Chapter 2 Europeans and Africans Reach the Americas

1. Chapter 2Europeans and Africans Reach the Americas The American People, 6th ed.

2. I. Breaching the Atlantic

3. The Columbian Voyages • Intending to discover an oceanic passage to Asia, in 1492 Christopher Columbus instead mistakenly discovered the Americas.

6. Religious Conflict During the Era of Reconnaissance • Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation • John Calvin’s Calvinism • Henry VIII and the Anglican Church

7. II. The Spanish Conquest of America

9. Caribbean Experiments • Columbus’s second voyage to the New World established the first Spanish colony in the Americas (in present-day Santo Domingo). • Tainos were the first indigenous people to meet the Spaniards.

12. The Conquistadors’ Onslaught at Tenochtitlan • Within a single generation after the death of Columbus, Spain had conquered most of the New World. • Spain was motivated by religion, nationalist pride, and dreams of personal enrichment.

14. The Great Dying • Spanish contacts with the natives of the Caribbean, central Mexico, and Peru in the early sixteenth century triggered a biological epidemic of smallpox in which some 6 million people perished in 15 years.

15. The Columbian Exchange • Imported animals from Europe (cattle, goats, pigs, etc.) devastated the fragile environment of the New World. • Various plants (especially weeds) imported accidentally from Europe caused significant damage to the ecosystem

17. Silver, Sugar, and Their Consequences • Silver was found abundantly in the New World, especially in South America. • Native labor was coerced into mining the metal for the Spanish. • Wild influx of silver nearly destroyed the financial markets of Europe. • Sugar production grew at an alarming rate, due to the changing tastes of Europeans. • African slaves were deemed the best labor to produce the sugar.

18. Spain’s Northern Frontier • Composed of the present-day Sun Belt of the United States: • Texas • Florida • New Mexico • Arizona • California

19. III. England Looks West

21. England Challenges Spain • England was the slowest European power to begin expansion in the New World. • They were initially motivated by the need to expand fishing areas and find new sources of wood. • The rift between England and Spain centered on religion (Catholic v. Protestant). • England defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588; a gigantic upset.

22. The Westward Fever • The opportunities of the New World began to permeate all levels of English society in the 1580s. • England’s first effort at colonization occurred in Ireland. • England’s first attempts at American colonization were weak and unprofitable.

23. Anticipating North America • Early English settlers had vague ideas about the nature of the American natives, some true some false. • Some saw Indians as savage predators to be conquered quickly. • Others saw them as docile and child-like,

24. IV. African Bondage

25. The Slave Trade • The African slave trade began as an attempt to fill a labor shortage in the Mediterranean region as early as the eighth century. • Portuguese merchants were the first European slave traders following decades of trade by the Arabs and Moors.

27. The Middle Passage • Also known as the Atlantic Passage, transferred slaves to the New World in four to eight weeks on board sailing vessels. • Conditions were incredibly bad and many Africans died during the forced journey.

29. Slavery in Early Spanish Colonies • Many thousands of African slaves were brought along by the great Spanish explorers of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries: • Ponce de Leon • Vasquez • De Soto • Coronado