Unit 1
Roots of American History
Chapter 3: Exploration and Colonization
I. An Era of Exploration
A. Reaching the Americas
1. European Nations Seek Trade – New rulers of England, France,
Portugal, and Spain all looked for ways to increase their wealth.
a) They wanted to trade with China and other lands in Asia.
b) Italians and Arabs controlled trade routes across the
Mediterranean Sea.
c) European rulers needed to find another route to Asia.
2. Portugal looks beyond Africa to India
a) Vasco da Gama –by 1498 he passed the southern tip of
Africa and continued north and east to India.
b) Cape of Good Hope- the Southern tip of Africa.
c) From India they sailed onto the East Indies.
d) They built a rich trading empire in Asia.
3. Spain Joins the Search-In 1492 Queen Isabella of Spain agreed to
finance the voyage of Christopher Columbus, an Italian sea captain. He
planned to reach the East Indies, off the coast of Asia, by sailing west
across the Atlantic.
a) In August 1492, he set sail with three vessels and a crew of
90 sailors.
b) On October 12, they finally saw land.
c) Columbus thought he had reached the East Indies. He was
actually in the Caribbean (West Indies) where he met the Taínos
(Indians).
d) After 3 months, he sailed home, eager to report his success.
4. Columbus made three more voyages to the West Indies. On his
second voyage he set up the first Spanish Colony in the Americas at
Hispaniola.
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a) Colony – a group of people who settle in a distant land and are
ruled by the government of their native land.
b) At first they were friendly with the natives.
c) The Europeans had little respect for the native's culture.
d) They claimed the lands for themselves.
e) They forced the Taínos to work as slaves.
f) Many Taínos died from harsh working conditions and from
European diseases.
B. The Columbian Exchange - An exchange of goods and ideas took place
that changed the world. The exchange went both ways.
1. The Europeans introduced the Natives to:
a) domesticated animals such as chickens, goats, pigs, and cattle.
b) how to use metals to make copper pots and iron knives.
c) introduced horses and how to use them for transportation.
d) bananas, oranges, lemons, and figs.
e) new diseases such as smallpox, and influenza.
2. Native Americans introduced the Europeans to:
a) a variety of crops such as corn, potatoes, beans, tomatoes,
manioc, squash, peanuts, pineapples, and blueberries. This greatly
improves their diet.
b) words for animals they had not known before
(ex. Moose, chipmunks, raccoons).
c) Indian Inventions such as toboggans, hammocks, and
snowshoes.
d) hunting, canoeing and fur trapping.
e) new medicines.
C. Naming the New World
1. Explorers who soon followed Columbus realized that the new land
was not Asia.
a) 1499- An Italian merchant named Amerigo Vespucci sailed
along the northern coast of South America.
b) In a letter, he described the land to a German mapmaker. On
a map, he then labeled a new land America, after Vespucci.
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II. Spain Builds an Empire.
A. Dividing Up the World
1. King John of Portugal refused to recognize Spanish claims to the
land Columbus found.
a) To prevent war between Spain and Portugal, the pope offered
to settle the dispute.
b) Line of Demarcation- gave Spain the right to colonize and
trade west of the line. Spain claimed North and South
America. Portugal had the right to colonize and trade with
lands east of the line and therefore controlled trade with
China and the East Indies.
2. Pedro Alvares Cabral set sail for India around Africa.
a) Strong winds blew his ship off course.
c) He landed on the coast of present day Brazil.
d) This part of South America was east of the Line of
Demarcation, so he claimed the land for Portugal.
3. Spanish sailors explored the coast of North and South America
looking for a route to Asia.
a) 1513-Vasco Núnez de Balboa traveled through the Isthmus
of Panama to the Pacific Ocean.
c) The isthmus was 45 miles wide and was covered by a thick
steaming jungle.
4. Ferdinand Magellan (A Portuguese sea captain) crossed the Pacific
Ocean. It was the first trip around the world.
a) August 1519- he left Spain with 5 ships and 268 men.
b) One ship was destroyed in a storm off the coast of Brazil.
c) Magellan waited out storms for 5 months at Cape Horn.
d) Finally he discovered a passage- the Straight of Magellan.
e) He named the Pacific Ocean.
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f) They finally reached the Philippine Islands. He was killed in
battle with the local people.
g) 1522 – One ship and 18 sailors reached Spain.
B. Conquest of the Aztecs and Incas.
1. Montezuma (the Aztec emperor) invited the Spaniards to enter the
Aztec capital.
2. Hernando Cortés and about 400 soldiers stormed Tenochtitlán, and
eventually destroyed the Aztec Empire.
a) Conquistadors- conquerors that marched into the Americas.
b) Most wanted to find gold and become rich. They had to give
Spain one fifth of anything they found.
1. A few years later Francisco Pizarro invaded and destroyed the
Incan Empire.
a) 1532- he reached Cuzco.
b) He found the Incas divided in a civil war.
c) He launched a surprise attack and killed the Inca ruler,
Atahualpa.
2. Why were Cortes and Pizarro able to conquer two powerful
empires?
a) better weapons
b) had never seen horses before.
c) They thought they were gods.
d) Diseases killed many of them (smallpox, measles, etc.)
C. The Spanish Borderlands- spanned present day United States from
Florida to California.
1. Juan Ponce de Leon traveled through parts of Florida in search of
the fountain of youth.
2. Hernando De Soto – searched for gold from Florida to Mississippi.
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3. Francisco Coronado – went as far as the Grand Canyon searching for
the seven cities of gold.
D. Governing an Empire Conquistadors were poor rulers. The King of Spain
set up a more stable government.
1. The king of Spain, Charles V, set up a system of government that
lasted nearly 300 years.
a) He divided his empire into New Spain and Peru.
b) The king put a viceroy in charge of each region.
2. Laws of the Indies- stated in detail how the colonies should be
organized and ruled.
a) Colonists had little say in their government.
3. Under the laws three kinds of settlements were built.
a) Pueblos - towns that were centers of farming and trade.
b) Presidios- forts with high adobe walls were soldiers lived.
c) Missions - religious settlements run by catholic priests and
friars. Their duty was to convert Indians to Christianity.
Indians were forced to live and work on them. Some missions
were built on borderlands.
E. Class System- The law of the Indies divided the people into four social
classes.
1. Peninsulares - Born in Spain, were sent by the Spanish government
to rule the colonies.
a) They held the highest jobs in government and the church.
2. Creoles – Born in the Americas to Spanish parents.
a) They were wealthy and educated.
b) They could not hold the same jobs as the Peninsulares.
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3. Mestizos – People of mixed Spanish and Indian background.
a) Worked on farms or in the cities as carpenters, tailors, etc.
4. Indians – The lowest class in the colonies.
a) Kept in poverty for hundreds of years.
F. Native American and African Workers.
1. Colonists needed workers for their ranches and farms.
a) Encomiendas – the right to demand labor or taxes from
Native Americans living on the land.
2. Indians worked in mines and on plantations.
a) Mined gold and silver in Mexico and Peru.
b) Mines were very dangerous.
c) Plantations - large estates farmed by many workers.
d) Grew sugar cane and tobacco – sold to Spain.
e) Many treated very harshly - high death rate.
3. Bartolome de Las Casas- a Spanish missionary who worked hard to
improve conditions for Native Americans.
a) Las Casas returned to Spain and asked the kings for laws to
protect the Indians.
b) 1544 – Spain passed laws to protect the Indians.
c) Indians could not be made slaves, they could own cattle, and
could grow crops.
d) New laws helped a little but did not end mistreatment illness
from disease.
4. Slaves from Africa- As more and more Indians died, the Spanish
looked elsewhere for other workers.
a) Las Casas advised the Spanish to replace Indians with slaves
from Africa.
b) Immune to European diseases.
c) They were used to doing hard farm work.
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d) Soon, ships were bringing thousands of African men, women,
and children to be sold as slaves in the New World.
e) Before Las Casas died he regretted his suggestion. He saw
that African slaves suffered as much as the Indians.
G. A Blending of Cultures
1. A new way of life began to take shape in New Spain.
a) Blending of Spanish and Indian ways.
b) 1539 - first European book was printed in the Americas.
c) 1551 – Spanish founded the University of Mexico.
d) Spanish planted and ate Indian crops and foods such as
potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and chocolate.
e) Libraries, theaters and churches were built using Indian labor.
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III. Colonizing North America
A. Search for a North West Passage – Throughout the 1500’s, Europeans
were looking for a faster way to Asia. Magellan’s route around South
America took to long.
1. In 1497 John Cabot sailed for England, he thought he found such a
passage. He was actually in Newfoundland.
2. Giovanni da Verrazano sailed for the French in 1524. He journeyed
along the North American Coast from the Carolinas to Canada.
3. Jacques Cartier also sailed for the French in the 1530’s. He
spotted the broad opening where the Saint Lawrence River meets the
Atlantic. He sailed up the river a good distance.
4. In 1609, Henry Hudson sailed for the Dutch. He entered New York
Harbor, and sailed up what today is called the Hudson River.
5. All of these explorers failed to find a Northwest Passage to India.
They did map and explore many parts of North America.
B. Religious and Political Rivalries
1. Until the 1500’s the Roman Catholic Church was the only church in
Western Europe.
2. The Protestant Reformation-A reform movement broke out led by
a German monk named Martin Luther.
a) Believed the church became too worldly and greedy.
b) Disagreed with Catholic teaching that believers needed to
perform good works to gain eternal life.
c) He believed that people could only be saved by their faith in
God.
d) He opposed the power of the popes.
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e) This movement divided Christians in Europe.
f) Religious rivalries spread to the New World.
3. In the 1500s, Spain was the most powerful Catholic nation and
England was the most powerful Protestant nation.
a) Queen Elizabeth knew England was no match for Spain yet
she let daring English sailors attack Spanish treasure fleets
and raid Spanish colonies in the New World.
b) These adventurers were known in England as Sea Dogs,
though the Spanish called them pirates.
4. Sir Francis Drake –One of the boldest Sea Dogs.
e) Sailed around the world. He followed Magellan’s route
around South America.
f) He attacked Spanish settlements in Peru.
g) He returned to England with a ship full of Spanish gold.
h) He was given a hero’s welcome. The queen Knighted him.
i) King Phillip of Spain demanded the gold be returned. The
Queen refused.
5. In 1588, King Phillip sent the Spanish Armada against England.
a) The English ships were outnumbered, but they were faster.
b) During the battle, a violent storm blew up, scattering the
Spanish Armada.
c) The defeat of the Spanish Armada did not mean the end of
Spain’s power, but it allowed England, France, and other
nations to set up their own colonies in America.
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IV. French and Dutch Colonies
A. The First French Settlements
1. In the Early 1500s, French fisherman discovered rich fishing
grounds off the coast of Newfoundland.
a) They did not settle there.
b) They traded with Indians for beaver skins.
2. Samuel de Champlain founded the first permanent settlements in
what became known as New France.
a) 1st colony in Port Royal, Nova Scotia, in 1605.
b) 3 years later traveled the Saint Lawrence River- built a
trading post known as Quebec.
3. Most French colonists were trappers and traders.
a) They became known as coureurs de bois, or runners of the
woods. They became friends with the Algonquin Indians.
b) They learned how to trap from the Indians.
c) They worked with, and married Indians.
d) Catholic missionaries tried to convert Indians.
4. Eventually they followed the Saint Lawrence, led by Indian Guides,
to the Great Lakes.
5. In 1673, a French missionary, Father Jacques Marquette, and a fur
trader Louis Joliet, set out with Indian guides to reach the
Mississippi.
a) They followed the river for more than 700 miles before
turning back.
b) Robert de La Salle completed the journey to the Gulf of
Mexico.
c) He named the region Louisiana in honor of King Louis the XIV.
d) At the mouth of the river they built a fort called New
Orleans.
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6. The Government of New France
a) Colonies loyal to French King.
b) A council appointed by the king made all decisions.
c) In the 1660’s the king sent about a 1000 farmers to New
France to try and encourage farming. The newcomers included
many young women.
d) Despite the Kings efforts, the colony grew slowly. Many chose
the life of the coureurs de bois, who lived free of most
government control.
B. Building New Netherland- At first the Dutch paid little attention to
Henry Hudson’s reports about the river that bears his name.
1. In 1626, Peter Minuit led a group of Dutch settlers to North
America.
a) He bought Manhattan Island from local Indians. He called this
settlement New Amsterdam.
b) Others settled farther up the Hudson River. This colony was
known as New Netherland.
c) In 1665, the Dutch enlarged New Netherland by taking over
New Sweden along the Delaware River.
2. Rivalry over furs.
a) In the hunt for furs, the Dutch became fierce rivals of the
French and their Indians allies.
b) The Dutch made friends with the Iroquois, who helped them
bring furs down the Hudson.
3. Dutch ways in North America - By the mid 1600’s New Amsterdam
grew into a bustling port.
a) They welcomed people from many nations to their new colony.
b) Liked to ice skate.
c) “Saint Nick” became Santa Claus.
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d) Words such as boss, cookie, and sleigh came from the Dutch.
C. Impact on Native Americans
1. European diseases killed millions of Native Americans.
2. Rivalry over the fur trade brought increased Indian Warfare.
a) resulted in over trapping.
3. Missionaries tried to convert Indians to Christianity.
4. Many Indians were pushed off their land.
5. Many Indians were enslaved and sold to the West Indies to work on
plantations.
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V. English Settlers in Virginia
A. Colony at Roanoke
1. In 1585, seven ships and about 100 men landed on Roanoke, an island
off of present day North Carolina.
a) Colonists only lasted a year.
2. A second attempt - John White returned with another group. This
time they brought women to help set up a farming community.
a) White went back to England when supplies ran low. He
returned 3 years later, and no one was there.
b) The only clue to their whereabouts was the word Croatoan
carved onto a tree.
c) To this day their fate remains a mystery although there are
many theories.
B. Settlement at Jamestown – Nearly 20 years had passed before England
tried again.
1. In 1606, the Virginia Company of London received a charter from
King James I. This charter guaranteed colonists of Virginia the same
rights as English citizens.
a) charter – A legal document giving certain rights to a person or
company.
b) joint stock company –a private trading company that sold
shares to investors to raise capital.
c) capital – money for investment.
2. Hard Times – In the Spring of 1607, 105 colonists arrived in
Virginia. They began building homes along the James River.
a) Jamestown was located in a swampy area where mosquitoes
spread Malaria.
b) The council of 13 men chosen to govern the colony quarreled
with each other and did little to plan for the colony’s future.
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c) By the summer of 1608, the colony was on the brink of failure.
3. Captain John Smith takes charge.
a) He forced colonists to work if they wished to eat.
b) He traded for food with Powhatan.
c) A year later he injured his leg and had to return to England.
4. Starvation and Recovery – For the next few years the colony
suffered terribly.
a) A colonist, John Rolfe, learned from the Indians that the soil
was good for growing tobacco.
b) By 1620, England was importing 30,000 pounds of tobacco a
year.
C. The First Africans
1. In 1619, a Dutch ship landed in Jamestown and sold about 20
Africans to the English to work on their farms.
a) They worked as servants and earned their freedom.
b) Some Africans owned their own farms, employed their own
workers, and voted in elections.
2. Later in the 1600’s, Virginia would set up a system of laws allowing
white colonists to enslave Africans.
D. Important Beginnings
1. Jamestown lacked a stable government. In 1619, the Virginia
Company sent a governor with orders to consult settlers on important
matters.
a) Male settlers were allowed to elect Burgesses, or
representatives.
b) The governor and the House of Burgesses made laws.
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c) A representative government is one in which voters elect
representatives to make laws for them.
2. The idea that people had political rights was not new to the English.
a) (1215) Magna Carta (Great Charter) – This document said the
king could not raise taxes without first consulting the Great
Council of Nobles and church leaders.
b) It said the King had to obey the law.
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VI. Pilgrims Seek Religious freedom.
A. The Pilgrims
1. In 1620, another band of English settlers, the Pilgrims
(Separatists), sailed for the Americas in search of religious freedom.
a) In England, Separatists were fined, jailed, and sometimes
executed.
b) They won a charter to set up a colony in Virginia.
c) More than 100 men, women and children set sail aboard a small
ship called the Mayflower.
d) After 2 months at sea, they landed on the shore of Cape Cod,
Massachusetts.
2. The Mayflower Compact – rules for their new home.
a) Since they did not land in Virginia their charter was not valid.
b) They named the colony Plymouth.
c) The 41 men who signed it agreed to consult each other about
laws for the colony.
3. The First Winter
a) They did not have time to build proper shelters before the
cold weather se tin.
b) Nearly half of the settlers died of disease and starvation
during the first year.
c) Their strong religious faith gave them hope.
4. Help from Native Americans in the spring.
a) The Wapanoag Indian who helped them the most was called
Squanto.
b) He brought them seeds of native plants, such as corn, beans,
and pumpkins, and showed them how to plant them.
c) The Pilgrims called him “a special instrument from God.”
5. In the fall, the Pilgrims had a good harvest.
a) Thanksgiving – Because they believed God had given them this
harvest, they set aside a day for giving thanks.
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