European Explorers
Many things motivated European
Exploration
• Religion
– Spanish spread Catholicism in the South
– French spread Catholicism in the Northeast
– Dutch and English spread Protestant Christianity along the
east coast
• Economic Rivalry – Europeans wanted to acquire
colonies in the Americas so they could get the
resources like gold or other resources and so they
could sell their own goods.
• Finding a Northwest Passage – Europeans still wanted
to find an easier way to get to Asia and they hoped to
find a water route through North America
Spain
• Amerigo Vespucci - Italian born, he sailed for
Spain began mapping the South American
coastline and was the first to describe it as its
own continent. In a later voyage he sailed for
Portugal
• Ferdinand Magellan sailed for Spain, but was
from Portugal. He found the Pacific Ocean
and was the first to circumnavigate (travel all
the way around) the world.
Spanish Conquistadors
• They received land grants from Spanish rulers in exchange for one-fifth of
their gold or treasure taken from the Americas.
• They conquered Native American Empires like the Aztecs and Incas in
South America
- they had better weapons like guns and cannons and had horses
- they convinced other Native Americans to stand up and help them
- European diseases killed many
- Conquistadors explored the Southeastern part of the US
Famous Spanish Conquistadors
Ponce de Leon – explored FL and hoped to find a fountain of youth
Hernando de Soto – explored southeastern US and crossed the Mississippi
Vasquez de Coronado traveled through Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico
England
• John Cabot landed in Newfoundland in 1497
which helped England establish land claims in
North America
France
• France hired Italian born Giovani da Verrazano
to look for a northern sea route.
He explored the East Coast all the way from
Nova Scotia to the Carolinas
• Jacques Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence
River and established Montreal, Canada
Netherlands
• The Dutch hired Henry Hudson who
discovered the Hudson River in 1609.
When he got to the Hudson Bay, he thought
he had reached the Pacific