An Era of Exploration

1. An Era of Exploration Early Voyages to the Americas • In 1001 Viking sailors led by Leif Erickson reached the northern tip of North America. • Vikings are believed to have settled in Vinland (current day Newfoundland) • Asians continued to cross the Bering Sea into North America after the last ice age.

2. An Era of Exploration Columbus Reaches the Americas • Portuguese and Spanish sailors wanted a share of the Asian spice trade. • King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella agreed to finance a voyage of exploration by Christopher Columbus • Columbus, an Italian sea captain, thought he could reach the East Indies by sailing west across the Atlantic.

3. An Era of Exploration Columbus Reaches the Americas • In 1492 Columbus set out with 3 ships and a crew of about 90 sailors. Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria) • Columbus commanded the largest ship, the Santa Maria. • Columbus and his crew hit land on October 12th 1492 at 2am. • Columbus was sure he had reached the East Indies, when infact it was actually the Caribbean.

5. An Era of Exploration Columbus Reaches the Americas • When Columbus returned to Spain he presented the Queen and King with gifts never seen before. • Including …..pink pearls, parrots, tobacco, pineapple and hammocks. • Columbus also described the Indians he encountered there. • He explained that the Indians could easily be converted to Christianity.

7. An Era of Exploration Columbus Reaches the Americas • Columbus made 3 more trips across the Atlantic. • In 1493 he found the first Spanish colony in the Americas, on an island he called Hispaniola. (Present-Day Haiti and the Dominican Republic) • A COLONY is a group of people who settle in a distant land but are still ruled by the government of their native land. • The voyages of Columbus signaled a turning point for the Americas. • A turning point is a moment in history that marks a decisive change.

9. An Era of Exploration The Spanish Cross the Pacific • By 1511 the Spanish explored and conquered Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Cuba. • They also looked for western route to Asia. • In 1513, Vasco Nunez de Balboa plunged into the jungles of the Isthmus of Panama. • Ferdinand Magellan led an exploration of 250 to sail across the Pacific. • In 1522, 1 of 5 ships & 18 sailors returned.

12. An Era of Exploration A Global Cultural Exchange • The encounter between the peoples of the Eastern and Western hemispheres sparked a global exchange of goods and ideas known as the Columbian Exchange • The Columbian Exchange covered a wide range of areas, including food, medicine, government, technology, the arts, and language. • The exchange went in both directions. • Europeans learned much from the Native Americans. At the same time Europeans contributed in many ways to the culture of the Americans.

14. An Era of Exploration European Influences • Europeans introduced domestic animals such as chickens from Europe and Africa. • European pigs, cattle, and horses often escaped into the wild and multiplied rapidly. • As horses spread through North America, Indians learned to ride them and use them to carry heavy loads. • The first bananas came from the Canary Islands. • Oranges lemons, bluegrass, daisies, dandelions, and figs were also new to the Americas.

15. An Era of Exploration European Influences • Tragically, Europeans also new diseases, such as smallpox and influenza. • Native Americans had no resistance to these diseases. • Historians estimate that within 75 years, diseases from Europe had killed almost 90 percent of the people in the Caribbean islands and in Mexico

16. An Era of Exploration Native American Influences • Native Americans introduced Europeans to new customs and ideas. • Native Americans introduced Europeans to valuable food crops such as corn, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, squash and peanuts. • Skills were also exchanged – How to use snowshoes, How to paddle canoes, How to trap beavers.