European Explorers USI. 4a- The student will demonstrate knowledge of European exploration in North America and West Africa by describing the motivations, obstacles, and accomplishments of the Spanish, French, Portuguese, and English explorations. USI 4b-The student will demonstrate knowledge of European exploration in North America and West Africa by describing cultural interactions between Europeans and American Indians that led to cooperation and conflict. Materials Teacher- Cards with Explorers Name Student Research Sheet Large Map of the Americas Timeline in the Room Background information on Explorers Student- Something to write with Colored Pencils Textbook Procedures Day 1 Day 2 Research Have students draw an explorer from a container (some students may need to double up-there are only 17 explorers) Using the textbook, information from the library (in the classroom), and teacher research (if needed) have the students fill in their Eur.opean Explorer sheet. After the sheet is completed (or for homework) have each student write a verse about their explorer to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat Put Explorer Research sheet on the right side of history notebook and write song verse on the left side. Share Information Pass out the Timeline Information Slip and have the students illustrate the top and put the information on the bottom Have the students take turns sharing information on their explorer Share the information including the Interesting Story Show the area explored on a large Map (actually writing the name one the map) Put the information on the timeline.
Share song verse. If there is time, have all the students sing their verses in chronological order. Day 3 Who Am I? (Closing Activity) Pass out background information on all explorers Ask the students to choose a partner or put them in partners using the cards. Have each student draw an explorer card and tape it on his/her partner s back. Using the information sheet, each partner can ask yes and no questions to try to determine which Explorer is on his/her back. Assessment Check information on the research sheet. Listen to verse of the song. Make sure the placement of information on the map and timeline is correct. Observe the Who Am I? activity.
Explorer What year did he sail? What country did he Sail under? Why did he sail? (God, Gold, Glory) Where did he land? What were the results of his trip?
European Explorers Explorer / Year They Sailed / Country Sailed For Columbus / 1492 / Spain Vespucci (Amerigo) / 1503 / Spain Balboa / 1513 / Spain Cortes / 1519 / Spain Where They Where Headed / Where They Landed China and India / San Salvador (Caribbean) A New World / South America and the Caribbean The Pacific Ocean / Panama Why They Went (God, Gold, Glory) Gold (spices) and Glory (new way to Asia) Glory (to find new land ) Glory (to find the vast ocean they heard about) What was important about their trip? He was the first European to document the Americas. He started the movement for westward exploration. The new land was named after him. First European to see the Pacific Ocean and claimed all the land the Pacific Ocean touched for Spain. He used Natives as slaves to build ships in the Pacific Ocean. Interesting / fun story about the explorer On Columbus s second voyage to Haiti in 1493 he demanded food, gold, and spun cotton from the Haitians. When they did not comply he would cut off their noses and ears. While most explorers wanted to find wealth and a westward route to Asia, Vespucci wanted to find new land. He sailed west in search for new land four different times and wrote letters about his trips each time. His letters about finding new land were read by Martin Waldseemuller, a mapmaker, created a map for explorers to use and named the new land the explorers were finding America after Amerigo. Balboa was the first European to set foot in the Pacific Ocean. He had made King Ferdinand of Spain mad at him by kicking out the governor of the colony Darién and taking it over himself. In 1513 to avoid being arrested and tried for treason, Balboa sailed to Panama and walked across to the Pacific Ocean where he claimed that all the land that touched the ocean was property of Spain. The king forgave Balboa, but years later in 1519 he was again accused of treason and was beheaded for his crimes. Mexico / Mexico Gold and Glory Destroyed Aztecs Aztecs believed he was the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy that said the god Quetzalcoatl would return. The prophecy said Quetzalcoatl would come from the east on the wings of giant white bird. The prophecy also predicted a day that Quetzalcoatl would return. Since Cortes came from the east on a ship with giant white sails on the exact day the prophecy predicted the Aztecs thought he was the god Quetzalcoatl.
De Narvaez / 1528 / Spain De Vaca / 1528 1536 / Spain Pizarro / 1532 / Spain De Soto / 1539 / Spain Florida / Florida Gold and Glory First European to document Florida. He was cruel because he killed Natives and stole their food. Florida and Texas / Florida and Texas South America / Peru Gold and God He lived eight years with Natives and would be the first to protest the Spanish treatment of Natives. He was the captain of the expedition that Cabeza De Vaca was on. When De Narvaez sailed to Florida he was meet with hostile Indians and hurricanes that killed most of his crew. The pilot of his ship became scared and sailed to the Spanish settlement in Mexico by himself, leaving De Narvaez and his crew stranded. De Narvaez had his men build five rafts to attempt to sail to Mexico, but a hurricane shipwrecked three of them killing De Narvaez and blowing the other two rafts, with De Vaca, to Texas. He was a member of the Panfilo De Narvaez expedition to Florida. After the Spanish expedition he was a part of was shipwrecked in Texas De Vaca and the surviving members of the crew lived with the local American Indians for eight years. They were accepted and feed by the Indians, helping them survive. De Vaca became a trader and medicine man. When De Vaca returned to Spain in 1537 he was the first to speak out against the cruel treatment of the American Indians. Gold and Glory Conquered Inca When Pizarro landed in Peru Atahualpa, the Chief of the Inca invited him to a feast to make friends with him. Pizarro ambushed the feast, captured Atahualpa, and held him for ransom. Atahualpa told Pizarro he would fill the room he was being held captive in four times with gold and twice with silver if Pizarro would let him go. Pizarro agreed and Atahualpa and the Inca gave him the amount of gold and silver promised. However, Pizarro strangled Atahualpa anyway and attacked Florida / Florida Gold First European to cross the Mississippi River. He attacked Native tribes and was eventually killed by them. the Inca, causing the fall of their empire. When De Soto discovered the Mississippi River he sailed down it wearing nothing but clothes made from grass and mud, because of a fire set by Indians that burned his camp days before.
Coronado / 1540 1542 / Spain Da Gama / 1497 / Portugal Magellan / 1519 1522 / Portugal Cabot / 1497-1498 / England Seven Cities of Gold / Rode on horseback through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma Gold Brought horses to the plains tribes, documented the Grand Canyon, but killed and conquered many Native tribes while looking for gold. India / India Gold (spices) Found an all water route to Asia around the tip of Africa, and started trade with India. He made enemies in Middle East by forcing India to trade with him Moluccas (The Spice Islands in the Philippines) / Reached the Philippines, and sailed around the world. Asia / Newfoundland He led an army across Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma in search for gold and riches. He meets a Native he called the Turk who told him of a wealthy city named Quivira. Quivira was actually a very poor Native village with little wealth. The Turk led Coronado into the desert hoping he and his army would die of starvation so the Turk could escape from them. Coronado executed the Turk for lying, and later found Quivira but was disappointed that there were no jewels in the village. When Da Gama reached India on his second voyage in 1502 he attacked the city, killed innocent Muslims and Indians, and forced his way into the local trading economy. This helped Portugal take control of the East Indies later. God and Gold First to sail around the world Sailed to the Island of Cabo in the Philippines, where it is said he converted 800 local people to Christianity in one day. After such success Magellan demanded that the neighboring islands let Cabo become their ruler, and some refused. He then attacked 10 to 12 islands, burning some of the villages. During his attack on the island of Matam Magellan had only 50 to 60 men against three to four thousand natives. Magellan and six of his men were killed here in 1521. The rest of his crew continued on their trip and became the first people to ever circumnavigate the globe (sail around the world). Gold (spices) and Glory (quicker northern route) Gave England a claim to land in the New World, but failed to find a Northwest Passage to Asia In May 1498 Cabot set sail with a fleet of five vessels - a significant advance over the previous year. This voyage is one of history's puzzles. We know the fleet sailed, that one ship returned damaged after a storm, and that John Cabot disappears from the historical record. Everything else is speculation. This voyage demonstrated that Cabot had not found an easy and profitable route to Asia. He had found codfish and trees, but not the great cities that could provide wealth and power. What he and Columbus had found, it was becoming clear, was a new continent that stood between Europe and Asia. This was a considerable disappointment to those who had backed Cabot's voyages.
Drake / 1577-1580 / England Hudson / 1610 / England Cartier / 1524 / France Champlain / 1608 / France LaSalle (Rene Robert Cavelier) / 1679 1684 / France Peru and the Pacific Ocean / Circumnavigated the globe China and India / The Hudson Bay (Northern Canada) China / North America (New Brunswick and Newfoundland) Gold and Glory (to attack Spanish ships and towns) Gold and Glory (to find a northwest passage) Gold Second person to sail around the world and stole from Spanish ships and towns in the Caribbean Documented Canada, parts of New York, and the Hudson Bay. Claimed Canada for France and started the French trade with the Natives Canada / Canada Gold and God Established Quebec as a trading center, and documented Lake Champlain Mississippi River / Canada and the Mississippi River To discover if the Mississippi led to Pacific Ocean and Asia. He claimed the Mississippi River and everything it touched for France. This became known as the Louisiana Territory He would rob Spanish ships and towns in the Caribbean and make the Spaniards mad. On one of Drake s trips he sailed around South America to the Pacific Ocean, and robed Spanish ships on his way. The Spanish ships threatened to attack him if he returned home the same way, so they forced Drake to sail across the Pacific Ocean to return home. He became the second person to circumnavigate the globe (sail around the world). In 1611 Henry Hudson and his crew were trapped in the Hudson bay after the water froze around their ship. When the ice melted and the men could travel home they learned that Hudson planed on going further west to find a passage to Asia. When they heard of this they put Hudson, his son, and seven other crewmen in a tiny boat and left them in the Bay that would be named for him later (the Hudson Bay). Henry Hudson was never heard from again. In Cartier s search for a Northwest passage to Asia he discovered what he thought was gold and diamonds. Instead he had only found fool s gold and quartz, an element that looks like diamonds. While sailing for France, Champlain was looking for the Northwest passage to Asia, but landed in Canada. He formed friendly relationships with the Montagnais Indians and fought against the Iroquois, in an attempt to get the Montagnais to trade with the French. Champlain would join in battles with the Montagnais, and during one fight he was shot with an arrow and injured so bad that he was forced to return to France to heal. He originally came to Canada to become a farmer. After two years of farming LaSalle got tired of it and asked the French king for money to explore the Mississippi River. He was the first person to sail the entire Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. He finally proved that there was no passage through the Americas to Asia.