Things to know why the Europeans explored…

1. Why did the Europeans leave the Old World and go other places? Europe was overcrowded and there was a need for more land/resources Wanted to open trade routes to sell spices from India all over the world “In the name of G-d, gold, and glory!!” Militarism (Land + Resources = Power) allows countries to build up forces

2. What did they find and how did they treat the Natives they met? Explorers found gold (from the Americas), made molasses and rum (from

the Caribbean), and traded enslaved people (Africa) This would later become known as the “Triangle Trade” The Europeans saw the Natives as “savages” and less than human, so they

were treated that way Those that converted (followed Christianity) were saved and those that

didn’t were enslaved

Eric the Red Marco Polo

3. Who were the 1st to explore new lands? Iceland/Greenland – Erik the Red (originally from Norway) was so ruthless,

his own people banished him to Iceland around 980 A.D. His son, Leif Erikson, would venture to Iceland and the coast of Canada/US

around 1000 A.D. and credited as the 1st European to explore N. America

Click here for more about Leif Erikson:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgAZyxe7rJs

Italy – Marco Polo will follow in his father and uncle’s footsteps of exploring

He will travel starting in 1271 on the “Silk Road” from Israel to China Later in Italian prison, he writes the book, “The Travels”, which inspired CC

Click here for a song by Jeffrey Lewis about Marco Polo:https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/marco-polo

C. Columbus H. Cortes F. Magellan

4. Which countries were most active in exploration? Spain – King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were helpful to many explorers Christopher Columbus (Italian) would sail the “ocean blue” 4 times;

including “finding” Haiti (in the Caribbean) in 1492

From 1519 - 1521, Hernan Cortes (Spanish) was sent from Cuba to Mexico, where he wiped out the Aztec Empire

Ferdinand Magellan (Portuguese) would circumnavigate (circle) the globe from 1519-1522 also with help

Click here for a clever video about Christopher Columbus:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIDBwIEQOus&list=PLViMjFvsrkB5ZL8fOBrlv4PVqgkyvPdjY&index=4

Francis Drake Walter Raleigh Pilgrims

England – Henry VII sent John Cabot (Italian) and he became the 1st to explore the US Coast in 1497

Elizabeth I couldn’t just let her enemies (Spain and France) go exploring, so she had Francis Drake circle the world from 1577-1580

Walter Raleigh claim lands at Roanoke Island (NC coast) 1584 During James I time that the pilgrims sail/land in Massachusetts Bay in 1620

J. Cartier R. De La Salle

France – As England and Spain go looking for lands/resources, King Francis I Jacques Cartier was sent to claim the lands of Canada in 1541

Later, King Louis XIV (14th) had Robert De La Salle explore the “Great Lakes” Next, he sailed the Mississippi river to the Gulf of Mexico from 1679-1682