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Unit Three: Age of Contact. Reasons for Exploration. Columbus Sails the Ocean Blue.
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Unit Three: Age of Contact Reasons for Exploration
Columbus Sails the Ocean Blue Did you know that Columbus found the Americas by accident?! People in Europe were looking to find a new route to Asia, where salt, spices, and silks could be found. Travelling to Asia by land was both dangerous and costly, so many countries raced to find a quicker route by water. Columbus believed that he could sail west across the Atlantic Ocean, so he set sail in 1492. Instead of going to Asia, he reached an island that is now part of the Bahamas and North America.
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain were the only ones who believed in Columbus. They were also the only ones desperate enough to look for gold. So, they funded Columbus’ quest and gave him three ships - the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
The New World Until his death, Columbus was still convinced that he had actually landed in Asia. Though, it didn’t take long for others to realize that Columbus had not actually reach Asia, but a new continent that Europeans had not yet discovered. After Columbus’ journey to what Europeans called “The New World”, many other countries, including Spain, sent explorers out to search and claim land for their own.
Spanish Motivation for Exploration The Spanish wanted to create an empire in the Americas for four reasons: • They wanted more land. • They wanted the wealth that more land could bring. • They wanted power, and having more land could add to their power. • They wanted to spread Christianity to the Americas.
The Three G’s The expeditions were led by conquistadores - soldiers and adventurers in search of glory, gold, and God! They conquered the Caribbean Islands quickly and turned to the American mainland. Not long after, other countries, mainly France, decided that they weren’t just going to allow Spain to take all the land in the New World. They began to send explorers to the Gulf Coast.