Chapter 1: When Old Worlds Collide: Contact, Conquest, Catastrophe

1. AP US History Chapter 1:When Old Worlds Collide: Contact, Conquest, Catastrophe

2. The First Americans • Many people had migrated to North America long before the European explorations • Beringia was the land bridge between Siberia and Alaska • First came 14,000 years ago • Bering Sea ended migration about 7,000 years ago • Settled throughout the North and South American continents over thousands of years • Adapted to climate, geography, etc. in order to survive

3. The First European Exploration • Norse tribes from northern Europe (Scandinavia) settled in Iceland and Greenland • Led by Leif Ericsson, the Vikings settled these areas from 982-1014 • From 1001-1014, expeditions were led to modern day Newfoundland, Canada • Named the colony Vinland • Abandoned the colony in 1014

4. European Exploration • After the Norse, other Europeans eventually desired to look beyond the continent • Italian Marco Polo journey through the Middle East and Asia, reaching China in 1271 • The Chinese had also looked to expansion, but felt that their culture was superior, shutting themselves out from the rest of the world by the 1400s • Overland route to Asia very dangerous due to strife between Christians and Muslims, as a result of the Crusades, thus making a sea route to Asia ideal

5. Portugal’s Rise • Two inventions by the Portuguese made sailing much easier in the 1400s • Astrolabe: introduced by Arab sailors, used the stars to help calculate latitude north and south of the equator • Caravel: new sailing vessel that traveled much faster and could sail against the wind • Allowed for trade with West African empires, including slaves • By 1480s, began to search for a water route to Asia, establishing trade and military posts along the way • Vasco da Gama: sailed to South Africa in 1487, but did not continue after mutiny by crew • Bartolomeu Dias: sailed to India in 1497-99

6. The Spanish Response • King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella married in 1469 • Hoped to make Spain a strictly Catholic nation • By 1492, expelled all Muslims and gave Jews six months to convert or leave • Many Jews left for other nations, including Portugal • Hoped to spread Catholicism to other nations • Italian sailor Christopher Columbus petitions the royal couple to sponsor an exploration to Asia • Asked several other nations, but could not convince anyone • Believed that he could make it to Asia by sailing west • Scrutinized not for believing the world was round, but for his very inaccurate belief that Asia was only 3,000 miles west of Europe

7. Columbus’ Voyages • Set sail from Spain in August 1492 • Sighted land on October 12, 1492 (today, observed as Columbus Day) • Landed at San Salvador, Bahamas • Sailed around the Caribbean for the next few months before returning to Spain • Eventually made 3 more voyages, but died in 1506, still believing he had made it to Asia • In 1494, Spain and Portugal agreed to the Treaty of Tordesillas • Divided all lands of the Western Hemisphere between the two nations • Prevalent today in that much of the hemisphere is Spanish speaking, while Brazil speaks Portuguese

8. Exploration of the New World • After Columbus, other expeditions were made • Juan Ponce de Leon: searched modern day Florida for the mythical Fountain of Youth • Vasco Nunez de Balboa: first European to Pacific Ocean after crossing Panama (1513) • Amerigo Vespucci: helped map the Western Hemisphere, source of name “America” • Ferdinand Magellan: circumnavigated the world 1519-22, killed in the Philippines before crew completed journey • Hernan Cortes invaded Mexico in 1519 • Discovered the highly advanced Aztec civilization • Eventually destroyed the empire

9. Native American Cultures • Before the Europeans arrival, several advanced societies developed in the Americas • Over thousands of years, tribes became less nomadic and more sedentary • Tribes often followed the animals they hunted • As agriculture developed, tribes began to stay in one place for longer periods of time • The most advanced societies were the Incas, Mayas, Aztecs, Olmec, and mound building tribes of the modern day United States

10. Conflict • As Europeans encountered the Native Americans, great conflict arose • Religious: tried to convert Natives to Christianity from “heathen” religions • Land: divided land and took ownership, whereas Native cultures did not believe in ownership • War: fought for different reasons, and practices by each side appalled the other side • Eventually, most civilizations of the Americas were conquered by the Spanish • Aztecs: leader Moctezuma captured and killed, and,with the help of smallpox, remainder of empire wiped out by the 1530s • Incas: located in 1532 by Francisco Pizarro, eventually wiped out the civilization • After conquering both civilizations, the Spanish finally began to find the gold and silver they had been searching so many years for

11. Effects of European Exploration • Thousands of Native Americans killed through war or disease • Thousands of Africans brought to the New World as slaves • European technology, such as steel and firearms, changed life for many natives • European plants and animals overcame native plants and animals • Some native plants and animals survived and were taken to Europe • Known as the Columbian Exchange

12. American Exploration • Explorers searched for wealth and established missions in modern day United States as well • Cabeza de Vaca and Hernando de Soto explored the southeast in the 1530s, pillaging the natives and leaving behind disease that killed thousands • Francisco Vasquez de Coronado: explored southwest, searched for “golden cities”, unsuccessfully, eventually reaching the Grand Canyon • Missions to convert Natives to Christianity sprung up throughout Florida and the Southwest, with varied success