European Settlements in North America

• The Age of Exploration begins

• Early Spanish colonies

• Other countries begin to colonize

• Early English colonies

What were the economic, political, and social reasons for exploration?

The Middle AgesFeudalism and the manor system• The Middle Ages began when the Roman Empire

collapsed – created widespread lawlessness.

• Feudal system developed when kings gave local nobles (the wealthy) portions of their land– The nobles owed the king military protection

• The nobles divided their land into manors (large estates)

• Manors were farmed and mostly by serfs (peasants) – The serfs owed the nobles labor and military service

• Feudalism brought stability to Europe– People felt safe to begin traveling and trading

The Crusades

The Crusades

• War also spurred travel and trade

• 1096- Christians launched a series of wars to get holy land back from the Muslims

— these “holy wars” became known as the Crusades

• Europeans did not gain any land, but the wars allowed them to experience new countries and people.

• The Crusades also boosted trade between Europe and the Middle East.

• After the wars ended, they still wanted these items

Map of the Crusades

From Middle Ages to Exploration

The Age of Exploration Begins

Marco Polo (Italy)• Went to China and stayed

for 17 years• On the return trip, he went

through Southeast Asia and India.

• Marco took notes of the people and places he saw and later made it into a book.

• His book was very popular and influenced explorers to visit these places.

Columbus’s Voyages to the Caribbean

Christopher Columbus (Spain)• Italian sailor with little formal education; taught himself geography,

navigation, and Latin

• Believed that he could reach India by sailing west (did not know about American continents)

• Turned down by Portugal, went to Spain and convinced King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to back his voyage (after several years)

• Set sail on August 3, 1492 with 90 men, two caravels (the Niña and the Pinta) and his flagship, the Santa Maria

• Reached land after 3 weeks (San Salvador in the Caribbean)

• Called the local people “los Indios”

• Always thought he had explored part of Asia

Spanish Conquistadors• After Columbus’ discoveries Spain

sent soldiers called conquistadors – Their job was to conquer land, spread

Christianity, and find wealth.

• Ponce de Leon (1513)- left to search for gold and a “fountain of youth.” – First Spanish explorer to touch North

America when he landed in Florida

• Hernán Cortés landed in Mexico and conquered the Aztecs.

• Francisco Vasquez de Coronado set out from Mexico City to search for the “Seven Cities of Cibola” – said to be made entirely out of gold and

jewels

New France• In 1534, Jacques Cartier was sent

to find a Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean.

• He failed to find one but did discover the St. Lawrence River and claim present day Canada for France.

• He also discovered a large amount of wealth in beaver trade in the area.

• Beaver fur was in fashion in Europe

• Allied with the Huron Indians• Did not attract many settlers due

to the harsh climate

Other Nations Explore

New Netherland • In 1609 the Dutch sent Henry

Hudson to search for a Northwest Passage- a water route through North America to Asia.

• He found what is now called the Hudson River.

• The Dutch claimed territory along the Atlantic coast and called it New Amsterdam.

• They were able to ally with the Iroquois Indians, but their settlement did not last long.

• They were taken over by England and made New York in 1664.

• In 1497 King Henry VII of England sent John Cabot, an Italian navigator, on an exploration voyage.

• Cabot landed in Newfoundland and claimed it for England. He thought he was in Asia.

• About 100 years later, Sir Walter Raleigh made two attempts to start the colony of Roanoke in present day North Carolina.

• The first group ran out of supplies quickly because they were more interested in looking for gold.

• The second group mysteriously disappeared. To this day we do not know the reason…

Other Nations Explore

England Sets the Stage for Change

In 1588, the British defeat of Spanish Armada marked the beginning of English naval

supremacy and cleared the way for English colonization.