European Exploration of the Americas

Christopher Columbus – Italian Ship Captain- Believed he could open a trade route to Asia by sailing west- Underestimated the actual distance to Asia (by 5000 miles)-Convinced Isabella and Ferdinand, the Spanish monarchs, to support his voyage in 1492 – three ships Nina, Pinta, & Santa Maria

Columbus (cont’d)- After 10 weeks (Aug. 3 – Oct. 11) the expedition reached the islands of the Caribbean Sea - Columbus claimed the region for Spain and began the Spanish conquest of the New World- Columbus completed four voyages in all, never accepting that he had reached a new land mass, not Asia.- Christopher Columbus never acquired the fortune or fame for which he had hoped and only became celebrated long after his death.- Columbus opened the Americas to European exploration and colonization

Columbian Exchange – a transfer of living things between the New & Old Worlds (East and West Hemispheres)

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)- Pope Alexander IV’s effort to keep the peace between Spain and Portugal as they explored new territories- The north-south dividing line gave authority to colonize most of the Americas to Spain (except for Brazil) and gave Portugal authority in Africa.

Portuguese Explorers

Bartolomeu Dias- Nobleman-explorer who was the first European to sail around the southern cape of Africa in 1488

Vasco da Gama- Military captain and explorer who was the first European to sail around the southern cape of Africa and reach India (1497-1499)

Amerigo Vespucci - Italian explorer who exaggerated his role in discovering and exploring the Americas

- given credit for the idea of the ‘New World’ – a land mass between Europe and Asia

- mapmakers appear to have used his name to label the new continents

Explorers – bypassing North America

John Cabot – (1497 & 1498) – searched for the Northwest Passage, exploring the Atlantic coast of Canada & claimed the coast of North America for England

Ferdinand Magellan’s Expedition (1519-1522) – sailed around South America and his expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe (Magellan died en route & only 1 of 3 ships made it)

Conquistadors – Spanish Conquerors of the New World

Guns, Steel, Horses – material advantages of the Europeans

Disease was the leading reason why the American Indians could not resist the Spanish. - European diseases killed as much as 90% of the American Indian population.

Spanish ConquistadorsJuan Ponce de León (1513 & 1521) – claimed Puerto Rico and explored, claimed, & named FloridaVasco Nuñez Balboa (1513) – crossed Panama, first European to see the Pacific Ocean, & claimed all land touching that sea for SpainHernándo Cortés (1519-1521) – conquered the Aztecs and Montezuma in Central Mexico, claiming gold and beginning the mining of silver

Francisco Pizarro (1532) – conquered the Incan Empire on the west coast of South America, claiming tons of gold & silver

Hernándo DeSoto (1539-1542) – explored the American Southeast looking for gold, was the first European to see Alabama and the Mississippi River

Francisco Coronado (1540-1542) – explored the American southwest looking for cities of gold, first to see the Grand Canyon and herds of buffalo

Encomienda – Spanish system of enslaving the American Indians

Mestizos – people of Spanish and American Indian ancestry

Gold & Silver enriched Spain & Europe – economic growth, but eventually ruined Spain’s economy with price inflation and debt

St. Augustine (1565)-Spain founded the first permanent European city in what is now the U.S. -(on the Atlantic coast of Florida).

- It was formed to protect Spanish treasure ships from French Buccaneers and English Seadogs (pirates/privateers).