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Christopher Columbus. Separating the Facts from the Myths . Christopher Columbus was not the first person to propose that the earth was round. This concept had been accepted by most Westerners for centuries.
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Separating the Facts from the Myths • Christopher Columbus was not the first person to propose that the earth was round. This concept had been accepted by most Westerners for centuries. • Christopher Columbus did not “discover” America. Native Americans had already been living on the continent for thousands of years. • Christopher Columbus was not the first European to see America. The Vikings established a settlement in Newfoundland around the year 1000. • Columbus did not reach the mainland of North America until his third voyage.
The Late 1400s – Some Historical Context • Europe is emerging from the Dark Ages • The land route to Asia has become much more difficult to cross. • Navigators are seeking to reach Asia by sailing around Africa. • New technologies are making long distances voyages possible. • Spain has recently conquered the last Muslim stronghold in Spain and is eager to acquire more wealth and spread the Christian religion.
The Voyage • King Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain agree to fund Columbus’s voyage. • Columbus departs from Palos, Spain, on August 3, 1492. He has 3 ships: • The Nina • The Pinta, • The Santa Maria • Land was sighted on October 12, 1492. • Columbus named the island San Salvador (present-day Bahamas).
Encountering the Natives • The natives of San Salvador were friendly, and wore gold ear ornaments. • Columbus took some of them prisoner and insisted they guide him to the source of the gold. • Columbus remarked at their lack of weaponry, and noted they would make good servants. • Before returning to Spain, Columbus kidnapped a dozen or so natives and took them back with him.
Columbus’s Voyage - Short-Term Effects • Columbus brought America to the forefront of Europe’s attention • New expeditions were sent to the New World to exploit its riches and build trade networks and colonies • Conversion and enslavement of native peoples • Spain conquered vast territories with the American continents
Columbus’s Voyage - Long-Term Effects • Spanish influence throughout Latin America • Slavery • A Latin-American population that has Spanish, Native American, and African roots. • Future colonization efforts, such as the English in the present-day United States, and the French in Canada • The American continent being viewed as a place of opportunity.
Exploring the Americas - Vocabulary • technology – the use of scientific knowledge for practical purposes • compass – navigation aid that shows the direction in which a person or vessel is traveling • strait – a narrow water passage between larger bodies of water • circumnavigate – to go around completely • conquistador – Spanish explorer • immunity – resistance • pueblo – a town and center of trade in Spanish America • mission – a Spanish community for the religious conversion and training of Native Americans • presidio – a fort in Spanish America • plantation – a large farm
Early Exploration Milestones • 1492 – Columbus “discovers” America • 1501 – The first African slaves are sent to the Caribbean • 1502 – Amerigo Vespucci concludes that America is a separate continent • 1513 – Vasco Nunez de Balboa “discovers” the Pacific Ocean • 1513 – Juan Ponce de Leon “discovers” Florida • 1521 – Hernan Cortes conquers the Aztec Empire in Mexico • 1533 – Francisco Pizarro conquers the Incan Empire in Peru
Colonial Florida • 1513 – Ponce de Leon discovers Florida during Pascua Florida (Easter). • 1521 – Ponce de Leon returns to Florida with 200 settlers. They are attacked by the Calusa Indians and Ponce de Leon dies a few days later. • 1528 to 1536 – Panfilo de Narvaez leads a disastrous expedition into Florida. Out of 600 men, only 4 survive. • 1539 to 1542 – Hernando de Soto leads an expedition into Florida. It too is a disaster. Half of the men die, including de Soto himself. • 1564 – A group of French settlers establish in colony in Florida (present-day Jacksonville). • 1565 – The Spanish settle St. Augustine and drive out the French.
Colonial Florida - 1565 • King Felipe II of Spain orders Pedro Menendez de Aviles to build a colony in Florida to drive out the French. • On September 8, St. Augustine becomes the first permanent settlement in the present-day United States. • The Spanish defeat and drive out the French near the site of Fort Matanzas (hear present-day Marineland).
Spanish Settlement Types • Pueblos – Spanish towns • Examples – St. Augustine, Santo Domingo, Havana, Los Angeles • Missions – Spanish communities intended for the religious conversion and training of Native Americans • Examples – San Diego, The Alamo, • Presidios – A fort in Spanish America
Spanish Society in Colonial America • Peninsulares (people born in Spain) – Owned the land, served in the Catholic Church, and ran the local government. • Creoles – People born in America to Spanish parents. Generally well off. • Mestizos – People with both mixed (Spanish / Native American) lineage. The Middle Class of their day. • Native Americans – Typically very poor • Africans – Typically enslaved