+

European Explorers and the New World

+Portugal

Henry the Navigator Portuguese Prince Established a court to send on expeditions through the

Atlantic and the Western coast of Africa Ultimate Goal: to find a water route around Africa to India

Vasco da Gama Set out for India in 1497 and was successful 10 months

later

Pedro Cabral Sailed further west to avoid the windless Gulf of Guinea

Found and claimed Brazil as a Portuguese territory

+Brazil

Brazil had heavy jungles Made mining and farming difficult

Colonists started to settle in Brazil in the 1530s along the Atlantic coast

Established huge farming estates Used Native American and African slaves as labor

+Treaty of Tordesillas

Treaty between Spain and Portugal Drew an imaginary line

through the Atlantic Ocean

Stated everything to the West of the line belonged to Spain, everything to the East belonged to Portugal.

+Spain

Christopher Columbus King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella paid for his voyage Believed he could sail west around the world from Spain to

China When he reached the Caribbean, he believed he had

reached the Asian island, the Indies Returned to Spain with exotic goods and Native Americans

Parrots, jewels, gold, and plants

Amerigo Vespucci Sailed across the coast of South America and concluded it

was not Asia, but a new land

+Spain Cont.

Vasco Nunez de Balboa Led an expedition across the Isthmus of Panama First European to see the Pacific Ocean

Ferdinand Magellan Goal: to sail around the world Finished their expedition under the leadership of Juan

Sebastian Set sail in 1519 with 5 ships and 250 men, in 1522, 18

arrived in Spain First to circumnavigate the world

+The Caribbean

Hispaniola and Cuba

Encomienda System: A colonist was given a certain amount of land and a number of Native Americans to work it. In exchange for this land and labor, the colonist was required to teach their Native Americans the ways of Christianity. Led to overworked and mistreated Native Americans Natives caught European diseases

Small pox, tuberculosis, measles, etc. Millions died

+Mexico

Conquistador: Spanish military conqueror who fought against the native peoples of the Americas.

Hernan Cortes: conquered the Aztec Empire Aztecs were powerful but unpopular among those they

conquered Thousands of Natives joined Cortes to fight against the

Aztecs Had metal weapons (including guns) and heavy armor, and

horses European diseases killing thousands

+Peru

Francisco Pizarro conquered the Incans Small Pox killed many Incas,

including their emperor Pizarro destroyed the Incan army at

their capital and took over the empire

+Life in the Spanish Empire

Viceroys: officials chosen by the Spanish king to rule specific areas under the king

Economy based on gold and silver mining Native Americans provided the labor Disease and mistreatment dropped the Native American

population from 50 million to 4 million (90%) Started importing Africans to replace Native American

slaves

+England

John Cabot Sailed from England to Canada Entire fleet disappeared at sea

Sir Francis Drake Set off to explore west coast of South America Second man to circumnavigate the world

Henry Hudson In 1607, Hudson set out to the north searching for a

Northeast Passage around Europe to Asia

+English Colonies

First colony was Jamestown, Virginia – established in 1607 Wanted gold and silver, found marshy ground and impure

water 80% died during first winter in the Americas

In 1620, the Pilgrims settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts Settlement was self-sufficient in 5 years

English colonists viewed the Natives Americans with anger and distrust

+France

Wanted Northwest Passage around the world above North America

Jacques Cartier Set off in 1534 Claimed all land along

St. Lawrence River – New

France (Canada)

+New France

French took advantage of the wildlife in New France (Canada) North Atlantic water – full of fish Canadian forests – full of fox, lynx, otter, beaver, etc (sold

for their fur)

Didn’t send large number of colonists to the new world

Didn’t enslave Native Americans

Explored the coast of the Mississippi looking for the Pacific Claimed the enormous Mississippi region – Louisiana

(named after King Louis XIV)

+Conflict between France and Great Britain

In the mid-1700s, English colonists began to settle in French territory

War broke out in 1754 – French and Indian War

Great Britain won the war, but it was very costly The king charged the colonies high taxes to pay for the war

Led to resentment that brought about the American Revolution

+Netherlands

Henry Hudson In 1609, Hudson set sail once again to find a Northeast

Passage around Asia When unsuccessful, started searching for a Northwest

Passage through the Americas Explored the modern day Hudson River and the Hudson

Bay

+New Netherlands

Hudson River Valley Small settlement

Dutch were more focused on their colonies in the Caribbean and southeast Asia Sugar and spices