Sections 3 & 4
SS.8.A.1.3 Analyze current events relevant to American History topics through a variety of electronic and print media
resources; SS.8.A.2.1 Compare the relationships among the British, French, Spanish, and Dutch in their struggle for
colonization of North America; SS.8.A.2.4 Identify the impact of key colonial figures on the economic, political, and
social development of the colonies; SS.8.A.2.5 Discuss the impact of colonial settlement on Native American
populations; SS.8.A.3.16 Examine key events in Florida history as each impacts this era of American history; SS.8.G.4.2
Use geographic terms and tools to analyze the effects throughout American history of migration to and within the
United States, both on the place of origin and destination; SS.8.G.4.4 Interpret databases, case studies, and maps to
describe the role that regions play in influencing trade, migration patterns, and cultural/political interaction in the
United States throughout time.
Section 4:
The Race for Empires
(John Cabot)
Objectives Students will learn
that …
o Events in Europe affected
settlement of North America.
o Several explorers searched for
a Northwest Passage to the
Pacific Ocean.
o European nations raced to
establish empires in North
America
Vocabulary
 Protestant Reformation
 Protestants
 Spanish Armada
 Northwest Passage
 Jacques Cartier
 charter
The Race for the Empires
The Big Idea
Other European nations challenged Spain in the
Americas
The Main Idea
1) Events in Europe affected settlement of North
America
2) Several explorers searched for a Northwest Passage to
the Pacific Ocean
3) European nations raced to establish empires in
North America
Main Idea 1
Events in Europe affected settlement of North America
 Martin Luther, a German priest,
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protested the practices of the
Catholic Church in 1517 leading to a
religious reform movement called
the Protestant Reformation.
Reformers became known as
Protestants.
The Printing Press, a machine the
produces printed copies, helped
spread the idea of the Reformation.
Conflict between Catholic and
Protestants often led to civil war.
King Henry VIII defied the pope and
founded the Church of England, or
Anglican Church, in 1534.
Spain and England Go to War
 King Philip II used Spain’s great wealth to
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lead a Catholic Reformation against the
Protestant movement.
Philip sent the Spanish Armada to
England to overthrow Queen Elizabeth
and the Anglican Church.
The smaller, but faster fleet defeated the
Armada.
Spain was weakened by economic
problems, including inflation, a rise in the
price of goods caused by an increase in the
amount of money in circulation.
England, France, and the Netherlands
challenged Spanish power in the
Americas.
Main Idea 2
Several explorers searched for a Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean
 Italian sailor, John Cabot, sailing for the English,
searched for a passage to the Pacific Ocean along the
coast of Canada and Newfoundland. This became the
basis for England’s claim to North America.
 Frenchman, Jacques Cartier, sailed down the St.
Lawerence River and traveled to present day Montreal,
claiming the area for France.
 The English captain Henry Hudson led a Dutch
expedition to present day New York in 1609.
Main Idea 3
European nations raced to establish empires in North
America
o Spanish and the
Portuguese were early
leaders in overseas
exploration and
colonization of Central
America, the
Caribbean, and South
America.
o English, French, and
Dutch focused on North
America for the
expansion of their
empires.
English Settlement
 England decided to found a colony in North American in the late
1500s.
 Sir Walter Raleigh received a charter, a document giving him
permission to start a colony.
 He sent an expedition that landed in present-day Virginia and North
Carolina.
 The colony established in Roanoke in 1587 by John White, in what is
now Virginia, mysteriously disappeared.
French Empire in North America
 First settlements were in Florida, but
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they were soon destroyed and the
settlers driven out by the Spanish.
The explorations of Jacques Cartier and
Samuel de Champlain gave France a
claim to the north, in present day
Canada, along the St. Lawrence River.
The North American territory spread
out from the St. Lawrence River in the
late 1600s was called New France.
Fur traders, explorers, and missionaries
populated the region.
René-Robert de La Salle claimed lands
along the Mississippi River and
Mississippi Valley.
French settlers developed close
relationships with the Native
Americans.
Dutch and Swedish Presence
New Netherland
New Sweden
o The Dutch came to America for
trade.
o Colonists settled along the Delaware
River.
o They settled land between the
Delaware and Hudson rivers.
o New Christina, the first Swedish
settlement, was founded in 1638.
o Manhattan Island was purchased
from Native Americans and called
New Amsterdam.
o The Dutch conquered New Sweden
in 1655.
Section 5
Beginnings of Slavery in the Americas
Objectives Students will learn that …
1. European diseases wiped out much of the Native
American population, causing colonists to look for
a new labor force.
2. Europeans enslaved millions of Africans and sent
them to work in their colonies.
3. Slaves in the Americas created a distinct culture.
Vocabulary
 Immune
 Middle Passage
 African Diaspora
Beginnings of Slavery in the Americas
The Big Idea
 Europeans forced millions of African slaves to work in
their colonies
Main Ideas
1. European diseases wiped out much of the Native
American population, causing colonists to look for a
new labor source.
2. Europeans enslaved millions of Africans and sent
them to the colonies.
3. Slaves in the Americas created a distinct culture.
Main Idea 1
European diseases wiped out much of the Native American
population, causing colonists to look for a new labor
source.
o Europeans were immune, or had a natural
resistance to diseases common in Europe,
like measles, smallpox, and typhus.
o Native Americans had no resistance to these
diseases and millions died in the years after
the Europeans arrived.
o With a shortage of Native American workers,
Spanish and Portuguese plantation owners
needed new sources for cheap labor.
o Slaves from West Africa was brought the
America and the African slave trade
flourished.
Main Idea 2
Europeans enslaved millions of Africans and sent them to the
colonies.
•
In 1510 the Spanish government legalized
the sale of slaves in the colonies.
•
Most slaves came from the interior of
Africa.
•
One out of every six slaves died along the
Middle Passage, the voyage across the
Atlantic Ocean, due to the horrible
conditions aboard the lower decks of the
slave ships.
•
Slave trade led to African Diaspora as
slaves were sent all over the world.
(Diaspora is the scattering of people).
•
Colonial leaders worked to regulate slave
treatment and behavior, but treatment of
enslaved Africans varied.
Main Idea 3
Slaves in the Americas created a distinct culture.
 Slaves in the Americans came for diverse backgrounds
but shared many common customs and viewpoints.
 They build upon what they had in common and built
and created a new African American culture.
Slave Culture
Family
Religion
Art and Dance
Vital Part of Slave Culture Christianity blended with Form of expression
traditional African
elements.
Provided a refuge, a place
not totally under the
slaveholder’s control
Gave sense of hope and
self-worth.
Faced many challenges,
including being broken
apart.
Spirituals were a common Heavily influenced by
form of religious
African traditions
expressions.
Used songs and folktales
to tell their stories of
sorrow, hope, agony, and
joy
Dances were important
social events in slave
communities.
The Caravel
A special type of ship called
the caravel became the
workhorse of many
European explorers. Though
small, caravels were sturdy.
They could sail across huge
oceans and up small rivers.
Caravels features important
features in sailing
technology.