Bartholomeu Dias Cape of Good Hope 1487
Vasco da Gama India 1498
Pedro Alvares Cabral Brazil
Christopher Columbus! Pirates in the Mediterranean! Cut out the middle man in trade! Wealth and riches King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain Fund Columbus The queen wanted to spread Christianity and the king wanted wealth.
Columbus s Fleet Niña Pinta Santa Maria Columbus made a total of 4 trips across the Atlantic.
Hispaniola
West Indies? Columbus called these islands the Indies because he thought he had finally reached Asia (and the East Indies). Spain, when Columbus' mistake was discovered, (pardon the pun) renamed them the West Indies, to distinguish them from the Spice Islands in the Pacific Ocean, (the East Indies) which we now call Indonesia.
Amerigo Vespucci Vespucci recognized that the New World was not Asia and published it. This book then got in the hands of a German Cartographer. Who latinized Amerigo s name.
Vasco Nunez de Balboa! Went to present day Panama and in 1513 hiked through the mountainous Jungles and saw the Pacific Ocean (named it the west sea)
Ferdinand Magellan Portuguese Explorer, in search of fame, organized a Spanish Expedition to the East Indies (the western sea route). His fleet was the first to circumnavigate the Earth (He was killed in battle on the voyage, but his ambitious expedition proved that the globe could be circled by sea and that the world was much larger than had previously been imagined.
Conquistador-a conqueror, especially one of the Spanish conquerors of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century.
Hernán Cortés Had allies with some native people Used Deadly force to conquer Mexico Took Montezuma (Ruler of the Aztec s) hostage
Francisco Pizarro Conquered the Incan Empire Took advantage of an Incan Civil War and the first epidemic of Small Pox Takes the leader captive and orders execution
Why were these guys so successful? 1.New and Powerful Weapons. 2.Spanish united their enemies against them. 3. Disease wiped out entire communities.
Class System First born son (in Europe) gets everything Second joins military or becomes explorer to make name for themselves. Family in the New World. If the baby is born in the new world, they are a lower class than those born in Europe. Spanish and Native.
Ponce de Leon First landing on mainland North America (Florida) Was in search not only of gold but the legendary Fountain of Youth.. They started the first permanent settlement in North America St Augustine 1565 a spring of running water of such marvelous virtue that drinking it makes old men young again
Hernando de Soto Heard stories about 7 cities with walls of emerald and streets of gold. He explored for 3 years wandering around the South eastern part of present day United States. He treated the native people poorly and often captured their chief and demanded food. He crossed the Mississippi River it is very swift and deep. Traveled as far west as Oklahoma. He died of fever and was buried in the waters of the Mississippi.
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado! Also wanted to find the 7 cities of gold.! Explored Northern Mexico and into Arizona and New Mexico.! Went west to the Colorado River and east to Kansas and found nothing but windswept plains and shaggy cows (Buffalo) disappointed they returned to Mexico.
Spanish Settlements!! Pueblos: Towns established as s=centers of Trade! Missions: Religious Communities small town with farmland around a church! Presidios: Fort usually built near a mission.
Class System!! Peninsulares: Upper Class- people that were born in Spain, owned the land, served in the Catholic Church and ran the government! Creoles- born in America to Spanish Parents! Mestizos- born to Spanish and native American Parents! Native Americans! Enslaved Africans
American Slaves! The Spanish government gave conquistadors an encomienda or the right to demand taxes or labor from Native Americans living on the land.! This turned American Indians into slaves. They made them work in Gold and silver mines and farm labor- often they died form starvation and disease.
Bartolome De Las Casa Spanish explorer who became appalled of Native Treatment Back to New World as Spanish Priestcondemned the unethical treatment of Native Americans and enabled Spain to enact laws protecting them Attempted to settle a colony to live with Natives Other Europeans did not like this, slaughtered colony
Have you ever tried to help out with a major problem but you ended up making it worse?! Plantation Systems were established! The Spanish started exporting tobacco and sugarcane.! Bartolome de Las Casas suggested replacing American Indian labor with African American Labor and bitterly regretted this suggestion.! By the 1550s the Spanish were bringing thousands of enslaved Africans to the Americas and the Portuguese did the same in Brazil. This established a dependency on slave labor in the Americas.