Exploration 2
Chapter 6
Lessons 1 – 3
United States Time and
Place
Europeans Come to the Americas
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In 1000 A.D. Leif Erickson
settled in Canada (Vinland)
The 1400s was a time of
human movement
Aztecs were conquering
people in Central America
and Mexico
European explorers were
searching for a new route to
Asia
Chinese sailors were
exploring Africa’s east coast
African traders were bartering
with people in Asia and
Europe
In 1492 Poem
In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
October 12 their dream came true,
You never saw a happier crew!
He had three ships and left from Spain;
He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.
"Indians! Indians!" Columbus cried;
His heart was filled with joyful pride.
He sailed by night; he sailed by day;
He used the stars to find his way.
But "India" the land was not;
It was the Bahamas, and it was hot.
A compass also helped him know
How to find the way to go.
The Arakawa natives were very nice;
They gave the sailors food and spice.
Ninety sailors were on board;
Some men worked while others snored.
Columbus sailed on to find some gold
To bring back home, as he'd been told.
Then the workers went to sleep;
And others watched the ocean deep.
He made the trip again and again,
Trading gold to bring to Spain.
Day after day they looked for land;
They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand.
The first American? No, not quite.
But Columbus was brave, and he was bright.
The Taino
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By studying Taino words
and artifacts we can learn
something about how the
Taino lived. (artifacts are
primary sources)
Canoes were their lifeline
because they lived on an
island. Boats were used to
fish, barter, and make war.
Hammocks were simple
beds made from woven
cotton or other plant fibers.
They were perfect for the
tropical climate.
Christopher Columbus
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Sponsored by Spain – King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
Ships: Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria
Born in Italy
Sailor
Motive: looking for a sea route
to the Indies (Asia) by sailing
west instead of east
Mistakes: He thought the world
was smaller and he didn’t know
the Americas existed
Reaching the Americas
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http://www.southeast-florida-realestate.net/images/Bahamas%20Ma
p.gif
Week after week dragged by with
no sight of land.
Columbus’s crew grumbled. They
were worried.
Columbus kept two records (ship’s
logs which are primary sources) to
calm his crew.
Still the crew complained, so
Columbus asked for two more
days.
On October 12, 1492, a lookout
spotted land.
Columbus thought he was in the
Indies, so he called the natives
Indians. BUT, he was in the
Bahamas.
The Columbian Exchange
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Colonists brought horses, cattle,
and sheep as well as seeds and
cuttings for growing wheat,
onions, sugar, and other crops.
They also carried germs that
caused smallpox, measles, and
other diseases.
Colonists took slaves, turkeys,
corn, potatoes, tomatoes, chili
peppers, pumpkins, beans,
peanuts, avocados, tobacco, and
pineapple back with them.
This movement of people, plants,
animals, and germs across the
Atlantic Ocean was called the
Columbian Exchange.
http://www.indiana.edu/~pirt/bioterro
rism/Smallpox.jpg
Is Change Good?
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Good – food from America
improved the diets of people
in the east and increased
food supplies in Europe,
Asia, and Africa (more food
equals more people); horses
helped the Indians of the
Plains
Bad – Diseases brought by
Europeans killed millions of
natives who had not built up
a strong resistance to them
The Seeds of Change
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Five items included in
the “Columbian
Exchange” were
especially important
because they changed
the lives of so many
people.
From the west –
Potatoes and corn
(maize)
From the east – sugar,
horses, and disease
Explorers and Conquerors
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http://www.metaldetection.net/ima
ges/Cortes_Hernan.jpg
Soldiers who hoped to
find gold and other
riches, conquered new
lands for Spain –
conquistadors
In the 1500s, Spain
was beginning to take
the lead in exploring the
Americas.
Ruling an Empire
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In 1502 the great-grandson of
Moctezuma I was chosen
emperor.
In Aztec tradition the title of
emperor was not passed on from
father to son to grandson. Nobles
chose from the royal families.
Moctezuma II faced challenges:
people inside the empire were
rebelling and people outside the
empire bitterly hated the Aztecs.
Despite problems, Moctezuma
was still firmly in control.
http://navybill.smugmug.com/photo
s/44943001-D.jpg
News of Strangers
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Rumors of gold brought
Cortes and his men to
Mexico.
Moctezuma sent the
Spaniards two disks of
solid gold and silver to
persuade them to leave.
The gifts just encouraged
the Spanish to continue on
with their quest.
Tenochtitlan (Now Known as Mexico
City)
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Cortes came upon several Indian cities
along his way inland. The people of
these cities hated the Aztecs, so they
agreed to join the Spanish.
Moctezuma welcomed Cortes to
Tenochtitlan. He believed Cortes might
be a god who was foretold to return at
that time.
Cortes took Moctezuma prisoner and
gained control of the city.
The Aztecs fought back. In this attack
Moctezuma was killed and the Spanish
were driven out of the city.
Some Spanish drowned in the
surrounding lake because they stuffed
their pockets full of gold before they left.
Tenochtitlan Falls
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Cortes returns with more
soldiers
He was helped by the Aztec
enemies
They blocked all the entrances
so no food or water could be
brought in
After 75 days Tenochtitlan fell
to Cortes.
Spaniards destroyed temples
and statues. They also burned
sacred books.
They named the new colony
“New Spain.”
How the Spanish Won
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Thousands of Indian
supporters fought with
the Spanish
The Spanish had
deadlier weapons. The
Aztecs had wooden
spears and arrows.
The Spanish had steel
and gunpowder.
Spanish Explorers and Conquistadors
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Some came in search of routes to Asia. Others came to seek
gold or to achieve glory for God.
Coronado – seven cities of gold
Cortes – conquered Moctezuma and the Aztecs
Vasco Nunez de Balboa – led an expedition to the Pacific
Ocean
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca – first Spaniard to explore Texas
Pizarro – conquered the Inca empire
Hernando de Soto – first European to see the Mississippi River
Juan Ponce de Leon – Fountain of Youth
Columbus – Bahamas
Magellan – his crew completed the first known voyage around
the world
The Spanish Build an Empire
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New Spain covered the
Caribbean Islands, Central
America, Mexico, southwestern
US, and Florida
Spain began granting
encomiendas to some Spanish
colonists.
An encomienda was a very
large piece of land that often
included several Indian villages.
The encomienda system helped
Spain to grow and its colonists
to prosper.
http://www.casaimperial.org/pics/Modern%20Mexico%20Map.jpg
Spain Conquers the Maya
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Determined fighters
and thick forests helped
the Maya defend parts
of their land for 20 yrs.
But, by 1546 they fell to
the Spanish.
The Spanish burned
their valuable books.
Francisco Coronado
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Led a group of Spaniards,
Africans, and Indians on a
search for gold in what is
now the southwestern
US.
Looked for the “Seven
Cities of Gold” for 2 years
Did see the Grand
Canyon
http://socialstudies.cayennepaper.com/coro
nado.jpg
Building New Spain
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Life was harsh for natives in
“New Spain.”
In exchange for the Indian’s
work the colonists agreed to
care for them and teach
them about Christianity.
Indians worked from dawn to
dusk, were whipped, and
often went hungry. They
worked the mines.
Spain became one of the
most powerful countries in
Europe.
“Protector of the Indians”
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A defender of Indian rights
A Catholic missionary named
Bartolome de Las Casas
A missionary is a person who teaches
his or her religion to others.
He saw how cruelly other encomienda
owners acted.
Las Casas gave up his encomienda.
He wrote books and devoted himself
to ending the encomiendas.
Thanks to Las Casas, in 1542 a law
was passed that said Indians could no
longer be made to work without pay.
Slavery in New Spain
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By 1568 the population of Indians
had dropped because of disease
and overwork.
Enslaving Africans became the
cruel solution to the desire for
workers.
African captives have been a part of
Spain’s empire for a long time.
Most were brought to grow
sugarcane.
Some worked in the mines.
Others loaded ships bound to Spain
with silver and other goods.
Slaves in their free time could make
money to buy their freedom.
Sometimes slaves escaped.
Mexico City
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Indians were forced to build
their new capital where
Tenochtitlan used to be.
It had a cathedral, government
buildings, a central plaza, a
market, fine houses, wide
streets, mansions, parks,
schools, a university, a theater,
a post office, and a printing
press.
It also had a covenant with
lemon, orange, and apple
orchards.