Europeans Explore America

Chapter 3

Middle Ages500-1350Europeans thought of the World as a disk

floating on a great ocean.Disk consists of 3 continents: Asia, Europe,

AfricaDared to sail the oceans.All except the Vikings (great sailors who sailed

as far as Newfoundland) (Vinland). Settled in Newfoundland (Vinland)

Left in 1013 ( Unknown reason)

Middle EastCountries located on

the continents of Asia near Europe and Africa.

FeudalismWar was a way of life

for the lords they fought amongst one another for power and land. (Thousands died during the fighting and starvation)

Europe in Middle AgesManor- village or several

villages and surrounding land. Serfs lived and farmed on the manor.

Manor was self-sufficient, they produced everything they needed (production of crops and they made their own tools.

Peddler- visited the manor bringing in outside goods for sell.

Horizons1050 –Changes took place

Peasants found better ways to farm and grow more food.

Warfare declined and trade increased.Townspeople became very interested in trade

and travel.

CrusadesA series of wars

aimed at conquering the Holy Land (Jerusalem/Palestine)

Christians found it sacred because Jesus lived and taught here.Also sacred for Jews

and Muslims

Crusades cont…1100- 1300 Christians fought a series of

Religious wars for control of the Holy Land. Christians failed to win so it was controlled

by the Arabs and Muslims for 200 years Christians were allowed to visit peacefullyLate 1000’s Seljuk Turks conquered the Holy

Land and would kill Christians when they visited.

Crusades cont..During Middle Ages all

Christians in Western Europe belonged to Catholic Church led by Pope William II1095- Pope called for a

Crusade to take the Holy Land from Seljuk Turks (killed).

They went on for two hundred years where thousands of Christians and Muslims were killed.

Results of CrusadesChristians failure to free the Holy Land from

Muslims helped to change Europe in several ways:

1. Ship builders of Northern Italy and sailors learned a lot from building and sailing the ships that took Crusaders across the Mediterranean to the Holy Land.

2. Merchants increased their trade with the Middle East. Italian Merchants controlled most of this trade.

3. Crusaders returned with tastes of Middle East foods (e.g. rice, oranges. Etc) Introduced spices

Results of the Crusaders cont..4. Italian Merchants found easier ways to sail.

Made it less frightening to sail. Use of compass and astrolabe came in to use.

5. Increased trade and travel made Europeans aware of more of the world. Marco Polo befriended Kulilai Khan leader of China

decided to visit China were he found an empire far advanced than any empire in Europe.

Renaissance Re-birth 1350-16001450 –books formally written by hand

became easier after the invention of the printing press.

Johann Gutenberg (Germany) invented metal engraved letters of the alphabet called moveable type because they could be reused to form words and sentences.

1455 Gutenberg printed the Bible by using the moveable type.

This was the beginning of the printing press.

Rise of Strong NationsSpain/Portugal went through a long slow process of

building their nations.Middle Ages- Christians succeeded in driving the

Muslims south of Europe but the land remained divided among rulers.

1469- Ferdinand, king of Aragon, and Isabella, queen of Castile were married and united much of Spain and joined forces against the Muslims.

In order to continue trade routes to Asia, Europeans had to find another route to Asia because the Arab and the Italians controlled the Mediterranean.

Spain & Aragon

New Routes to AsiaPortugal believed it could reach the East

Indies by sailing south around the tip of Africa and then East to India.

Spain hoped it could reach the East Indies by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean.

Navigation-the practice of plotting a course at sea.

Portugal’s SearchPrince Henry Known as the “Prince Henry the

Navigator”1419 Est. an informal school for sailors at Sagres

(SAH grehz) Problem: Sailors could sail with the wind but not

against it. 1488 Bartholomew Dias traveled to Asia around

the southern tip(Cape of Storm) later named Cape of Good Hope by King John of Portugal

1497 Vasco da Gama “make discoveries in search of spices” Reached India in 1498.

Spain’s SearchItalian navigator Christopher Columbus set

sail for Asia believing he could reach it by sailing west.

King of Portugal refused to fund because he believed Columbus’s voyage would take at least 4 months. Portuguese preferred to explore the route around Africa.

Columbus met with Queen Isabella of Spain and after 6 years of pleading, she finally funded his voyage.

A voyage of discoveryAugust 3, 1492 Columbus set sail on his voyage.

Included 90 sailors 3 ships Santa Maria , Nina, Pinta

(September 6, 1492 changed course and followed a flock of birds.)

October 12, 1492 reached New land, thinking that he had reached the East Indies, he called the local people paddling to meet him INDIANS. (Tainos)

Columbus made many voyages and charted routes for other followers. He established a colony at Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico

Naming the New World1499 Amerigo

Vespucci sailed the Northern Coast of South America, and later wrote a letter describing a “New World”

1507 a German Mapmaker named America after Vespucci and not Columbus.

Vespucci Voyage

Dividing up the World1494 Treaty of Tordesillas

Treaty between Spain and Portugal Line of Demarcation- A line was drawn to divide

the world Spain could colonize and trade to the east of the

line, Portugal colonize and have control to the west of the line ( China and India)

(1513) Vasco Balboa (Spain) Crossed the Isthmus of Panama and discovered

the South Sea (Pacific Ocean)

Spain in the New World

Between 1492-1535, conquistadors won a large empire for Spain.

Conquistadors set up colonies with little help or money from Spain.

Once the colonies began to make money for Spain, it began to pay more attention to the colonies.

Governing an empire.In 1535, Spanish King Charles V set up a

system of government in the colonies that lasted for 300 years.The empire was divided into 2 regions.

New Spain-included Spanish colonies in the West Indies, Central America, and North America.

Peru -included all Spanish lands in South America.

Governing an empire cont..The king put a viceroy in charge of each

region.Viceroy-an official who rules an area in the

name of a king or queen.The viceroys & officials enforced laws called

Laws of the Indies. Laws of the Indies-said how the colonies should be

ruled. Told farmers what to plant & how to raise cattle. Told how & where towns should be built. (ex: town

and to be built on high ground with good farmland, woods & water nearby.)

Governing an empire cont..The 3 settlements set up by Laws of the Indies.

Pueblos-towns that were centers for farming & trade. At center of town was a plaza, or large open space. The plaza was surrounded by town buildings, private homes, &

a church.Presidios-(pray SIH dee ohs) forts that housed soldiers.

Was rectangular & was surrounded by high mud brick walls. Inside were shops, store house, & horse stables.

Missions-religious settlements run by Catholic priests & friars. They believed it was their duty to convert Indians into

Christians. Priest forced Indians to live there & learn about

Christianity.

Social ClassesAt the top were peninsulars (Spaniards)-they were

born in Spain & were sent by Spanish government to rule colonies.(only ones who could hold government positions &

high church positions. Wealthy landowners, but lived in cities.)

Below peninsulares were creoles-they were descended from Spanish settlers who were born in the Americas. (many were wealthy & well educated)Owned large farms & raised large crops. (things that

were in demand in Europe-bananas, rice, melons, & wheat).

Social ClassesBelow creoles were Mestizos (Mehs TEE

zohs)-were mixed Spanish & Indian background.Worked on farms owned by creoles.In cities they were carpenters, shoemakers,

tailors, & bakers.At the bottom were Native Americans Peon-

they were kept in poverty.Slaves

Native Americans in Spanish coloniesSpanish settlers in the West Indies became

rich from plantations.Plantation- large estates farmed by many

workers.On these estates they grew sugar cane &

tobacco, which plantation owners sent to Spain. (sugar cane could be made into sugar, molasses or

rum).Native Americans Peon were forced to work on

these plantations.

Spanish settlers in Peru & Mexico found silver & gold.Native Americans Peons were forced from

their homes & sent to the mines to work. (worked 12 hour days)

Thousands died from overwork, mine accidents, & horrible conditions.

Many NA (Peons) also died from diseases they caught from English.

Bartolome de Las Casa-a priest from Spain who

worked to improve the conditions for the N. Americans.

In 1544 Las Casa helped to get laws passed to protect NA.said NA couldn’t be

slaves.Allowed them to own

cattle and grow crops.The new laws helped a

little, but did not end disease or mistreatment.

Slaves from AfricaLas Casa advised the Spanish settlers to

replace NA with slaves from Africa.He said Africans would not die from European

diseases.Since they were already farmers in their land,

they would have helpful skills.Spanish agreed & began using slaves from

Africa.

Before he died he regretted bringing in slaves because he saw how they were mistreated.

Impacts of the New WorldInfluences by the Native Americans

Introduced colonists to new food such as corn, tomatoes, chocolate, & potatoes.

Spanish wore Native American clothing such as the poncho.

Native American words became part of the Spanish language. (canoe, tobacco, & hurricane)

Influences by the SpanishBuilt libraries, theaters, & churches. By 1551, the Spanish had opened

universities.

Early Claims to NA cont…Search for a Northwest Passage

Northwest Passage- a waterway through or around North America.

To Europeans, spices in Europe were still more valuable than land in the New World. Europeans wanted to find a quicker passage to Asia by

using the Northwest Passage. Explorers continued looking for the

Northwest Passage in the 1700s & 1800s.

Early Claims in NA cont…Trouble in Europe During the 1500s & 1600s, European nations fought many

wars over religion.Until the 1500s, the Catholic Church was the only church in

Western Europe. In 1517, German monk Martin Luther called for reforms,

or changes, in the church & caused the church to split. Luther’s followers became known as Protestants. (from the

word protest, since they were protesting against the church.)This split from the Catholic church was called the Protestant

Reformation. During the Protestant Reformation, many different churches

were formed.

Early Claims in NA cont…Spain and EnglandIn late 1500s, Spain was the most powerful

Catholic nation.Spanish King Phillip II wanted to force Protestants

to return to the Catholic Church.Queen Elizabeth I of England was the head of a

new church, the Church of England. Church of England brought money & power to the

queen. She didn’t want King Phillip II of Spain to take over

England and forcing it to follow the Catholic Church. Spain & England began to battle.

Early Claims in NA cont..English Sea Dogs- part of the English navy.

Were called pirates by the SpanishThey would attack Spanish treasure ships.They won fame & fortune for themselves, &

fought against Spain for their country.Sir Francis Drake was one of the most famous

Sea Dogs.

Early Claims in NA cont...The Spanish Armada

In 1588 Spain launched ships against England, which were called the Spanish Armada.

Sea Dogs & Armada began to battle England defeated the Armada.