Sailing to America

Vikings were sea raiders who terrorized coasts of western Europe

Vikings were first Europeans to discover North America 500 years before Columbus

Discovered the route to North America by following migrating birds

Vikings were first!

Erik the Red Established settlements in Greenland

Leif Eriksson Son of Eric the Red Missed destination and discovered eastern Canada

Tried to settle in Vinland Fought with Native Americans

Left Vinland and only returned for timber

Viking Explorers

Portuguese sailors were wanting to find a quick sea route to India Vasco da Gama discovered route to around Africa

Some hoped to reach India by sailing West Were scared to sail into unknown Atlantic Ocean

Going West to go East

Born and raised in Genoa, Italy Son of a weaver Learned to sail on both merchant ships and warships Ship he was on sank in battle, and he landed in

Portugal Found a job making maps

Columbus was the exception Made it life’s work to lead expedition west

Christopher Columbus

Columbus had difficulty finding someone to pay for

his expedition Portugal

Thought his travel estimate was too low Once a da Gama found a route, they were no

longer interested Asked for assistance from Venice, Genoa, and

England

Finding Financial Support

Requested help from Ferdinand and Isabella Advisors convinced them not to Were more concerned with driving out Muslims

To keep Columbus in Spain, gave him money and ordered all towns to give him shelter

In 1492, after fall of last Muslim kingdom agreed to fund his voyage

On to Spain

Set sail on August 3, 1492 90 men, and 3 ships

Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria Columbus kept a diary of how far they traveled that

day Wrote down less miles to keep the men from

getting scared Landed on the island of San Salvador on October

12,1492 Believed he had arrived in Asia

First Voyage

When local natives greeted him he called them

Indians Columbus was disappointed not to find riches he

expected Searched other islands and located gold Columbus would make 3 other trips to the Americas When he died still believed he had found Asia

Landfall

Columbus ran his ship aground and took it as a sign

to establish a colony there When he left for Spain, instructed his men

To trade for gold Treat locals well Establish a town

When he returned he discovered his men had angered the locals and had been killed

Colonies in Hispaniola

Columbus thought natives Could be easily converted Make them work for them

Columbus encouraged starting trade of Indian slaves

Forced Indians to mine for gold Slavery was a response to make a profit Europeans were ok with idea of enslaving Indians

because they could be converted

Native American labor

Queen Isabella was an opponent of enslaving Indians belonged to monarchs and could not be owned by anyone

else Many Indians were sent to plantations off coast of

Portugal Bartolome de Las Casas

Defender of Indians Protected them from mistreatment by settlers

Spanish government passed laws protecting Indians Hard to enforce them

Indian Slave Trade

Exchange of plants, animals, technology, and germs between Europe and Americas

Europeans took home Corn, beans, peanuts

Europeans brought Horses, guns

Disease brought by Europeans devastated Native Americans Had no resistance built up to the diseases Thousands died from smallpox and measles

Columbian Exchange

Amerigo Vespucci

Italian who sailed under Spanish flag Tried to sail west to get to Asia in 1499 When he reached America, thought he reached Asia Another voyage in 1501

Sailed along coast of South America Realized it could not be part of Asia

German mapmaker proposed naming ne continent America For “Amerigo, the discoverer

Naming America