Chapter 14: Lesson 3 (Exploring the Americas)

Who was Christopher Columbus?

Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. As a young man, Columbus was a seaman on Genoese merchant vessels. At the age of 25, he was shipwrecked off the coast of Portugal, near Sagres. He reained there for eight years, stuying history, geography, and travel. He calculated the distance from Spain to Asia would be no more than 4000 miles (he had misunderstood the unnit of measure used by the astronomer al-Faraghani in 851). In 1484, he asked the Poruguese rulers to finance his voyage. After their rejection, he asked King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who refused at first but in 1492 agreed to finance the expedition. Columbus' crew left in August of 1492. After eight weeks at sea, the threat of mutiny hung over Columbus. Finally, two months later, the crew spotted land that they claimed for Spain, and named it San Salvador. He continued to visit other islands, including Cuba and Hispaniola. All of these he had believed to be part of Asia. 30 years after his expedition, people knew that he had not actually found a westard route to India.

How did Spain explore North America?

In 1513, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, sailed for Spain and crossed the istgmus of Panama, seeing the Pacific Ocean. Ferdinand Magellan commanded a fleet from 151 to 1521 that made the first circumvoyage, voyage around the earth. This proved that north America blocked the path to Asia, and Europeans began sailing across the Atlantic in search of the Northwest Passage, which was a route to go through the continent.

How did France explore North America?

In 1524, King Francis I of France initiated a voyage to America led by the Italian commander Giovanni da Verrazano. The commander sailed from present day North Carolina's coast to Newfoundland in the north. In 1535m he saied up the Saint Lawrence River to present-day Montreal, claiming a portion of North America for the French.

What other countries began to explore North America?

In the year 1000, Vikings led by Leif Ericson arrived in Newfoundland and explored some of the North American coast. In the 1480's, Basque, and other European fishermen began fishing and whaling near the Canadian coast. England was the first to send an organized expedition following Columbus. In 1497, John Cabot (Italian) sailed for England and reached Newfoundland, which he had believed was part of Asia. On his second voyage, he explore the North American coast. England claimed the territory that Cabot had visited when it began establishing colonies in the 17th century.

What resources in the Americas attracted the Europeans?

Land, timber, minerals, fur, and more were available on the continent of North America. English, French, and Dutch colonists all arrived in North Americ in search of farmland, gold, animal hides, and religious freedom. As more Europeans claimed the Americas, the Native Americans were pushed farther and farther to the west. As these colonies rose, Mediterranean trade with the East was no longer as important, and sugar became the main export of the North American colonies. Therefore, the countries that had colonized North America, France, Holland, and England, became major powers in European trade in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Why was Spain so eager to colonize the Americas?

Spain had to act swiftly in order for its rival, Portugal, bot to profit from its finding. So, Spain asked Pope Alexander VI to grant them control over navigation and settlement in the regions Columbus had explored. The pope stated that all land and sea west of the line would belong to the Spanish, and the land east of the lind to the Portuguese.In 1494, the two cuntries signed the treaty of Tordesillas to verify this statement. Rumors of gold and silver appealed to Spanish explorers, who were known for killing the native inhabitants and stealing their treasures whenever riches were found. Spanish colonists also set up plantations to grow sugar cane, tobacco, and other crops. The plantations required physical labor, so the Indians were forced to do the work.

How was the name "America" chosen?

The Alsatian geographer Martin Waldseemuller chose the name America when he made a new map of the world in the year 1507. The name came from Amerigo Vespucci, who made voyages after Columbus, and wrote a best-selling book regarding "the New World."

What caused death in the Native Americans?

The Spanish colonists abused, overworked, and underfed the Native Americans. As well as this, many of the Native Americans died from the introduction fo European diseases, as their immune systems could not fight off plagues and other diseases that had already passed through Europe. Although some Spanish priests tried to convert Native Americans ethically and enforce laws protecting the Native Ameicans' rights, they were few in number.