American History

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Age of Exploration

Columbus Reaches the Americas

American History

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Objectives

• Why Christopher Columbus believed he could reach Asia by sailing west

• What places in the Americas Columbus visited

• How did the Americas receive their names

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Christopher Columbus(1 of 3)

• Read Description of the World– Polo states the island of Cipango was 1500 miles off

the coast of Asia

• He believed the world was round

• Because of Polo’s error, believed Asia was much closer to Europe then people believed.

American History

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Christopher Columbus(2 of 3)

• Was an Italian by birth

• Went to sea at an early age

• Sailed with the Italians

• Moved to Portugal

• Sailed many years with the Portuguese fleet– Became an expert navigator

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Christopher Columbus(3 of 3)

• Early 1480– Approached Portugal for money to explore the

western route– Was turned down because they felt he had misjudged

the distance

• 1485– Approached Spain– Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand agree

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Voyage Across the Atlantic(1 of 2)

• Sails on 8/3/1492– 3 Ships

• Santa Maria (largest)

• Pinta

• Nina

– Had a crew of 90 men– Sail to the Canary Islands

• Takes on supplies

• Sails on 9/6/1492

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Voyage Across the Atlantic(2 of 2)

• Finds western sea route– Westerly trade winds

• Sails for about a month– Crews become impatient– Had never been that far from land– Threatened to mutiny

• Promised them to turn back in 3 more days

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Tierra! Tierra!

• October 12, 1492– Sight land– 70 days after voyage begins– 2,400 miles

• Land in present day Bahamas– Named an island San Salvador

• Holy Savior

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Native Americans

• Taino– Lived on the islands

• Found the white man curious

• Columbus calls them Indians– Thought he was in the Indies

• Gives them jewelry

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More Exploration

• Columbus will sail to several island– Uses the Taino as guides

• Sails to Cuba

• Found another island– Called it Hispainola– Present day Haiti and the Dominican Republic

• Returns home as a hero on 3/4/1493– Brought 6 Natives with him

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Later Voyages

• Columbus will make 3 more voyages

• 2nd voyage found the colony of Santo Domingo– The first permanent colony in the Western

Hemisphere

• Columbus will govern this colony for 2 years

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Results

• Brought little gold to Spain

• Columbus poorly governs the new colony

• Never realized he had discovered 2 uncharted continents

• Will die in 1506

American History

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Amerigo Vespucci

• Sails to North America a few years after Columbus

• Wrote that he had come to a new world

• Published his claims in a booklet

• A German map maker read this in 1507– Charts a new map– Named the continents after Vespucci

American History

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Activity

• Update your chart of Explorers

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Assignment

• Read Pgs 78--81

American History

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What you have learned today

• Why Christopher Columbus believed he could reach Asia by sailing west

• What places in the Americas Columbus visited

• How did the Americas receive their names