Exploring the Americas:

1400 - 1625

Early Exploration

Viking Voyages100’s of years B4

ColumbusScandinavians called

Vikings sailed west reaching NA

800’s and 900’s CE visited Iceland and GreenlandEstablished settlements

1000 CE- Leif Eriksson (son of Eric the Red) attempted to create settlement in “Vinland”Now Newfoundland

Slowly but SurelyNeither had been done B4; no one

even seen open ocean or coastline of Africa

Portugal leads the chargePrince Henry the Navigator

Sets up school for navigators and sailors

Info they share greatly helps his ship captains

Armed w/ info and $$$ from Henry set out to explore Africa and possible water route to Asia 1445- Dinis Dias reaches “Western

Bulge” 1470’s- cross Equator 1488- Bartolommeo Dias sails

around southern tip… turns around b/c crew scared

1498- Vasco da Gama sails around tip all the way to India

Early Ideas of ExplorationBy 1400’s- few believe

world is flatBut…

Did not know there was land b/t Europe and East Asia

Most estimate over 10,000 miles to sail from Europe to East AsiaNo ship could carry

enough food and water to make such long journey

Cristoforo ColomboDisagreed w/ distance

estimates; thought less than half that

Italian guy but…Was turned down by

ItalyApproached several

other countries to find backers for trip ($$$) All turned him down

until… King Ferdinand and

Queen Isabella of Spain

At Sea…Friday, August 3, 1492

Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria set sail After not seeing land for 3

weeks… Crew gets scared and begs

to turn back Continue on for 2 months

and 8 days B4 signs begin to appear

12 October 1492By moonlight around 2

am the Pinta’s spotter cries, “Tierra, Tierra!” (Land, Land!)

Territories DividedPortugal claimed all

land west of Africa was theirs’

Big Problems NOWPope Alexander VI

divides ocean at 400 miles west of Azore Islands West of line… Spain East of line… Portugal

Lined named… Papal Line of Demarcation

Treaty of Tordesillas1494-

line moved in agreement to new “Treaty” 700 miles further west when realized how much more land there was

Treaty of Tordesillas divided Americas between Spain and PortugalDidn’t allow for claims

by other countries England, France, &

Netherlands ignored treaty

Exploring the AmericasEngland, France, & Netherlands

wanted in on the $$$ from trade and colonization tooVoyage to Asia, either around Africa

or S. America long and difficult Want to find route going NW over

Canada “NW Passage”

1497- England sent John Cabot lookOnly made it to Newfoundland

But trip was basis for future attempts

1499- Amerigo Vespucci began mapping SA coastlineConcluded this was new continent

not AsiaBy 1500’s European map makers

begin calling land America

Exploring the Americas1513- Vasco Núñez de Balboa

Governor of Panama to SpainHeard stories of “great waters”

beyond mts. 1513- forms a party to hike through

the jungles After weeks, sees Pacific Ocean 1st European to do so!!!

1524- France hires Giovanni da Verrazano to lookExplored coast from N. Canada

all the way to Carolinas1535- French hire Jacques

Cartier Sails up St. Lawrence hoping it

would lead to Pacific Made it to present-day Montreal,

claiming land for France

Sailing Around the WorldSpanish wanted to find sea route through or around SA to Asia

1519- hire Ferdinand Magellan, actually Portuguese though 5 ships Sail across Atlantic then down east coast of SA

November 1520 finds and sails through a narrow strait (now bares his name)

Names the ocean on other side Pacific, meaning peaceful Expects trip across Pacific just a few weeks Lasted 4 months Crew ran out of food

Ate sawdust, rats, and leather to surviveMagellan dies in the Philippines

Crew continuedTrip took 3 years

Only 1 of 5 ships Only 18 of 200+ crew members 1st to circumnavigate, or sail around the world

Still in Search of NW PassageNetherlands (Dutch) wanted

to find NW Passage too1609- Dutch hire Henry

HudsonDiscovers the Hudson River

Sails up as far as Albany and turns back

1610- hired by England and discovers Hudson BayThought it was the Pacific

but when couldn’t find outlet crew rebelled Hudson, his son, and a few

sailors were kicked off boat never to be seen again