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Europe Stumbles into the
Americas: Columbus
Social Studies for 9th E.G.B.
Teacher: Mauricio Torres
+Background
Byzantium, the last
bastion of the old Roman
Empire had fallen to the
Turks.
The “Reconquista” in
Spain had just finished.
The Renaissance was
starting in Italy.
England was emerging
from the Dark Ages.
+Background
+Who was Christopher Columbus?
He was an explorer, colonizer, and
navigator, born in Genoa (modern
day Italy).
He was a cartographer.
He looked for fortune and fame as a
sailor (he was a renouned and very
skilled sailor).
+A Wild Idea
Columbus had difficulty
obtaining support for his
plan because many
Catholic theologians
insisted that the Earth was
flat.
His idea was that the
Earth was round (even
though people as back as
4 BC had known it was
flat) and he would be able
to reach China by Sea.
+Important Friends
+Help from the Crown
In 1485, Columbus presented his plans
to the King of Portugal. He proposed that
the king equip three sturdy ships and
grant Columbus one year's time to sail
out into the Atlantic, search for a western
route to the Orient, and return.
This was denied.
He went with the same proposal to the
Kings of Spain: Isabella and Ferdinand.
After many attempts, they caved
in, but, according to his son, Diego: “the
monarchs did not really expect him to
return“.
+Setting Sail
He received three caravels: La
Niña, La Pinta and the Santa
Maria. They were small ships,
but good for transport and
exploration.
In August 1492 he set sail with
88 men.
+Troubles
Due to the long distance and the lack of winds, they small fleet
did not advance as much as they had expected.
Food and water were starting to deplete.
Little by little, sailors grew restless.
They attempted a mutiny and gave Columbus an ultimatum:
“Three more days and then we turn around or hang you from the
mast”.
+Land!
On October 12th, 1492,
they spotted land.
Instead of reaching Japan
as he had intended,
Columbus landed in the
Bahamas archipelago, at a
locale he named San
Salvador.
+Exploring
He traveled around the
islands, meeting with
natives and exchanging
goods.
He encountered the Taíno
people.
They lived in villages, grew
corn and cotton.
+Going Back
+Going Back
He took some natives as prisoners on his way back.
The Santa Maria shipwrecked, and they used the remains to
build an outpost.
It was burned down by the Natives, with all the Spaniards inside.
After he left, many other conquistadores came to the Americas.
They first settled in the Islands in the Caribbean and then made
their way into the continent.
+His Voyages to the New World
He made four voyages into the “New World”
+Later Life of C.C.
Over the course of three more voyages, Columbus visited the Greater and Lesser Antilles, as well as the Caribbean coast of Venezuela and Central America, claiming them for the Spanish Empire.
He was sent back to Spain, after he lost his position as Governor:
Columbus's strained relationship with the Spanish crown and its appointed colonial administrators in America “led to his arrest and dismissal as governor of the settlements in Hispaniola in 1500”.
+Legacy
“Though Columbus was not the first European explorer to
reach the Americas (having been preceded by the Norse
expedition in the 11th century), Columbus's voyages led to the
first lasting European contact with America, inaugurating a
period of European exploration and colonization of foreign
lands that lasted for several centuries.”
“…they had, therefore, an enormous impact in the historical
development of the modern Western world. “
+Excercise
Imagine you are one of the sailors stranded in the New World.
You want to send your family back in Spain information and an
image of what you are going through.
SEND THEM A POSTCARD!
Draw a picture.
Write a nice, brief message.
Don’t forget to write who you are sending it to!
+Bibliography
Ellis, E. G., & Esler, A. (2009). World History. (P. Hall, Ed.) Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, US: Pearson Education INC.
Burstein, S. M., & Shek, R. (2012). World History (Teacher´s Edition) (1st Edition ed.). (H. McDougal, Ed.) Orlando, Florida, US.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Christopher Columbus. Retrieved April 30, 2012, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus
Images taken from Google and Wikipedia. (n.d.). Christopher Columbus. Retrieved April 30, 2012, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus
