Exploring the Americas Lesson 1-4
A Changing World: How do new ideas change the way people live? Europe was aware of the riches of Asia and Africa. Attempts to increase the trade with these lands eventually developed into an era of European exploration that reached far beyond Europe s borders The Europeans launched the first of nine expeditions known as the CRUSADES. The purpose of the crusades was to take back control of Christian holy sites in the Middle East from the Muslims - followers of Islam The Crusades also had an unplanned result - Europeans met Arab merchants who sold them spices, sugar, silk and other goods from China and India. European interest in Asia grew
Marco Polo - Italian Explorer Marco Polo was an explorer who when to China and wrote about Asia s people, great riches and splendid cities in this book called Travels which was widely read in Europe. His book would then later inspire another Italian explorer 200 years later -- Christopher Columbus
The Growth of Trade European merchants knew they could make a lot of money selling their goods in Asia Wealthy Europeans were eager to buy Asian spices, perfumes, silks and precious stones Europeans sought out a route to the East that would not require them to buy Asian goods from Arab merchants who charged them high prices
The Growth of Ideas CLASSICAL WORKS - related to the culture of ancient Greece and Rome Science was another area that changed. Many scholars tested new and old theories of science and performed experiments and evaluated the results\ The arts were also influenced by classical forms and new ideas The period of intellectual and artistic creativity is known as the RENAISSANCE which means rebirth in French. It refers to the rebirth of interest in classical Greek and Roman ideas. The Renaissance set the stage for an age of exploration and discovery
The Rise of Powerful Nations By the 1400s a new large type state had developed in Western Europe Strong monarchs rose to power in Spain, Portugal, England and France They began to establish national laws, courts, taxes and armies The rulers sought ways to increase trade and make their countries even stronger and wealthier Powerful countries such as Portugal and Spain began to search for sea routes to Asia to engage in foreign trade A new era of exploration began
The Effects of New Technology Advances in technology helped to make European voyages of exploration possible In the 1450s, the introduction of the printing press made it easier to print books - more people had access to books and to new information Many Europeans read Marco Polo s Travels when it appeared in printed form in 1477. The book gave descriptions of faraway places and led European readers to realize that there were many spectacular sights beyond their immediate world
Better Maps and Instruments Most early maps were not accurate Cartographers (mapmakers) improved their accuracy of mps little by little - they made more accurate land and sea maps Sailors could find their latitude with an ASTROLABE which measured the positions of stars Europeans acquired the magnetic COMPASS from China which allowed sailors to accurately determine their direction.
Better Ship Design Advances in ship design allowed sailors to make long ocean voyages These advances and competition for foreign trade led countries such as Portugal and Spain to search for sea routes to Asia
Kingdoms and Empires in Africa Between 400 and 1600 AD powerful kingdoms and city-states flourished in Africa. Much of their wealth came from mining and trade Arab traders traveled Africa s coast to trade cotton, silk and porcelain for African ivory and metals West Africans mined and traded gold, copper and iron ore The African kingdoms also traded with Europe The Portuguese set up trading posts along Africa s western coast in the mid-1400s
Ghana - a Trading Empire Ghana was a vast trading empire in West Africa Ghana grew wealthy from the taxes it placed on trade Caravans carrying gold, ivory and enslaved people crossed the desert to North Africa and returned with salt, cloth and brass. These trading contacts led many West Africans to become Muslim North African people attacked Ghana disrupting the trade routes -- soon new trade routes developed an bypassed Ghana altogether which led to Ghana s decline
Mali - Wealth and Power Mali was one of the new kingdoms that grew very powerful. They developed trade routes across the desert to North Africa By the last 1200s Mali s territory was huge. It took four months to cross it from north to south In 1324 Mali s great king, Mansa Musa, a Muslim, traveled to the holy city of Makkah (Mecca). He returned from this PILGRIMAGE or religious journey with an Arab architect to build great MOSQUES which were Muslims houses of worship. Mali s capital, Timbuktu became a center of Islamic art and learning
The Songhai Empire The Songhai people who lived along the Niger River eventually overthrew the Mali rule. They captured Timbuktu in 1468. The leader, Askiya Muhammad divided Songhai into provinces each having their own officials Everyone in the empire followed a legal system based on the teachings of Islam In the late 1500s, the Songhai Empire was defeated and ended by the North African kingdom of Morocco
Early Exploration: The arrival of the Europeans in the Americas in the Fifteenth century changed the lives of people in both the Americas and Europe forever In 1492 Christopher Columbus led 90 sailors in three ships on a voyage into the unknown When they spotted land, Columbus believed he had arrived in the Indies which are island located southeast of China -- however, he had actually reached North America The maps that he and other European explorers used at the time did not include the Americas because no one in Europe knew they existed All maps at that time showed 3 continents - Europe, Asia and Africa
Portuguese Exploration Columbus was sailing on behalf of Spain, but Portugal was the first European power to explore the boundaries of the known world by sea Portugal s Prince Henry laid the groundwork for the era of exploration Henry planned the voyages, analyzed the reports brought back by the explorers and had mapmakers update the charts and maps Because of the abundance of gold, the Africa s west coast became know to be the Gold Coast Portuguese traders also began to buy enslaved Africans there as well
Vasco da Gama Da Gama actually made it to the east coast of Africa and eventually to India Portugal s long-held dream of a sea route to Asia became a reality
Portugal s Trading Empire Within 6 months of da Gama s return to Portugal, 13 ships lead by Cabral set sail out of Lisbon and headed for India following da Gama s westward-then southward course Instead, they went too far west and reached Brazil. Cabral claimed Brazil for his king and sent one of the ships back to Portugal with the good news that Portugal now had a foothold in the Americas Cabral then continued to India and returned with spices, porcelain and other valuable cargo These cargos made Lisbon the marketplace of Europe
Columbus Crosses the Atlantic Columbus became a sailor for Portugal He planned to sail west in order to find a different route to Asia Most people at that time believed the Earth was round but was not certain about the Earth s size and many people including Columbus underestimated the size
Vikings in North America Before Columbus, da Gama and Cabral, northern Europeans had sailed to North America -- these were known as the Vikings or Norsemen Their ships sailed from Scandinavia to Iceland and Greenland and established settlements there for a brief period of time The Vikings voyages were not well known throughout Europe, and other Europeans did not discover the Americas until Columbus made his historic voyage
Columbus and Queen Isabella Columbus had a plan to reach Asia but needed money to finance his expedition. He found a sponsor in Spain Spain was jealous of the trading successes of neighboring Portugal and Spain wanted the riches of Asian trade too King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain agreed to support Columbus expedition for two reasons -- because he promised to bring Christianity to any lands he found and Isabella was a devout Catholic, and secondly was that if he succeeded in finding a route to Asia, Spain would become wealthy from trade with that region and the Queen promised Columbus a share of the riches
Columbus s First Voyage In 1492 Columbus set sail with three ships, the Nina the Pinta and a large one, the Santa Maria. Columbus was the captain of the Santa Maria. The three ships carried about 90 sailors and 6 month supply of food and water The crew began to get nervous after a few weeks but Columbus urged them on They eventually spotted a small island in what is now the Bahamas. Columbus went ashore and claimed the land for Spain and named it San Salvador -- he did not know it, but he had reached the Americas
Columbus s First Voyage Columbus believed he arrived in the East Indies of the coast of Asia When Columbus returned to Spain, Queen Isabella and Spanish King Ferdinand received him with great honor - they made him Admiral of the Ocean Sea and agreed to provide him funds for future voyages
Columbus s Achievements Columbus made 3 more voyages for Spain - he explored the Caribbean islands of Hispaniola (present day Hati and the Dominican Republic), Cuba and Jamaica He also sailed along the coasts of Central America and northern South America He claimed these lands for Spain and started settlements He also mapped the coastline of Central America Columbus had not reached Asia, but had instead found a part of the world that was unknown to Europeans, Asians and Africans
Dividing the Americas Both Spain and Portugal wanted to protect their claims in the Americas Pope Alexander VI ordered a line of demarcation -- an imaginary line that reached from the North Pole to the South Pole and cut through the middle of the Atlantic Ocean Spain was to control all lands west of the line and Portugal would control all lands east of the line - Portugal objected saying that the division gave more land to Spain - the two countries signed an agreement called the Treaty of Tordesillas which moved the line farther west - the two countries had divided the entire unexplored world between themselves
Further Explorations After Columbus, other voyagers explored the Americas Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci led a voyage funded by Spain and then later for Portugal - he explored the coast of South America and he realized South America was a separate continent and not part of Asia Geographers began to call the continent America in his honor
Sailing Around the World In 1520 Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer who was sailing for Spain reached the southernmost tip of South America Magellan named the Pacific Ocean and then died in the Philippine Islands. His crew continued to sail westward arriving back in Spain Magellan s crew was the first people known to CIRCUMNAVIGATE or sail around the world
Lesson 3: Spain in America Essential Question: What are the consequences when cultures interact? Spanish explorers in the Americas conquered people and searched for gold. Spain became richer, while many Native Americans suffered from harsh treatment at the hands of the Spaniards
European Explorers and Conquerors What were the goals of the early Spanish Explorers? Native Americans told the Spaniards stories of gold, silver and kingdoms wealthy beyond belief - the Spaniards traveled far and wide in search of these riches CONQUISTADORS - these Spanish explorers got their encouragement from the Spanish rulers - the rulers gave them the right to explorer and create settlements in the Americas. The Conquistadors would then give Spain 1/5th of any treasure they found
The Conquest of Mexico and Peru Many of the tales about gold and riches proved to be false, some were true Two wealthy empires were the Aztec in Mexico and Central America and the Inca in South America -- both were prizes claimed by the conquistadors Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec Empire and the huge amounts of Aztec gold made Cortes and Spain wealthy Pizarro led an army into the Inca capital and arrested and executed their ruler -- Pizarro soon controlled most of the vast and wealthy Inca Empire
Why Spain Won The Spanish had weapons and animals the Aztec and Inca had never seen. The Spanish had guns and cannons. They rode horses and had huge ferocious dogs To the Native Americans, the Spanish seemed almost like gods Cortes received some help from the native people who disliked their harsh rulers and were happy to help overthrow them Also, disease played a large role because contact with the Europeans lead to disease because the natives had no IMMUNITY or resistence to European diseases
Spain in North America Conquistadors explored the southeastern and southwestern parts of the United States hoping to find similar wealth Juan Ponce de Leon made the first Spanish landing in what is currently Florida in 1513 Legend says that Ponce de Leon was not looking for gold, but instead he was looking for the Fountain of Youth which had been described as a spring of running water that makes old men young again Ponce de Leon led to the first Spanish settlement in the US --a fort build in St. Augustine, Florida in 1565
The Seven Cities of Gold Other conquistadors were not as fortunate and many lost their lives in the process. One conquistador named de Vaca and a an African slave named Estevancio convinced the Native Americans that they had healing powers -- they said they could bless the sick by breathing on them and reciting Latin prayers The Spaniards often heard of stories about 7 rich cities -- the 7 cities of gold
De Soto Searches for Gold Hernando de Soto led an expedition to explore Florida and southeastern United States for 3 years following the stories of gold -- their encounters with native people often turned violent De Soto crossed the Mississippi River in 1541 and described it as being swift and very deep He traveled as far west as modern day Oklahoma where he died of fever. He was buried in the waters of the Mississippi.
Coronado Takes Up the Search Francisco Vasquez de Coronado took up the search for the 7 Cities of Gold. He traveled through northern Mexico, Arizona and New Mexico until he reached a Zuni settlement in 1540. He was then finally convinced there was no gold They traveled west to the Colorado River and east into Kansas -- they only found windswept plains and strange shaggy cow (buffalo)
Life Under Spanish Rule Spanish law set up 3 kinds of settlements in the Americas: Pueblos Missions Presidios PUEBLOS - or towns were centers of trade MISSIONS were religious communities PRESIDIO was a type of fort and was usually built near a mission Juan de Onate established a Spanish presence in the lands to the north and he was assigned to convert the native people to Christianity He founded the province of New Mexico - Santa Fe, in 1598 and introduced cattle and horses to the Pueblo people
Spanish Colonial Society Spanish society had a clear class system The highest level of society was made up of the peninsulares which were people who were born in Spain -- they were the landowners, leaders in government and heads of the Catholic Church Next were the Creoles which were people who were born in Americas whose parents were Spanish The next level were the Mestizos which were people with one Spanish and one Native American parent Last were the Native Americans, most of whom lived in greatest poverty and enslaved Africans
Spanish Colonial Society The Spanish government granted conquistadors who settled in the Americas the right to demand either taxes or labor from Native Americans living on the land -- this forced the Native Americans into a form of slavery In 1540 the Spanish discovered silver ore in northern Mexico -- they set up mining camps and forced Native Americans to dig for silver - Many Native Americans died there from malnutrition and disease A Spanish priest, de Las Casas spoke out against such cruel treatment and plead for laws to protect them -- new laws were passed which forbade enslaving the Native Americans -- but not always followed
Plantation System Not all Spaniards sought gold -- some found wealth shipping crops to Spain Key exports included tobacco and sugarcane Spanish developed the PLANTATION system to raise crops. A plantation is a large farm. They first used Native American labor to work their plantations -- Las Casas suggested they be replaced by enslaved Africans -- he later regretted that suggestion Thousands of enslaved Africans were brought from West Africa to the Americas -- those who survived the brutal voyage were sold to plantation owners - Slave labor was an essential part of the colonies economy
Spanish Settlement in the Southwest The Spanish settled the Southwest with much help from the Native Americans in present day New Mexico, Texas and California Spanish explorer, Juan Cabrillo first saw California in 1542 - but the Spanish left that area alone for 200 years Spain wanted to convert more Native Americans to Christianity- Spanish settlement later in California consisted of mostly mission building - Native Americans were trained as their farmers and learned how to grow crops, irrigate farmland and other tasks. Missions eventually became profitable enough to sell goods - wine, olive oil &
Effect on Native American Life California s many Native American groups had well-ordered societies before the Spanish arrived The arrival of the Spanish disrupted their way of life The Spanish forced native peoples to convert to Christianity and to live and work at the mission