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Columbus and European Visions of America

Columbus and European Visions of America. Expansion of Europe. 15 th Century Developments Ships capable of oceanic voyages More accurate navigation tools and maps More powerful weapons Ambition Explore new territories Greater wealth Spread Christianity.

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Columbus and European Visions of America

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  1. Columbus and European Visions of America

  2. Expansion of Europe • 15th Century Developments • Ships capable of oceanic voyages • More accurate navigation tools and maps • More powerful weapons • Ambition • Explore new territories • Greater wealth • Spread Christianity

  3. Growth of Trade, Towns, and Nation-States • Growing trade between Europe and Asia led to a growing class of wealthy merchants • Global commerce was perilously and costly • Monarchs amassed enough wealth to sponsor expeditions • Stories of foreign riches enthralled Europeans

  4. The Voyages of Columbus • On August 3, 1492, Columbus led 3 small ships westward out of Spain for what he thought was Asia • By October 12, they had reached the Bahamas

  5. The Voyages of Columbus • “With fifty men they could all be subjugated and compelled to do anything one wishes” • Columbus, on the Tainos and Arawaks

  6. The Voyages of Columbus • Columbus received a hero’s welcome upon his return to Spain • On his second journey to the Americas, Columbus treated the natives ruthlessly in his quest for gold

  7. Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) • Spain was worried that Portugal would threaten their claims on the “New World” • The treaty drew an imaginary line west of the Cape Verde islands • Everything to the west of the line would be the Spanish sphere of exploration • Portugal got Africa and Brazil • While Spain developed an empire, Portugal provided it with slaves

  8. The Voyages of Columbus • For his second exploration, Columbus brought 17 ships and 1,400 men • He also brought several priests to convert the natives to Catholicism

  9. The Voyages of Columbus • Despite 4 voyages to the Americas, Columbus refused to believe that he had discovered a new continent • He believed the lands that he had explored were the outlying parts of Asia • In 1499, a new explorer, Amerigo Vespucci, landed on the coast of South America • Vespucci said that the land was so vast it must be a new continent • European cartographers began referring to this “New World” as America

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