 1 answer: a they led to the discovery of the fountain of youth and new settlements in florida. b they created a network of spanish forts that secured control of the southeast. c they spread european diseases that devastated indigenous communities. d they united southeastern tribes into a powerful alliance against future european arrivals.

Explanation:

• Option A: The Fountain of Youth was associated with Ponce de León, not de Soto, so A is incorrect.
• Option B: De Soto's expeditions were more about exploration and conflict with Native Americans, not building forts for long - term control in the way described, so B is incorrect.
• Option C: European explorers, including de Soto, brought diseases like smallpox to the Americas. Indigenous communities had no immunity to these diseases, and they were devastated. This was a lasting effect of his expeditions.
• Option D: De Soto's expeditions often caused conflict and division among tribes, not unification against Europeans, so D is incorrect.

Answer:

C. They spread European diseases that devastated Indigenous communities.