Exploring the Americas:

1400 - 1625Early 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

Growth of TradeTraders could make a fortune

selling these goodsRich Europeans wanted these

spices, perfumes, silks and stones Cost was high because of

“middlemen” Travel over land was expensive

and dangerous Thieves waited along “Silk Road”

Began to look for all-water route to bypass Arab merchants and thieves by road2 Options

Around Africa Sailing West to get East

Earth is a sphere

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

Friday, August 3, 1492Niña, Pinta, and Santa

Maria set sailAfter 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

By moonlight around 2 am on October 12th the Pinta’s spotter cries, “Tierra, Tierra!” (Land, Land!)

1st Impressions in AmericasLanded on small island in

Bahamas (believed he was in Indies)He explored for months

but… He found no spices, rugs,

silksClaimed land for Spain

Named it San SalvadorNatives approached them

bearing giftsColumbus gave them bells,

beads, and bits of cloth

Communicating with NativesWith hand gestures,

natives spoke of other islandsColumbus moved on Found many new

plants and animals never B4 seen by them

Reaches Cuba… Always expecting to see

India trading post… DUH!

“Gold in ‘dem dare hills!”Locals told him gold

could be found in Cubanacan middle of Cuba he thought they

said, “El Gran Khan” the Great Khan Columbus tells Spain

there to visit China’s emperor Kublai Khan to get gold

HispaniolaDecember 1492-

They land on present-day Haiti / Dominican Republic

He names Hispaniola (Spanish Isle) Finds natives here have

great amount of gold, but they could not find source

Santa Maria WrecksHits bottom of

coast… is abandonedColumbus orders

crew to stay on island Built fort with timbers

and remnants of shipHe leaves on the

Niña for SpainBelieves

triumphant!!!

March 15th, 1493Columbus returns to

Spain w/ crowds waiting to honor himPeople stared at Natives,

birds, animals, and plants he brought back

Ferdinand and Isabella name him Viceroy, or Lord to the IndiesNo one sure where new

territories were, but Columbus claimed for Spain

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… 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

Columbus makes 3 more trips claiming land for Spain

Columbus Kicks the BucketHe gains some

wealth, but not muchMost power later

taken away by KingDied almost

forgotten in 1506He never accepted

the fact that he was not in India

Exploring America1499- Amerigo Vespucci

began mapping SA coastlineConcluded this was new

continent not AsiaBy 1500’s European map

makers begin calling land America

Vasco Núñez de BalboaGovernor 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!!!

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