america

Francisco Pizarro

A few years after Cortes conquered the Aztec Empire, another explorer named Francisco Pizarro discovered another wealthy empire in Peru known as the Inca Empire. Pizarro was able to capture the Incan King, Atahualpa, and hold him ransom. After the Incas paid Pizarro a ransom for the release of their leader, Pizarro had Atahualpa put to death, along with other top leaders in the Incan government. The result was that the Incan Empire also fell.

Plymouth

A group of poor farmers in England would eventually found a new colony in present day Massachusetts. These farmers grew concerned about the Church of England. They felt that the Church was too Catholic, and that they had not made sufficient reformations. These farmers chose to live a life which they felt was more strictly based on the teachings of the Bible. They called themselves the Puritans, or Pilgrims. After separating themselves from the Church of England, they faced a great deal of persecution. In order to escape this persecution, they moved as a group to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Here they enjoyed religious freedom and security. However, they were concerned about the bad influence that they felt the Dutch were having on their children. That, along with economic difficulties, led them to vote to migrate to the Americas in 1617. On September 16, 1620, 102 of these pilgrims set out from London on a ship known as the Mayflower. 65 days later they spotted Cape Cod, and established the colony of Plymouth.

The American Revolution

For many centuries colonists had been migrating from Europe to the Americas in search of economic opportunities and religious freedom. These colonies were established under the authority of the monarchs of Europe, and as a result, the colonists owed their loyalty to those monarchs. Life was difficult for the first settlers who came to the Americas. When they arrived, they found no cities, no paved streets, and no markets. All they found was the wilderness. These first settlers built cities from scratch, and paved the way for later immigrants, bringing civilization to these wild lands. As civilization advanced in the new world, and began to resemble life in Europe, the lives of the people became easier and more comfortable. This allowed them to spend more time pursuing hobbies, and in the service of their communities. New schools were established in the colonies, and the education level among colonists began to increase.

Ferdinand Magellan

In 1519, a Portuguese sailor set sail from Seville, Spain, in an effort to sail around the globe. This expedition was funded by Spain. After Magellan and his 260 men and five ships reached South America, they began looking for a way through the continent to the other side. After several months, they finally discovered the southern tip of South America, which is now known as the Straight of Magellan. As Magellan traveled through these rough waters, one of his ships became separated and was forced to return to Spain. Another ship crashed on a rocky island. The three remaining ships traveled for several more months and finally made it to the Philippines. Here, Magellan became involved in a local dispute with a tribal king and was killed. His remaining crew of 18 men sailed back to Spain, arriving home after being gone for three years. This expedition was costly in both cost of goods as well as cost of life. However, it was important because it was the first time anyone had managed to sail around the entire globe. They proved once and for all that what Columbus had discovered was indeed a new world. They also discovered just how large the Earth really was.

Hernan Cortes

In 1519, an explorer by the name of Hernan Cortes left his home in Cuba in order to explore Mexico. Cortes was convinced that he could obtain more riches on the mainland than was possible by remaining on the islands in the Caribbean. Cortes and over 500 men arrived in Mexico, and began traveling towards the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. The Aztec Empire was wealthy and in many ways more advanced than any European nation. However, they did not have horses, nor did they have guns. This gave the Spaniards a huge advantage. In addition, many of the peoples who had been conquered by the Aztecs were unhappy about the way they had been treated by them. The Aztecs were brutal and often sacrificed the people they conquered to their gods. As a result, many of these people were ready to join forces with Cortes and his men to overthrow the Aztec Empire. At first the Aztecs did not fight back. They thought that the Europeans were the fulfillment of an ancient legend that spoke of white-bearded gods. After seeing the wealth of their empire, Cortes set out to take control of it. Within just a few years, he and his small army were able to defeat one of the most advanced civilizations of the era, setting Cortes as the ruler of Mexico in behalf of Spain.

Jamestown

In 1606, King James I of England allowed a group of merchants known as the Virginia Company to send settlers, led by Captain John Smith, to the New World in search of treasure and wealth. This group explored the coast of New England, and within a year established the first permanent English settlement in the New World, which they named Jamestown. Jamestown was located in present day Virginia. The settlers spent the next few decades holding on to life and trying to survive. Frequent attacks from Indians and food shortages along with sickness made this difficult. Life in Jamestown was miserable. Things became a little easier when a settler by the name of John Rolfe married Pocahontas, the daughter of the Algonquian chief. But life was still difficult. Only 60 of the original 214 settlers survived, and in 1609, they were ready to return to England. The arrival of Lord De La Warr in the colony, who was supposed to be their new governor, gave them the courage to go on living in the region. But life remained very difficult for decades to come.

Henry Hudson

In 1621, leaders in the Netherlands sent an explorer by the name of Henry Hudson to North America in search of suitable land for setting up colonies. The Dutch government also established The Dutch West India Company to help establish colonies in North America. The most important of these colonies was New Amsterdam, which would eventually become New York. Henry Hudson explored much of the region around New Amsterdam, and also discovered the Hudson Bay.

The British Empire Goes to War

In 1760, a new king came to power in Great Britain named King George III. George III used the powerful British Navy to wage war with France. These wars brought the British Empire vast new territory, including all of Canada, as well as all the land in North America east of the Mississippi River. This war, which greatly enlarged the territories of Great Britain, proved to be very costly and nearly bankrupt the national treasury. As a result, King George III was in desperate need of raising funds to keep his government operating. To do this, he looked to the colonies in the Americas.

The Stamp Act

In order to help cover the cost of the war between Great Britain and France, British officials began to establish new taxes in the Colonies. In 1765, a tax was passed by Great Britain known as the stamp act. This law required all colonists to pay a tax to Great Britain on all of the printed materials that they used, newspapers, magazines, and even playing cards. All of these materials were required to have a stamp placed on them, in order to show that the tax had been paid. Colonist were outraged, and responded by boycotting all British goods. They also attacked officials who were sent by Great Britain to enforce the Stamp Act, and burned the stamps in the street. Many of the colonies sent representatives to a special meeting in New York, which they called The Stamp Act Congress, where the colonies voted and declared that Parliament did not have the right to pass taxes on the colonies because they did not have any representation in Parliament. Many of the colonists began crying - "No taxation without representation!" As a result, the British Parliament repealed the stamp act just one year later in 1766.

Amerigo Vespucci

It was not until 1507 that people began to realize that what Columbus had discovered was not a new route to India, but instead was a completely new world. The first person to suggest that this was the case was an Italian explorer by the name of Amerigo Vespucci. Because he was the first to realize that a new world had been discovered, map makers began calling this new land the 'Americas' in honor of him.

The Boston Massacre

Parliament in Great Britain had lost the battle over the Stamp Act. However, they were determined to assert their control over the colonies. In 1766, they passed a new decree that reaffirmed their right to pass laws regarding the colonies. The next year they passed a number of new taxes, including a tax on glass, lead, paper, and tea. The colonies were again outraged, and many refused to pay them. In order to enforce these new tax laws, British officials requested military troops to aid them. These military troops outraged the colonists. In the winter of 1770, a small group of colonists in Boston were taking out their frustration with the troops by taunting them and throwing snowballs at them. In retaliation, these soldiers opened fire, killing four of the Bostonians. This event became known as the Boston Massacre. The events of the Boston Massacre were spread quickly by newspapers throughout the colonies, further angering colonists. As a result, Great Britain was forced to once again repeal all of the new taxes they had enacted. However, in order to send a message that they were still in charge, they left the tax on tea in place.

Christopher Columbus

Traveling to India around the southern tip of Africa was dangerous and difficult. An Italian sailor by the name of Christopher Columbus proposed finding a new route by sailing west. Columbus thought that if they sailed west, they would eventually circle the globe and arrive in eastern Asia. For seven years Christopher Columbus traveled around Europe looking for someone who would finance his journey. The monarchs of Europe made fun of him, saying that it was too risky and dangerous to attempt such a voyage around the globe. Finally, Columbus arrived in Spain. For many years Spain had been caught up in civil war. As a result, they were behind much of Europe in their development. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were anxious to prove that Spain could be as powerful and successful as their neighbor Portugal. In August of 1492, they granted Christopher Columbus the supplies, men and ships that he needed to carry out his expedition. Columbus was given three sailing ships. These ships were named the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. The Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria Columbus' men were terrified that they would be lost at sea and that they would suffer starvation. As the days wore on these men began to turn against him. Columbus was forced to agree to turn back if they did not find land within three days. On the night of the second day, just before he would have had to turn around, land was sighted. Columbus and his men discovered an island in the Caribbean, which they named Hispanolia. This island is the location of the present day nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Columbus did not realize that he had arrived in a new part of the world. He was convinced that he was in India. For this reason, he called the natives who lived on these islands the Indians. Columbus returned to the Americas three more times. Each time believing that he was in India. During his life, he never realized what he had discovered.