Topic 1 Lesson 4

1. Essential Question: How much does geography change people’s lives? Topic 1 Lesson 4 European Exploration in the Americas

2. Guiding Questions 1. Why did Europeans explore the Americas? 2. What was the impact of European exploration of the Americas? 3. How did European and American Indian interactions affect both cultures?

3. The Voyages of Columbus A. Spain wanted a share of the riches from new routes around Africa toward Asia in the late 1400s. 1. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain hoped to keep Portugal from controlling trade with India. 2. Agreed to finance an expedition by Christopher Columbus, an Italian sea captain. 3. Route would reach East Indies by sailing west across the Atlantic, and would give Spain direct access to the silks, spices, and precious metals of Asia. 4. The spice trade was a major cause of European exploration, and a huge reason the Spanish financed Columbus’s expedition.

4. B. In 1492, Columbus set out with three ships and about 90 sailors. 1. Captain of the Santa María. Other ships included the Niña and Pinta. 2. October 12, land is spotted. 3. Columbus rows ashore and plants Spanish flag, convinced he has reached the East Indies in Asia. 4. Actually reached islands off the coast of North America and South America in the Caribbean Sea. 5. Would later become known as the West Indies. 6. Called the natives “Indians.” Even after he realized his mistake. 7. Found signs of gold on the islands.

5. 2. Also explored present day Jamaica and Cuba. 3. Sailed along coasts of Central America and northern South America. 4. Claimed all these lands for Spain. C. Columbus presented the king/queen with gifts of pink pearls and parrots, as well as gifts never seen before such as tobacco, pineapple, and hammocks. 1. Told them the Indians, or Taino (TY noh), could easily be converted to Christianity and become slaves. 2. Monarchs were impressed. 3. Gave Columbus the title “Admiral of the Ocean Sea.” 4. Agreed to finance future voyages. D. Columbus made three more voyages across the Atlantic. 1. 1493- founded the first Spanish colony, Santa Domingo on the island of Hispaniola (modern day Haiti)

7. E. Columbus proved to be a better explorer than governor. 1. Accused of harsh rule by settlers on Hispaniola. 2. Queen Isabella appointed an investigator who sent Columbus back to Spain in chains. 3. In the end Columbus was pardoned but he never regained the honors he once had. F. Columbus died in 1506, still convinced he had reached Asia.

8. G. Impact of Columbus’s voyages- 1. Given credit for discovering America but American Indians had settled the lands long before 1492. 2. Europeans knew nothing of the Americas until his discovery. 3. Beginning of lasting impact among peoples of Europe, Africa, and the Americas. 4. Tragic results for American Indians- many died of diseases brought from Europe, became slaves, or died from harsh conditions. 5. Taino population was wiped out. 6. Discovery seen as a turning point in history.

9. II. Spanish Exploration Continues A. After Columbus, the Spanish continued to explore and settle other Caribbean islands. 1. Wanted to take advantage of the land Columbus found. 2. Sought gold, crops, slaves, and converts to Christianity. 3. By 1511, Spain had conquered Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Cuba. 4. Also explored the eastern coasts of North America and South America, seeking a western route to Asia.

10. B. 1513, Vasco Núñez de Balboa (bal BOH uh) crossed the Isthmus of Panama. • 1. American Indians told him of a large body of water t to the west. • 2. With a party of Spanish soldiers and Indians, Balboa reached the Pacific Ocean and claimed the ocean for Spain.

11. 3. Had no idea how wide the Pacific was until Ferdinand Magellan (muh JEL UN) sailed across it. a. Expedition in 1519 took five ships and ~250 crew members. b. Fifteen months later it cut through the stormy tip of South America by way of what is now known as the Strait of Magellan and entered the Pacific Ocean. c. Pacific was so vast that the sailors ran out of food. d. Magellan is killed in a battle with locals of the Philippine Islands off the coast of Asia. e. 1522- one ship and 18 sailors make it to Spain, making them the first people to circumnavigate the world.

12. Magellan died here. April 27, 1521 Primary Source “We remained 3 months and 20 days without taking provisions or other refreshments and ate only old biscuit reduced to powder, full of grubs and stinking from the dirt which rats had made on it. We drank water that was yellow and stinking.” - Antonio Pigafetta, The Diary of Antonio Pigafetta

13. III. Columbian Exchange A. The encounter between people of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres began a global exchange system. B. Because it began with the exploration of Columbus, this transfer is called the Columbian Exchange. C. The exchange went in both directions. Europeans learned about American Indians and vice-versa. D. Europeans introduced domesticated animals such as chickens, pigs, cattle, and horses. These animals often escaped into the wild and multiplied rapidly. 1. Forests and grasslands were converted to pastures. 2. Indians learned to ride the horses and began using them to carry heavy loads.

15. E. Plants from Europe and Africa changed the way American Indians lived. 1. Bananas, oranges, lemons, and figs 2. Bluegrass, the daisy, and the dandelion spread quickly and modified American grasslands. F. Europeans also brought diseases such as smallpox. 1. American Indians had no resistance to these diseases. 2. Within 75 years, European diseases had killed almost 90 percent of people living in the Caribbean Islands and Mexico.

16. G. American Indians introduced Europeans to new foods, customs and ideas. 1. Valuable food crops such as corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, tomatoes, manioc, squash, peanuts, pineapples, and blueberries. 2. Today, almost ½ the world’s food crops come from plants that were first grown in the Americas. 3. Europeans carried the new foods with them as they sailed around the world. 4. Everywhere, people’s diets changed and populations increased. H. European settlers began using American Indian skills. 1. In the North, Indians showed how to use snowshoes and trap beavers and other fur-bearing animals. 2. Some leaders began studying Indian political structures. a. Ben Franklin admired the Iroquois League and urged American colonists to unite in a similar way.

17. I. The Columbian Exchange had positive and negative effects on both sides. 1. Both modified environments and learned new skills. 2. Warfare and disease killed many on both sides. 3. Europeans viewed expansion positively and they gained great wealth, explored trade routes and spread Christianity. 4. European farming, mining, and diseases took a toll on the physical environment and left many American Indians dead.