AP US History
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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
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Settled throughout the North and South
American continents over thousands of years
 Adapted to climate, geography, etc. in order to
survive
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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
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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
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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
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 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
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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
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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
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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
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 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
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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
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Hernan Cortes invaded Mexico in 1519
 Discovered the highly advanced Aztec civilization
 Eventually destroyed the empire
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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
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The most advanced societies were the Incas,
Mayas, Aztecs, Olmec, and mound building
tribes of the modern day United States
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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
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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
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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
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Known as the Columbian Exchange
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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
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Missions to convert Natives to Christianity
sprung up throughout Florida and the
Southwest, with varied success