Download
1 / 53
530 likes | 685 Views
The Americas. Exploration and Settlement. Natives of North and South America. There are many theories about how early Americans arrived here. Early Americans.
E N D
The Americas Exploration and Settlement
There are many theories about how early Americans arrived here.
Early Americans Alaska, in the extreme northwest corner of North America, is separated from Russia by the Bering Strait, a narrow body of water that connects the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. During the last Ice Age, it is believed the ocean level was lower, exposing a land bridge between Russia and Alaska. People from Asia likely crossed the bridge while hunting animals for food.
Did some early Americans cross a land bridge from Asia to North America? It is a possibility.
The Vikings In Viking legends from northern Europe, written in the 12th century and later, it is told that Eric the Red, a Viking, explored the southeast and southwest coasts of Greenland in 983-986 A. D. He had been banned from Iceland on a charge of manslaughter. He gave the land its name because people would be more likely to go there if it had an attractive name.
About 1000 A.D., Eric the Red’s son, Leif explored the east coast of North America, and called the area “Vinland”, which is probably the current Canadian province of Newfoundland. Vinland, and other Viking settlements did not last long, mainly because of bad relations with natives. The existence of these settlements remained just a legend—for a time. Evidence of Viking settlements was discovered in the 1960s.
Some archaeologists think Vinland may be the excavated site L’Anse aux Meadows.
After the settlements were abandoned, it was nearly 500 years before Europeans showed up again and explored this area of the world.(As far as we know…)
With Italians in firm control of Mediterranean trade in the 1400s, Europeans began to search for other trade routes to get to Asia.
Portuguese explorers made it to the bottomof Africa in the 1480s, and all the wayto India by the 1490s.
An Italian explorer named Christopher Columbus proposed sailing west, into the Atlantic Ocean, in order to reach Asia. (He didn’t know there was a huge road block!)
Although much of the educated world accepted the idea that the earth was round, there were some who feared venturing far from land in case they fell off, or were attacked by sea monsters.
Columbus had approached Portugal with his idea, but they thought it was impractical, and chose to focus on their African route. • Both Genoa and Venice were also not interested in his plan. • He approached the Spanish monarchy, but was originally rejected. • However, he was called back by the Spanish royalty, and he eventually achieved financing for his adventure.
News of Columbus’ successful journey spread rapidly throughout Europe. Mistakenly believing he was in Asia, he referred to the natives as “Indians”. He made a total of four voyages to this “New World”, as some called it. Note: HE NEVER TOUCHED WHAT IS NOW THE MAINLAND U. S.!!!
Columbus died in 1506, still believing that he had made it to Asia. In history, he is famous for the braveryit took in making the journey, and then having so many other Europeans come after he did. Some Native Americans do not look on him fondly, because of all the changesthat took place in the “New World” after his journeys. Despite your opinion of him, he made a huge impact on history.
The Columbian Exchange -Products, Animals, and Diseases that were “exchanged” between the “Old” and “New” Worlds.
Why America? After the voyages of Columbus, other Europeans followed. One, an Italian named Amerigo Vespucci, is given credit for claiming that the continents of North and South America were separate landmasses, and not part of Asia. In 1507, a German mapmaker, Martin Waldseemuller, made a world map, and labeled the new land “America”. The name stuck.
In the late 1400s and early 1500s, Europeans began searching for a waterway through North America, that would get them to Asia. This hoped-for waterway was nicknamed:“The Northwest Passage”.
The Current “Northwest Passage” A ship didn’t actually find a “Northwest Passage” until the 20th century. It is a hard trip because of the weather conditions and icy water of the Arctic. As Europeans searched for the passage, they also began to explore, and then years later, settle the east coast of North America.
Further to the South, Spain continued its explorations, and even Portugal got in on the action. Both Spain and Portugal were Catholic countries. Not wanting them to fight, the pope created an imaginary line, giving Portugal the riches of Africa, and Spain the riches of the “New World” Columbus had bumped into. Nobody knew how big the region really was.
The Pope divided new land between Spain and Portugal without knowing how far Brazil juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. That is why Portuguese is the dominant language there. Eventually other Catholic Christian countries like France didn’t pay too much attention to this line, and Protestant Christian countries like England and Holland (who paid no attention to the pope’s authority), ignored it as well. However, it took awhile for those countries to catch up to Spain and Portugal in claiming the riches of this “New World”.
After the Europeans realized they were not in Asia or the Indies, they focused on gathering the riches of this “New World”.
European Colonization • Starting in the 1500s, first the Spanish and then the Portuguese began settling parts of the Americas. By the late 1500s, French, English, and other European settlers arrived in North America. Most came for one of three reasons: • To farm the plentiful land available. • To search for valuable minerals like gold. • To escape religious or political PERSECUTION.
The three main rivals who tried to control North America in the 1700s, were: the English, the French, and the Spanish.
The English had 13 colonies on the Atlantic Seaboard, some islands in the Caribbean, and the northern portion of Canada.
French Colonies The French were primarily in North America to trap and trade rather than to permanently settle. Many of them did intermarry with the local native women. The settlements they did create were mainly in Quebec along the St. Lawrence River. Other settlements were established along the Mississippi River, the most famous being the city of New Orleans.
New France included land along the St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes, and land drained by the Mississippi River.
Spanish Colonies The Spanish ruled large areas west of the Mississippi River, although they did set up the first European colony on U. S. soil in 1565 at St. Augustine, Florida. The Spanish also settled large areas of modern-day Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
The Spanish were the first Europeans to claim large parts of both North and South America. By 1750, they did have some settlements in parts of what is now the southern U. S.
After losing the French and Indian War, the French government was basically kicked out of North America, but French-speaking settlers stayed behind.
Canadian Independence • With so many Americans arriving in Canada, during and after the American Revolution, the British eventually divided it into two parts. • Lower Canada was established along the eastern part of the St. Lawrence River where mainly French was spoken. • Upper Canada, included the western part of the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes region. English was mainly spoken.
Lower Canada is shown in green. Upper Canada is shown in yellow. Please do not be confused by the terms “Lower” and “Upper”. In this instance, “Lower” refers to the area near the mouth of a river. “Upper” refers to being further up the river, near its source. French-Speaking English-Speaking
Upper and Lower Canada united in 1841, and self-government was approved by Great Britain in 1849. • In 1867, the Dominion of Canada was established, and the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were united. • Manitoba, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island were then added later. • Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Newfoundland were added in the 1900s.
1898 1870 1999 1949 1905 1867 1905 1870 1871 1867 1873 1867 1867
The Map in 1800 Latin America (lands primarily south of the U. S.), was dominated by the Spanish and the Portuguese. Other Europeans such as the British, French, and Dutch, had smaller influences.
Viceroyalty of New Spain – Early 1800s Included Mexico, and several of the Central American countries
Viceroyalty of New Granada – Early 1800s Included Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador
Viceroyalty of Peru – Early 1800s Included most of the modern-day countries of Peru and Chile
Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata – Early 1800s Included the modern-day countries of Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. Brazil had to earn its independence from Portugal.
