THE WORLD BEFORE 1600 31

Then, before dawn on October 12, 1492, a sailor shouted, “Tierra! Tierra!,” or “Land! Land!” The three ships anchored off a small island in the Caribbean. Columbus named the island San Salvador.

Because the distance he had sailed was about what he had calculated in error, Colum-bus believed he was in the Indies. When the local people, the TainosTainos, greeted him, Columbus called them los Indios, or “Indians.” He gave them gifts of red caps, glass beads, and bells.

The Tainos lived simply in thatched huts in the jungle. They grew vegetables, wove cotton, and made pottery. Columbus was disappointed not to find the rich cities he expected. But he still hoped to pick up Asian spices, silks, and other treasures on the larger islands nearby.

The crews soon set off, taking six Tainos with them as guides. The local Indians prom-ised that plenty of gold lay ahead. The fleet stopped at Cuba, then sailed to another large island, which Columbus named La Isla Española (“The Spanish Isle”). Today it is His-paniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic).

There at last they found gold, which encour-aged Columbus. But the Santa Maria went aground on a coral reef and sank. With his two remaining ships, Columbus returned to Spain.

Columbus would later make three more trips to the Americas. Although his voyages changed history, Columbus never understood why. When he died in 1506, he still believed he had explored part of Asia.

READING CHECK Making Inferences Why did Columbus continue to think he was in Asia?

Impact on Native AmericansColumbus’s voyages set off a wave of European colonizationcolonization in the Americas. As you might imagine, colonization had a profound impact on the native peoples of the Americas.

Colonies in Hispaniola When the Santa Maria ran aground off Hispaniola in Decem-ber 1492, Columbus took it as a sign from God that he was meant to establish a colony there. Because it was Christmas Day, he called it Villa de la Navidad (“Christmas Town”) and had his men build a fort. As he departed for Spain, he told them to trade for gold, treat the natives well, and find a place to build a town.

Columbus came back to La Navidad the following year, intending to organize new colo-nies. But upon his return, he was shocked and

Columbus thought the Indians he met had gold and ot her riches.

A main goal of early explorers was to convert Native Ameri-cans to Christianity.

Columbus Describes ContactPRIMARY SOURCES

“I gave them [Indians] a thousand good, pleasing things which I had brought, in order that they might be fond of us, and furthermore might be made Christians and be inclined to the love and service of their Highnesses and of the whole Castil-ian [Spanish] nation and try to help us and to give us of the things which they have in abundance and which are necessary to us.”

—Columbus’s Letter on His First Voyage

1. Analyzing Primary Sources How did Columbus’s goal of gaining riches for Spain affect his treatment of the Indians?

2. Evaluating Sources Do you think Columbus’s plan worked?

See Skills Handbook, pp. H28–29

SkillsFOCUS READING LIKE A HISTORIAN

When Christopher Columbus landed in what he thought was part of Asia, he met people who had never before been seen by Europeans. Columbus’s views and descriptions of these people, whom he came to call “Indians,” would shape Euro-pean views of Native Americans for centuries to come.

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32 CHAPTER 1

dismayed. Many of his men had behaved wildly in his absence and made the Tainos so angry that the Indians had killed them all. This incident soured relations between the Spaniards and the Tainos, who had seemed so peace-loving.

Deciding to find another site for a colony, Columbus sailed east along the coast. There he established Isabela, named after the queen. Still believing he was in Asia, Columbus hoped to set up a trading post to exchange European goods for gems, precious metals, and spices. The site was a poor choice, however. It had malaria-carrying mosquitoes and no fresh water.

Things went badly in Isabela. Columbus’s brothers ran the settlement while he explored other islands. Some of the Spanish officers rebelled against them. Then, under pressure to supply more gold, Columbus and his broth-ers captured Indians to sell as slaves. Coloni-zation turned into the conquest of Hispaniola. In March 1495 the Spaniards marched inland with dogs, horses, and muskets. The Indians were unable to unite against them.

Eventually, Ferdinand and Isabella decided that Columbus was a better admiral than he was an administrator. He lost his post as gov-ernor of Hispaniola in 1500. Unfortunately, the people of the islands were in for more suffering under other governors.

Native American labor Columbus’s first reaction to meeting the native Tainos was to note “how easy it would be to convert these people [to Christianity] and to make them work for us.” That view set a pattern for later Spanish and other European explorers.

As you know, the Spaniards who came to the Caribbean were mainly interested in find-ing gold. Because mining required much physi-cal labor, they recruited Indians to help. It was an easy step from forced labor to enslavement.

Slavery was also a response to pressure from Spain to make a profit from Columbus’s voyages. Early in 1494, along with gold, fine woods, and parrots, Columbus sent 26 Indi-ans back to Spain. He said that they should be taught Spanish so they could be interpreters. Columbus also suggested starting a trade in Indian slaves. Slavery was common in many societies at the time. Europeans were also receptive to the idea of enslaving non-Chris-tians because they could then be converted.

Trade in Indian slaves Not everyone approved of enslaving Indians. One opponent was Queen Isabella, who stated that Carib-bean Indians belonged to the monarchs and could not be owned by anyone else in Spain. As a result, many Indians were sent instead to plantations off the coast of Portugal. Later, after the Portuguese, French, and Dutch set up plantations on Caribbean islands, Indians who were enslaved were often kept as local labor.

The best-known defender of the Indians was a priest and friar named Bartolomé de Las Casas. He settled in Hispaniola in 1502 and later became a missionary to the Indians. He dedicated his life to protecting them from mistreatment by the settlers. Las Casas won the admiration of King Ferdinand of Spain. In the decades that followed, the Spanish govern-ment passed laws protecting the Indians, but enforcement of these laws proved difficult.

READING CHECK Summarizing What impact did Spanish colonization have on Native Americans?

Bartolomé de Las Casas is shown at his desk. His many writings included a plea for “enlightenment to those who are in a position to do something about what has been happening.” Interpreting Visuals How is his relationship to Native Americans shown in this painting?

BARTOLOMÉ DE LAS CASAS

SkillsFOCUS READING LIKE A HISTORIAN

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THE WORLD BEFORE 1600 33

The Columbian ExchangeInteraction between Europeans and Native Americans —and eventually Africans—led to the exchange of plants, animals, languages, and technology. Deadly germs were exchanged, too, bringing new epidemics to the Americas. Because all these transfers came about after Columbus’s voyages, they are known as the Columbian ExchangeColumbian Exchange (see map above).

Many crops that Native Americans grew were unfamiliar in Europe. Europeans took home corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, cacao (chocolate), peanuts, and other foods when they returned from their voyages.

European explorers and settlers brought certain foods of their own to the Americas, too. Domestic animals and new technology also crossed from Europe to the Americas. Europe-ans brought horses, which later became central to Plains Indian culture. Indians also learned about guns from Europeans.

The Columbian Exchange had some tragic consequences as well. Native Americans had no resistance to European diseases. Thousands died of smallpox and measles.

READING CHECK Identifying Cause and Effect Identify one effect of the Columbian Exchange.

Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and People 1. a. Identify Who was Leif Eriksson? b. Explain Why didn’t the Vikings stay in North America?

2. a. Recall How did Columbus plan to reach the Indies? b. Make Inferences What qualities do you suppose Columbus had?

3. a. Recall Where did Columbus first establish colonies? b. Predict How do you think the Caribbean Indians viewed Europeans?

4. a. Define What is meant by the term Columbian Exchange? b. Evaluate How was the Columbian Exchange both beneficial and

harmful?

Critical Thinking 5. Identifying Cause and Effect Copy the chart below and show the fac-

tors that contributed to the enslavement of the Indians in the Caribbean.

FOCUS ON WRITING

6. Descriptive Write a letter to a friend in Europe in the 1500s describing the fruits and vegetables you are sending from the Americas and how they can be used.

SECTION ASSESSMENT5

The Columbian Exchange affected cultures on both sides of the Atlantic.

1. Regions What kinds of items were exchanged?

2. Movement How do you think these items came to be exchanged?

See Skills Handbook, p. H19

GEOGRAPHY

SKILLS INTERPRETING MAPS

Enslavement of Indians

COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE

Keyword: SD7 HP1Online Quizgo.hrw.com

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