Learning Objective: Students will be able to describe the contributions of Columbus and Magellan to the Age of Exploration.

It was Ferdinand and Isabella who sponsored the voyages of Christopher Columbus. The Italian-born Columbus thought that the Indies, or eastern Asia, lay on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. He believed sailing west would be the easiest route to reach it.

When Columbus failed to win Portuguese support for his idea, Ferdinand and Isabella agreed to pay for the risky voyage

In August 1492, three ships left Spain under Columbus’s command. As the weeks went by, some of the men began to fear they would never see Spain again. Then, on October 12, a lookout sighted land. Columbus had landed in the Caribbean islands.

For three months, Columbus and his men explored nearby islands with the help of native islanders. Thinking they were in the Indies, the Spanish soon called all the local people “Indians. In March 1493, Columbus arrived back in Spain. He proudly reported that he had reached Asia. Over the next ten years, he made three more voyages to what he called the Indies. He died in Spain in 1506, still insisting that he had sailed to Asia.

Think Pair/Share

Why did Columbus sail west? A. Because Portugal prevented him sailing east. B. Because he thought America lay on the other side of

the Atlantic. C. Because a storm sent his expedition of course. D. Because he thought eastern Asia lay on the other

side of the Atlantic.

D. Because he thought eastern Asia lay on the other side of the Atlantic.

Magellan believed he

could sail west to the

Indies. He was looking

for a strait, or

channel, through

South America. In

August 1519, he set

sail with five ships

and about two

hundred and fifty

men.

Ferdinand Magellan

Magellan looked for the strait all along South America’s east coast. He finally found it at the southern tip of the continent. Today, it is called the Strait of Magellan.

Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean in November 1520. It took another three months to cross the Pacific.

Continuing west, Magellan visited the Philippines. There he became involved in a conflict between two local chiefs. In April 1521, Magellan was killed in the fighting.

Magellan’s crew sailed on to the Spice Islands. Three years after the expedition began, the only ship to survive the expedition returned to Spain. The 18 sailors on board were the first people to travel completely around Earth.

Think Pair/Share

True or False Why?

Magellan returned to Spain in 1523 with 18 sailors.

The early Spanish explorations changed Europeans’ view of the world a great deal. The voyages of Christopher Columbus revealed the existence of the Americas.

Magellan’s expedition opened up a westward route to the Indies. It showed that it was possible to sail completely around the world. Columbus’s voyages marked the beginning of Spanish settlement in the West Indies. Spain earned great wealth from its settlements.

For the native people of the West Indies, however, Spanish settlement was extremely detrimental. The Spanish forced native people to work as slaves in the mines and on the plantations. Priests forced many of them to become Christians. When the Spanish arrived, perhaps one or two million Taino lived on the islands. Within fifty years, fewer than five hundred Taino were left. The rest had died of starvation, overwork, or European diseases. Since the native populations died, the Spanish brought millions of enslaved Africans to work in their American colonies.

Whiteboards

How did Spanish and Portuguese exploration affect people in Africa? A.Africans found a new sea route around the world. B. Africans attended Prince Henry’s navigation school. C. Africans were enslaved and brought to the Americas. D. Africans sold spices to Portugal and Spain.

C. Africans were enslaved and brought to the Americas.

Learning Objective: Students will be able to describe the conquest of the native peoples in the Americas by the Spanish.

detrimental: something that does harm or damage.

epidemics: an outbreak of a contagious disease that spreads quickly and over a wide geographic area.

Conquistador: a Spanish conqueror

After Columbus’s voyages, Spain was eager to claim even more lands in the New World. To explore and conquer "New Spain," the Spanish turned to adventurers called conquistadors, or conquerors. The conquistadors were allowed to establish settlements and seize the wealth of natives.

In 1519, Spanish

explorer Hernán Cortés

(er–NAHN koor–TEZ),

with and a band of

fellow conquistadors,

set out to explore

present-day Mexico

and defeated the

Aztec empire.

Hernán Cortés

The Aztec ruler, Moctezuma II, welcomed the Spanish with great honors. Determined to break the power of the Aztecs, Cortés took Moctezuma hostage. Eventually, the huge Aztec army was defeated by the Spanish.

Whiteboards

Spanish explorer Hernan Cortez conquered the… A. Inca Empire. B. Taino Indians. C. Aztec Empire D. The New World

C. Aztec Empire

First, Aztec legend had predicted the arrival of a white-skinned god. When Cortés appeared, the Aztecs welcomed him because they thought he might be this god, Quetzalcoatl.

Second, Cortés was able to make allies of the Aztecs’ enemies. Third, their horses, armor, and superior weapons gave the

Spanish an advantage in battle. Fourth, the Spanish carried diseases that caused deadly

epidemics among the Aztecs.

Aztec riches inspired Spanish conquistadors to continue their search for gold.

In the 1520s, Francisco

Pizarro received permission

from Spain to conquer the

Inca Empire in South

America.

Francisco Pizarro

By the time Pizarro arrived, however, a civil war had weakened that empire. In April 1532, the Incan emperor, Atahualpa (ah–tuh–WAHL–puh), greeted the Spanish as guests. Following Cortés’s example, Pizarro launched a surprise attack and kidnapped the emperor.

Although the Incas paid a roomful of gold and silver in ransom, the Spanish killed Atahualpa. Without their leader, the Inca Empire quickly fell apart.

Whiteboards

Spanish explorer Francisco Pizzaro conquered the… A. Inca Empire. B. Taino Indians. C. Aztec Empire D. The New World

A. Inca Empire

Besides gold and silver, ships from the Americas brought corn, potatoes, chocolate, and raw materials to Spain.

The Spanish conquests had a major impact on the New World. The Spanish introduced new animals to the Americas, such as horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs.

The Spanish also imported slaves from Africa to work on the

plantations in the new world after much of the native populations had died.

Spain introduced diseases to the New World that killed many of the natives, such as smallpox.

Spain destroyed two advanced civilizations. The Aztecs and Incas lost much of their culture along with their wealth. Many became laborers for the Spanish. Millions died from disease.

Between 1577 and 1580

Francis Drake sailed around

the world. He also claimed

part of what is now

California for England,

English exploration also

contributed to a war

between England and Spain.

Sir Francis Drake

As English ships roamed the seas, some captains, nicknamed "sea dogs," began raiding Spanish ports and ships to take their gold. The English raids added to other tensions between England and Spain. In 1588, King Philip II of Spain sent an armada, or fleet of ships, to invade England. With 130 heavily armed vessels and about thirty thousand men, the Spanish Armada seemed an unbeatable force. Drake defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588. Why is this important? The defeat of the Spanish Armada marked the start of a shift in power in Europe. By 1630, Spain no longer dominated the continent. With Spain’s decline, other countries—particularly England and the Netherlands—took a more active role in trade and colonization around the world. This is important because it led to more European, especially English, colonies around the world.

The Italian sailor

John Cabot made

England’s first

voyage of

discovery. Cabot

believed he could

reach the Indies

by sailing

northwest across

the Atlantic.

Other European Explorations

In 1497, John Cabot landed in what is now Canada. Believing he had reached the northeast coast of Asia, he claimed the region for England. Another Italian, Giovanni da Verrazano, sailed under the French flag. In 1524, Verrazano explored the Atlantic coast from present-day North Carolina to Canada. His voyage gave France its first claims in the Americas. Sailing on behalf of the Netherlands, English explorer Henry Hudson wanted to find a northwest passage through North America to the Pacific Ocean. Such a water route would allow ships to sail from Europe to Asia without entering waters controlled by Spain. Hudson did not find a northwest passage, but he did explore what is now called the Hudson River in present-day New York State.

As a result of exploration, more goods, raw materials, and precious metals entered Europe. By the 1700s, European ships traveled trade routes that spanned the globe.

Capitalism: an economic system based on investment of money for profit. Market economy: an economy in which prices are determined by the buying and selling decisions of individuals in the marketplace Mercantilism: an economic policy by which nations try to gather wealth by establishing colonies and controlling trade. All these terms deal with economics, or money.