Chapter 17: Beginnings of Our Global Age: 1450 – 1650
In the 1400s, European explorers set sail to find a water route to China and India. Portugal
began the search, but soon explorers from other countries took to the seas. In this chapter,
you will learn about Columbus and other explorers. You will witness how cruel Europeans
were to the native people they found. Then you will study the African slave trade. All of
this was part of the settling of the Americas by the Europeans.
Goals for Learning
 To explain why some European nations searched for an all-water route to China and India
 To list three reasons why Spaniards came to the Americas
 To describe what Spanish conquest did to the American Indian population
 To describe how Spain established colonies in America
 To explain why Portugal introduced African slavery into the New World
 To describe the growth of European colonies in the Americas
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Toscanelli’s Map, 1474
Map Skills: Paolo Toscanelli made a map similar to the above map in 1474. Christopher
Columbus used a copy to find a water route to China. As the map shows, a good sailor
could do this by sailing west. Clearly, Toscanelli did not know about North or South
America!
Study the map, then answer the following questions:
 1. Near what continent are the Madeira Islands?
 2. What is the name of a group of islands that lie north of the equator and west of Spain?
 3. What was Ireland’s name during Columbus’s time?
 4. On what continent do you find Sierra Leone?
 5. Cipango is another name for what country?
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Reading Strategy: Predicting
Preview the text. Think about what you already know about a subject. Look for new
information. These things will help you predict what will happen next.
Check your predictions as you read. As you learn more information, you may find you need to
change your predictions.
Key Vocabulary Words
Lesson 1
Navigation: The science of planning and directing a ship’s journey
Lesson 2
Exploration: The act of looking around some unknown place
Strait: A narrow strip of water that connects two bigger bodies of water
Lesson 3
Conquistador: A Spanish conqueror
Lesson 4
Viceroy: An official who governs land for the king or queen
Plantation: A large area of farmland
Encomienda: The Spanish system of forced physical labor
Lesson 5
Slavery: The owning of human beings as property
Abolish: To get rid of something
Lesson 6
Colonist: A person who settles in a new place
Majority: More than half of a group of people or group of things
Mayflower Compact: The agreement made by the Pilgrims that set up a form of government for
their new colony
Economic: Having to do with money
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Lesson 1: Europeans Search for New Trade Routes
Objectives
 To explain why Portugal sought a new route to China and India
 To identify a technical advance that helped sailors improve their travel
 Navigation
 The science of planning and directing a ship’s journey
Reading Strategy: Predicting
Preview the lesson title. Predict what you will learn about trade routes in this lesson.
During the 1300s and 1400s, Arab merchants bought goods like silks and spices in China and
India. (People wanted spices because they helped preserve food. They also covered up the
taste and smell of spoiled food.) Then they carried these goods overland to the eastern end
of the Mediterranean Sea. There, they loaded the goods on Italian ships and took them to
the Italian city-states.
The overland journey was slow and hard. But once on the sea, the journey was fast and easy.
Soon, the goods arrived in the Italian city-states. Then Italian merchants sold the goods at
high prices to other European states. Italian city-states like Venice grew wealthy from this
eastern trade.
For many years, these city-states controlled the trade routes to the East. Other countries wanted
to become wealthy too. They began to look for new trade routes. During the 1400s,
Portugal began its search for a new route to the East.
How Did Prince Henry Help Portugal?
Prince Henry the Navigator helped the Portuguese prepare for their search. Around 1416, he
established a school where geographers, astronomers, and mapmakers helped sea captains
improve their navigation. That is, they learned how to plan and direct a ship’s journey.
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Why Didn’t the Chinese “Discover?? Europe?
Between 1405 and 1433, China sent fleets of up to 300 ships out into the seas to explore. These
huge ships visited the lands in the Indian Ocean and traveled down the east coast of Africa.
The last Chinese journey lasted two years and ended in 1433. The Chinese emperor called an
end to these journeys because they were too expensive. Since the Chinese already had the
things they wanted, Chinese explorers gave the people they visited beautiful gifts and
treasures to show their wealth. So the more lands the Chinese explorers visited, the more
wealth flowed out of the Chinese treasury. If the Chinese had “discovered?? Europe, their
discovery might have cost them a fortune!
With this learning, Portuguese captains sailed south to explore the western coast of Africa.
There the Portuguese set up trading centers. Merchants in Africa traded gold and ivory for
goods from Portugal. Soon, people began calling the western coast of Africa the Gold
Coast.
What Did Bartholomeu Dias Do for Portugal?
In 1481, King John II of Portugal had his sea captains begin to look for a water route to India
and China. Such a route would make Portugal rich and powerful. They carefully sailed
south along the western coast of Africa. Each captain went a little farther south. Then
mapmakers made maps of the coastline.
In 1487, Bartholomeu Dias sailed around the southern tip of Africa. If the Portuguese could do
that, they could also sail eastward to India and China. The weather at the tip of Africa was
bad. Dias named it the Cape of Storms. But King John II renamed it the Cape of Good
Hope. He did not want the other sea captains to be scared off by the name.
Lesson 1 Review
On a sheet of paper, use the words from the Word Bank to complete each sentence correctly.
Word Bank
 Africa
 Bartholomeu Dias
 Italian city-states
 Prince Henry
 western
 1. _____ controlled the trade routes to India and China during the 1300s.
 2. _____ established a school for sailors in Portugal.
 3. Portuguese sailors first explored the _____ coast of Africa.
 4. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to sail around the southern tip of _____.
 5. _____ named the southern tip of Africa the Cape of Storms.
What do you think?
Why do you think King John of Portugal did not want sea captains to be scared by the name
“Cape of Storms???
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Lesson 2: Exploring New Lands
Objectives
 To describe the journeys of Columbus, da Gama, and Magellan
 To explain how the pope controlled exploration
There were two problems in trying to reach India and China by sailing around Africa. First, the
weather at the southern tip of Africa made the voyage dangerous. Second, reaching the
southern tip of Africa took a long time. Sailing on to India took even longer.
Christopher Columbus thought that he had a better way to reach the East. He would sail west
across the Atlantic Ocean. At the time, his idea seemed strange. How could a sailor reach
the Indies by sailing west?
What Did Columbus Find When He Sailed West?
For many years, Columbus tried to get an important person interested in his idea. Then, in
1492, he convinced Queen Isabella of Spain to provide the money for his voyage. On
August 3, 1492, Columbus, his officers, and his crew sailed from Spain. They sailed in
three ships: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
First, the ships headed south. Then they caught a wind that blew them west into the unknown
waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Early on the morning of October 12, 1492, a sailor sighted
land! Columbus thought that he had reached the islands of the East Indies, so he called the
people he met “Indians.?? He was sure that China and Japan were nearby.
In 1493, Columbus returned to Spain. He made three more voyages across the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1506, Columbus died, still believing that he had discovered a new route to Asia.
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 Exploration
 The act of looking around some unknown place
Map Study: Early European Explorers
This map shows the routes ten European explorers took during the early years of exploration. In
what direction did Drake travel? Who went farther north in the Pacific—Magellan or
Drake?
To Whom Did the Pope Give Land?
As early as the 1450s, the pope gave Portugal control over all African trade and exploration.
Exploration is the act of looking around some unknown place. Then, 30 years later, the
pope gave Portugal the right to explore and trade as far as the East Indies. After the first
journey by Columbus, Spain asked the pope what non-Christian areas it might claim.
In 1493, the pope drew a line down a map and divided the world into two parts. He said that
Spain could control all new land discovered west of the line. Portugal could control all new
land east of the line: Africa and India. But Portugal did not like this decision. In 1494,
officials from Spain and Portugal met to settle the problem. They agreed to move the line
farther west. This let Portugal control Brazil in the Americas.
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Reading Strategy: Predicting
Predict what da Gama will find on this voyage.
What Direction Did da Gama Sail to Reach India?
Columbus reached land by sailing west. The Portuguese still wanted to reach India by sailing
south and then eastward. In the summer of 1497, Vasco da Gama left Portugal with four
ships. Three months later, he rounded the Cape of Good Hope. In May 1498, da Gama
reached Calicut, India.
Da Gama and his men returned to Portugal in September 1499. He proved that an all-water
route to India existed. Now the Italian city-states would no longer control trade with India
and China.
Da Gama’s ships came back to Portugal with spices like pepper and cinnamon, along with
jewels and other goods. When they sold this cargo, it brought 60 times the cost of the trip!
That was an enormous profit. But of the 170 men who left with da Gama, only 54 were left
alive to return to Portugal.
History in Your Life
Pass the Pepper, Please
Why did European explorers try so hard to reach the Indies? One answer is in your kitchen—
pepper. Ordinary black pepper was not ordinary at all in Europe. Meat was often eaten
half-spoiled. Pepper made it taste better. Sailors on long voyages even carried small sacks
of peppercorns. But pepper grew only in India and Java.
Italian merchants got rich importing spices, which they sold to the rest of Europe. Then, about
1300, the Turks cut off trade to these eastern lands. So explorers looked for new routes to
Asia. Some went south around Africa. Others sailed west…and found the Americas.
Europeans did not find the black pepper they were looking for in the Americas. Rather, a new
kind of pepper grew there. In 1493, Columbus brought red peppers from Haiti to Spain.
Their spicy taste quickly became popular. The use of red pepper then spread to Africa and
Asia.
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 Strait
 A narrow strip of water that connects two bigger bodies of water
Reading Strategy: Predicting
Based on what you have just read, predict what Magellan finds.
What European Countries Traded With China and Japan?
For most of the 1500s, the Portuguese controlled the spice trade in the East Indies. As the years
passed, their ships reached China and Japan too. The Chinese and Japanese did not trust
Europeans, so the Chinese allowed the Portuguese to trade only in one off-shore island,
Macau. Later the Chinese allowed the Dutch and the Spanish to open a trading center in
the city of Canton.
Who Was the First to Sail Around the World?
In September 1519, Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese captain, set sail from Spain with five
ships and about 265 crewmen. King Charles I of Spain asked him to find the western route
to India that Columbus had failed to find.
First, Magellan sailed south. Then he turned westward and explored the coast of South
America. The trip was so long that some sailors rebelled, and Magellan lost one ship. The
four remaining ships slowly moved through a strait at the tip of South America. A strait is
a narrow strip of water that connects two bigger bodies of water. This strait connected the
Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean, but Magellan did not know that. (Geographers now
call it the Strait of Magellan.)
What Did Magellan Find Beyond the Strait?
After passing through the strait, the three remaining ships reached the calm, open water of the
Pacific Ocean. But as they journeyed for three months across this peaceful ocean,
conditions for the crew worsened. They had to eat wormy food, rats, and cooked leather.
Their water turned yellow and tasted bad.
Finally the three ships reached the Philippine Islands. Here, in a fight with the native people,
Magellan was killed. (A native is someone who was born in a particular place.) Soon, two
more ships were lost. All alone, the last ship sailed across the Indian Ocean, down the
eastern coast of Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope, and up the western coast of Africa.
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What do you think?
How do you think the Arab and Italian merchants felt when Vasco da Gama’s ships sailed into
Calicut? Explain your answer.
In September 1522—three years after leaving Spain—this one ship, with 18 sailors, reached
home port. The voyage covered about 44,000 miles. It had sailed around the world and
proved two things: First, the world is round. Second, the earth contains much more water
than land.
Lesson 2 Review
On a sheet of paper, write the answer to each question. Use complete sentences.
 1. What was one problem that sailors faced in traveling around the southern tip of Africa?
 2. Who thought that he could reach the East by sailing across the Atlantic Ocean?
 3. Who was the first European to reach India by sailing around Africa?
 4. What are the names of three countries that sent ships to China to trade?
 5. Who led the expedition that proved the world was round?
Then and Now
Navigating at Sea
How did sailors long ago know where they were? On a clear night, they could spot the North
Star. The sun’s position was also a guide. But the compass was the first navigational
instrument. Its magnetized needle points north.
By the 1400s, sailors were making longer voyages and needed better tools. One such tool was
the astrolabe. It could measure the angle of the sun or the North Star with the horizon.
From that, a navigator could determine latitude, or the distance north or south of the
equator.
Today’s instruments would amaze Columbus! The newest method is GPS, or global positioning
system. It uses signals from 24 satellites orbiting the earth to determine position. Ships,
planes, and cars can use GPS. It has made travel much easier.
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Lesson 3: The Spanish Conquer Two Empires in America
Objectives
 To identify Montezuma and the mistakes he made
 To describe how small groups of Spaniards conquered two large empires
 Conquistador
 A Spanish conqueror
Reading Strategy: Predicting
Preview the lesson title. Predict what empires the Spanish conquer.
Writing About History
What did the Spaniards and the Aztecs say on meeting for the very first time? In your
notebook, write a conversation that happened then. One person is a Spanish soldier. The
other is an Aztec.
Some Spaniards liked to explore and discover new places. Others—the conquistadores, or
conquerors—wanted gold and glory. Jesuit missionaries wanted the Indians to change their
religion and become Catholics. These missionaries and the conquistadores came to Central
and South America for “God, Gold, and Glory.??
What Aztec Legend Helped Cortés?
In 1519 Hernando Cortés sailed with 11 ships to the coast of Mexico. Some 500 soldiers and 16
horses sailed with him. The fleet landed on the Mexican coast in an area that the Aztecs
ruled.
Before this time, the Aztecs had conquered other tribes in the area to create an empire.
Montezuma was the Aztec ruler. When he heard that Cortés had landed, the emperor
thought of an ancient Aztec legend. According to this legend, the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl
had sailed from Mexico toward the East. The legend said that the great feathered god
would one day return. According to the legend, Quetzalcoatl was to return in 1519! The
Aztecs at first believed that Cortéz and his men were gods.
Why Did Montezuma Send Cortés Gifts?
Montezuma had more than 200,000 warriors, but he did not march against the Spanish
invaders. Thinking they were gods, he sent golden gifts to them. This was a mistake. The
gifts made the Spanish want more gold.
Soon, Cortés met a woman who spoke several native languages. She helped Cortés speak with
the other tribes that the Aztecs had conquered. Many of these tribes hated their Aztec
rulers, so they became allies of Cortés.
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Geography Note
The Atacama Desert is on the coast of Chile. It extends for 600 miles along the Pacific Ocean.
The Atacama is the driest place on Earth. Between 1570 and 1971, that desert received no
rainfall. Most of the moisture in the Atacama comes from fog from the Pacific Ocean.
Groups such as the Incas, followed by their Spanish successors, have lived in this dry place
over the centuries. Today, more than a million people live in the Atacama.
How Did the Spanish Treat Montezuma?
Cortés and his 500 men marched to Tenochtitlan, the Aztec city where the emperor lived.
When they reached it, Montezuma allowed them to enter. That was his second mistake.
Once inside the city, Cortés made Montezuma a prisoner. The Aztecs quickly rebelled and
forced the Europeans out of Tenochtitlan. At that point, Cortés asked his Indian allies for
help. With the Spaniards, they surrounded the city for three months. Finally, the Aztecs
surrendered. Spain had broken the power of the Aztec Empire.
What Did the Conquistadores Do to the Incas?
To the south of Mexico, in the mountains of Peru, the Spanish conquered another empire, the
Incas. In 1532, fewer than 200 Spanish conquistadores landed in South America. Francisco
Pizarro led them. King Charles V of Spain had told him to conquer South America.
Pizarro and his men marched toward the Inca capital. They came at a time when Atahualpa, the
Inca emperor, was fighting a civil war with his brother. Atahualpa heard that the Spanish
were coming, so he went out to meet them with many of his people. When they met,
Pizarro and his men attacked. The Incas carried no weapons, so the Spanish killed many of
them and captured Atahualpa.
The Inca emperor offered to fill a large room with gold if Pizarro would release him. Pizarro
agreed. From all parts of the Incan Empire, gold poured into the room until it was full.
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Reading Strategy: Predicting
Think about your prediction. What details can you now add to make your prediction more
specific?
How Did Pizarro Treat the Inca Emperor?
The emperor had kept his promise. Now the time had come for Pizarro to keep his. But Pizarro
had heard an untrue story that Inca warriors were going to attack. He put Atahualpa on trial
and executed him.
The Inca emperor was dead, and his warriors had no guns and no will to fight, so they accepted
Spanish rule. By 1535, the Spanish controlled much of the Incan Empire. In time, Pizarro
and his men argued over the gold, and they killed him.
Why Did the Empires in the Americas Fall?
In less than 20 years, small groups of Spaniards conquered two large empires in the Americas.
How was this possible? Historians give five reasons.
First, they came at the right time. Montezuma believed an Aztec legend was coming true.
Pizarro arrived when a civil war was going on. Second, tribes that did not like the Aztecs
or Incas joined the Spanish to fight against them. Third, the Spanish had cannons and guns.
The American Indians had never seen weapons like these. Fourth, the Spanish had horses.
They were new too. At first, the Indians thought that each horse and its rider was a twoheaded god. When a rider got off his horse, the god seemed to divide itself into two parts.
Fifth, the Spanish brought smallpox and measles to the Americas. The Indians had no
natural protection against these diseases. This killed millions of Indians.
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Communication in History
The Incan Empire
One problem facing the Incan Empire was that it stretched thousands of miles through the
rugged Andes Mountains. At the time, communication was difficult over such a distance.
However, to connect its different parts, the Incas built an excellent system of roads. Some
ran along the coast. Others crossed the mountains. Woven bridges allowed people to cross
rivers and canyons. These roads allowed merchants and officials to travel safely
throughout the empire. In addition, they enabled relays of runners to quickly deliver
messages.
The Incan Empire faced two other communications problems. Its people spoke several different
languages, and there was no system of writing. As a result, the Incas developed an unusual
way to keep records— the quipu. It was a long cord that had other strings tied to it. The
cords were knotted in different ways. Knots and spaces represented different numbers—
ones, tens, hundreds. The colors of the cords represented different items. One color meant
taxes. Another was used to keep track of food in storehouses.
Lesson 3 Review
On a sheet of paper, use the words from the Word Bank to complete each sentence correctly.
Word Bank
 Atahualpa
 Aztecs
 God
 Montezuma
 Pizarro
 1. Many Spaniards came to the Americas in the 1500s for _____, Gold, and Glory.
 2. The _____ built a great civilization in present-day Mexico.
 3. The Aztec ruler _____ thought that Cortés was a god.
 4. _____ was the leader of the Inca Empire in Peru.
 5. _____ put the Inca emperor on trial and executed him.
What do you think?
Could the Incas and the Aztecs have defeated the Spaniards? Explain your answer.
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Lesson 4: Spain Establishes Colonies in America
Objectives
 To explain how Spain governed its colonial lands in the Americas
 To describe the relationship between Spanish landowners and the people who worked for
them
 Viceroy
 An official who governs land for the king or queen
 Plantation
 A large area of farmland
 Encomienda
 The Spanish system of forced physical labor
For many years, the Spanish explored the Americas. Hernando de Soto—one of Pizarro’s
men—went north and explored Florida. Then he turned west. By 1541, he reached the
Mississippi River. Another Spaniard, Francisco de Coronado, led an expedition into the
southwest of North America. Spain claimed control of this area in 1560 and called it “New
Mexico.??
Who Ruled New Spain?
Spain also had a name for the land that had once been the Aztec and Inca Empires. These
became New Spain. Soon the king of Spain created five provinces in New Spain and sent a
viceroy, or official, to govern each province. To encourage Spanish settlement, the king
gave large areas of land to Spanish conquistadores. Their descendants formed a class of
wealthy landowners.
Why Did the Encomienda Lead to Death?
Spain had a lot of land in the Americas. Spanish landowners wanted to make money on it. To
do that, they needed millions of farmworkers. They also needed miners for the silver mines
in Mexico. Bringing millions of workers from Spain was not practical. The Spanish forced
the native people to work for them. The Spanish landowners were cruel to these workers.
Often a Spanish landowner forced a whole village of natives to work on plantations, or large
areas of farmland. The Spanish called this system of forced physical labor the
encomienda. Under this system, a Spanish landowner had two duties. First, he had to care
for the needs of the natives. Second, he wanted to change their religion so that they became
Catholics. Often, the landowner paid little attention to the first duty.
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Because of the encomienda, thousands of native people suffered and died. More than 25 million
lived in Latin America when the Spanish first came there. Within 100 years, the native
population was down to 4 million because of European diseases and hard, dangerous work
in the silver mines. The Spanish refused to allow them to practice their customs and
traditions. They had to accept new and strange ways of doing things. Because of all this,
many native people lost hope.
How Did las Casas Try to Help?
A Spanish priest named Bartolomé de las Casas tried to end the cruel treatment of the natives
by the Spanish. He wrote to King Charles V and explained that the natives were dying in
great numbers. Something had to be done.
But the plantation owners needed workers, so las Casas suggested that Spain use African
workers. Soon Spain began to import Africans to the Americas. Las Casas quickly felt
sorry that he had ever suggested this. He had solved one problem, but caused another.
Graph Study: Changes in Native Population of Central America (1519–1605)
About how many Indians were there in Central America in 1520? in 1560? in 1600?
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Lesson 4 Review
On a sheet of paper, write the letter of the answer that correctly completes each sentence.
 1. For the Spanish, the former Aztec and Inca Empires became _____.
 A New Mexico
 B New Spain
 C India
 D China
 2. The Spanish explorer _____ traveled as far west as the Mississippi River.
 A Hernando de Soto
 B Francisco de Coronado
 C Cortés
 D Pizarro
 3. _____ was a Spanish priest who tried to help the native people.
 A Hernando de Soto
 B Pizarro
 C Francisco de Coronado
 D Bartolomé de las Casas
 4. Bartolomé de las Casas suggested to the Spanish king that _____ workers could take the
place of the native workers.
 A Spanish
 B Italian
 C African
 D Chinese
 5. The Spanish used a system of forced physical labor that they called the _____.
 A viceroy
 B plantation
 C encomienda
 D conquistador
What do you think?
Why did the Spanish treat the Indians in such a cruel way?
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Lesson 5: The Growth of the Slave Trade
Objectives
 To explain why African slavery was introduced into the New World
 To describe how slaves were brought to the Americas
 Slavery
 The owning of human beings as property
Reading Strategy: Predicting
Preview the lesson title. Predict what you will learn about the beginning of slavery.
A slave is a person who is forced to work without pay or rights and is treated as property.
Slaves built the Egyptian pyramids. Slaves labored in Greece and Rome. In the ancient
world, people became slaves in different ways. Many were captured in wars. Others may
not have been able to pay a debt, so they became property of the person they owed.
What European Country Began to Buy and Sell Slaves?
In a small way, slavery, or the owning of human beings as property, had existed in Africa for
many centuries. But in Africa, slaves had rights. The owner was not allowed to overwork
them. The owner had to let slaves earn money. The slaves could then buy their freedom.
In the 1440s, the Portuguese started buying slaves. They set up slave trading centers along the
Gold Coast of Africa and the Gulf of Guinea. In 1518, Spain let Portugal bring African
slaves to the Americas. This solved the Spanish labor problem in their American colonies.
What Was the Journey to the Americas Like for Slaves?
Europeans took away the rights the slaves had in Africa. European slave traders and owners
were cruel. The traders packed African men and women into dirty ships and locked them in
chains. The chained slaves spent most of the voyage to the Americas below deck. Their
food was unfit to eat, they never had enough water, and slave traders whipped them.
Why Did the Slave Trade Grow?
For over 300 years, slave traders captured and sold into slavery more than 20 million Africans.
Of these, 5 million, or one-fourth, never reached the Americas. They died on ship, and the
slave traders threw their bodies into the sea.
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 Abolish
 To get rid of something
Soon European colonies expanded from South and Central America to North America. As
Europe settled more colonies, the slave trade grew. Slaves worked the Spanish sugar
plantations in the Caribbean Islands of Cuba and Haiti. They also worked the Portuguese
sugar plantations in Brazil.
The English forced slaves to work in the colonies of North America. (In 1713, England took
control of the slave trade from Spain.) On southern plantations, slaves worked long hours
to raise rice, tobacco, and cotton for their owners. In all these places, slaves had no
freedom. Cruel owners sometimes beat and killed them.
How Long Did Slavery Last in the Americas?
Slavery in the Americas lasted for almost 400 years. During that time, a number of slaves
rebelled. Most of these rebellions failed, but some slaves did gain freedom.
In the 1790s, slaves on the island of Haiti led a successful rebellion. Haiti had the first
government in the Americas led by the free Africans. Many years passed before the United
States abolished, or got rid of, slavery. This happened in 1865, after a civil war. In 1888,
slavery ended in all of the Americas. In that year, Brazil abolished it.
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Map Study: African Slave Trades
This map shows different slave trading routes. From which area of Africa—West or Central—
did the slave traders take most of the slaves? What city in the North American colonies
was a slave port?
What do you think?
Why did slave traders begin to buy and sell slaves?
Lesson 5 Review
On a sheet of paper, write the answer to each question. Use complete sentences.
 1. Who were the first Europeans to begin buying and selling African slaves?
 2. How did the lives of slaves in Africa and in Europe differ?
 3. Over a period of almost 300 years, how many African men and women did traders
capture?
 4. Who took control of the slave trade in 1713?
 5. What was the first country in the Americas in which African slaves rebelled and won their
freedom?
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Lesson 6: The Results of Exploring and Establishing Colonies
Objectives
 To identify the first English colony in North America
 To list the plants grown in the Americas that affected the lives of people around the world
 Colonist
 A person who settles in a new place
 Majority
 More than half of a group of people or group of things
Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, England, and France explored and set up colonies in the
Americas. They brought change with them. Some changes were good. Other change
destroyed whole civilizations in the Americas. In Africa, the slave trade destroyed African
life and cultures.
What Was the First English Colony in North America?
Spain was the first country to send explorers to the Americas. It also set up colonies. Then
England and France did the same. In 1585, Sir Walter Raleigh established an English
colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina. Within three years, all the
colonists—the people who had settled in this new place—disappeared. No one knows what
happened to them.
In 1607, the English established another colony in Virginia. They named it Jamestown after
King James I. It became the first permanent English colony in America.
Who Helped the English Pilgrims?
In 1620, the Pilgrims, who wanted religious freedom, came to North America on the
Mayflower. On board ship, they agreed to base their government on the rule of the
majority of men settlers. A majority means that more than half of them had to agree on
something to make it a law. Historians call the agreement made by the Pilgrims the
Mayflower Compact. The Pilgrims named their colony Plymouth.
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 Mayflower Compact
 The agreement made by the Pilgrims that set up a form of government for their new
colony
Half of the Plymouth colonists died during the first winter. However, American Indians helped
them, and the Pilgrims soon did well in their new settlement, or colony. In time, English
settlements grew. By 1733, there were 13 English colonies on the Atlantic coast of North
America.
Where Did the French Settle?
French fishing boats sailed off the Newfoundland coast. In 1535 Jacques Cartier claimed for
France the land that is now eastern Canada. The first French colony in North America was
Quebec, in present-day Canada. Samuel de Champlain founded it in 1608. The French also
founded settlements along the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. (The French mostly
trapped animals and traded their furs.) In the 1680s, the French claimed Louisiana in the
lower Mississippi Valley. They named this rich land after King Louis XIV. Like the
Spanish, the French gave their land in North America a name—New France.
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Reading Strategy: Predicting
Preview the title of the next section. Predict what plants will be new to the Europeans.
Biography
Amerigo Vespucci: 1454–1512
Amerigo Vespucci was not the first European to find the Americas. Still, these continents are
named for him.
In 1491, this Italian worked for a bank in Spain. It lent money for voyages of exploration.
Later, Vespucci became a navigator. He made several voyages, including two that reached
and explored Brazil.
Unlike Columbus, Vespucci thought he had seen a new continent. Around 1503, he wrote a
letter about his travels. It was published under the title “New World.?? Many people read
it, including a German mapmaker. He then named these new lands “America?? on his
maps.
France and England tried to outdo one another in North America. Both wanted money and
power. After a number of wars, France lost its lands in North America. The French and
Indian War was a nine-year war between France and England. When it ended in 1763,
French lands in Canada went to Britain. French territory west of the Mississippi River went
to Spain.
How Did Plants from the Americas Help Others?
When European ships came to the Americas, they carried animals, plants, and goods. The
American Indians had never seen horses, pigs, and chickens. They had never grown plants
like wheat, oats, rice, apples, bananas, coffee, and sugar cane.
These same ships carried corn and potatoes back to Europe. These became important foods for
the whole world. Corn and potatoes were easy to grow. With more food to eat, fewer
Europeans starved, and the population grew.
The Indians grew other crops that were new to people in the rest of the world. Some of these
were tomatoes; cacao, for making chocolate; lima beans; and tobacco. Indians were the
first to use tobacco, smoking it in pipes. At first, the Europeans used tobacco as medicine.
Then they also began to smoke it.
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Map Study: European Colonies in the Americas
This map shows early colonies of North and South America. Which European nation controlled
the area around Hudson Bay? How many nations had colonies in South America? Name
three nations that had colonies in North America.
In 1612, John Rolfe planted tobacco in Jamestown. Englishmen were willing to pay high prices
for it. Tobacco became an important cash crop for colonists in Virginia and Maryland.
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 Economic
 Having to do with money
Who Controlled the World at the End of the 1800s?
The Europeans explored the Americas for more than two centuries. During this time, they took
control of the rich lands of North America and Latin America. The Spanish, Dutch,
English, and French set up colonies in North America. As the years passed, European
power grew stronger throughout the world. By the late 1800s, European nations had gained
political and economic control of India, parts of the Middle East, and most of Africa and
Asia. That is, Europe controlled the government and money matters in these places.
Lesson 6 Review
On a sheet of paper, write the answer to each question. Use complete sentences.
 1. What two American vegetables became an important food for the world?
 2. What English colony became the first permanent English colony in North America?
 3. What was the Mayflower Compact?
 4. Where did the French establish colonies in North America?
 5. Which European nation came to dominate half of the North American continent by 1763?
What do you think?
What do you think happened to the “Lost Colony?? at Roanoke?
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Document-Based Reading
A Warm Welcome for Cortés
Spanish settlers in the Americas treated the natives cruelly. One of these conquistadores was
Hernando Cortés. In search of riches, Cortés sailed to the coast of Mexico. When the Aztec
emperor Montezuma (here spelled Moctezuma) heard of the arrival, he thought that Cortés
and his men were gods. In this excerpt, Moctezuma welcomes Cortés to Tenochtitlán, the
capital of the Aztec empire. Within months of the meeting, Cortés killed Montezuma and
destroyed the Aztec Empire.
Then Cortés addressed Moctezuma: “Is this indeed you? Are you not Moctezuma???
“Yes,?? Moctezuma answered; “I am he.??
On this, he rose, to stand facing Cortés. He bowed deeply, drew him close, and stood firmly.
Then he said,
“O our lord, you have tired yourself; you are weary. At last you have come to earth; you have
come to govern your city of Mexico, to take your position of authority, which for a short
time I have been keeping and guarding for you. Your former deputy governors have
departed—the rulers Itzcoatl, Moctezuma the Elder, Axayacatl, Tizoc, Auizotl, who also
had come to keep watch, to govern the city of Mexico for you a short time ago and keep
your people under their protection. Do the former rulers know what is happening in their
absence? O that any of them might see, might wonder at what has befallen me—at what I
am seeing now that they have gone. For I cannot be dreaming.
“For some time now I have been afflicted; I have gazed at the clouds, the mists, out of which
you have come. And now this has come to pass. The departed rulers said as they left us
that you would revisit your city, would return to your position of authority, and now it has
so happened. You have come; you have tired yourself; you are weary. Rest yourself. Go
into the palace; rest. Peace be with our lords.??
Document-Based Questions
 1. Why did Cortes go to Mexico?
 2. Why did Montezuma think that Cortés was a god?
 3. Why do you think Montezuma is so friendly toward Cortés when they first meet?
 4. What does Montezuma tell Cortés to do?
 5. The word afflicted means “worried.?? Why was Montezuma worried?
Source: The War of Conquest: How It Was Waged Here in Mexico, by Arthur J. O. Anderson
and Charles E. Dibble.
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Spotlight Story: Diseases in Human History
Cortés and his army came to Mexico in 1519. At that time, about 11 million natives lived in
central Mexico. By about 1650, fewer than 2 million remained. Cruel treatment and hard
work had killed some. But diseases from Europe had been the main killer.
In Europe, diseases such as measles were common. Over time, many Europeans had built up a
natural immunity, or resistance, to these illnesses. To understand how immunity develops,
take a look at measles. For centuries, people in Europe caught measles when they were
young. There were no modern medicines. Some children died. Many survived, though.
They were now immune to measles. Mothers passed on some of their immunity to their
children. They might get measles, but they would recover. This happened generation after
generation. Finally, fewer people died from measles.
What made smallpox, chickenpox, measles, and mumps so deadly in America? The native
people had never been exposed to them. They, therefore, had no immunity.
Epidemics of these diseases broke out among the native people. An epidemic is a sickness that
spreads quickly through a group of people. It affects most of them. The first smallpox
epidemic in Mexico began in 1520. It helped the Spaniards defeat the Aztecs. Other
smallpox epidemics happened later in the 1500s. Measles and flu were also serious. These
diseases swept through villages, killing people of all ages. When adults died, there were
fewer people to bear children. The native population fell each year. Whole cultures
disappeared. Later, the same thing happened to natives in North America.
Today, modern medicine can make people immune to some diseases. In the 1700s, smallpox
was a dangerous disease. About 20 percent of those who caught it died. Smallpox also left
bad scars on people’s skin. About 1790, Edward Jenner, a British physician, noticed that
milkmaids did not get smallpox. They got a similar, milder illness called cowpox. Jenner
made a vaccine using the cowpox virus and gave it to a boy. When tested, the boy was
immune to smallpox. Soon many doctors were giving vaccinations or “shots.?? In 1980,
world health officials said that smallpox had been wiped out everywhere.
Scientists have since made vaccines against other diseases. These include measles, mumps,
chicken pox, and polio. Most children in the United States now get these shots and others.
Many developing countries do not have these health services for their children.
Wrap-Up
 1. Why did the native population in Mexico fall after 1519?
 2. How do people become naturally immune to a disease?
 3. What diseases did Europeans bring to the Americas?
 4. What is an epidemic?
 5. How did Edward Jenner help wipe out smallpox?
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Chapter 17 SUMMARY
 Arab merchants and Italian city-states traded in spices and other goods from Asia. In the
1400s, other countries looked for new trade routes.
 Prince Henry of Portugal began a school that taught navigation. In 1487, Dias sailed around
the tip of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope.
 Columbus believed he could reach Asia by sailing west. Queen Isabella of Spain provided
money for his voyage in 1492.
 In 1493, the pope said that newly discovered eastern lands belonged to Portugal and western
ones to Spain.
 Da Gama sailed around Africa to reach India in 1498. Eventually, the Portuguese, Spanish,
and Dutch traded at certain ports in China.
 Magellan’s expedition sailed west around the world in 1519–1522, exploring the Pacific
Ocean. The trip proved that the world is round and that the earth contains more water than
land.
 Cortés conquered the Aztecs of Mexico in 1519. In 1532, Pizarro’s men defeated the Incan
Empire.
 Guns and horses gave the Spanish an advantage over the native people. Many were also
killed by European diseases.
 De Soto explored Florida and reached the Mississippi River. Coronado explored the
American Southwest.
 Aztec and Inca lands became the colony of New Spain. Under the encomienda system,
Spanish landowners used native workers.
 Spanish landowners in the Americas began to use African slaves instead of the native people.
The slave trade was cruel and inhuman. Millions of Africans died. African slaves worked in
the Caribbean, Brazil, and the English colonies in North America. Slaves in Haiti rebelled
successfully in the 1790s.
 England and France wanted colonies in North America. The English settled Jamestown,
Virginia, in 1607. In 1620, English Pilgrims settled Plymouth colony. They signed the
Mayflower Compact.
 Champlain founded Quebec in 1608. The French had fur-trading posts around the Great
Lakes. They claimed Louisiana of the lower Mississippi valley. France lost its North
American lands in 1763.
 Europeans brought new plants and animals, such as horses, to the Americas. Corn, potatoes,
tomatoes, chocolate, and other products from the Americas were introduced to Europe.
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Chapter 17 REVIEW
On a sheet of paper, use the words from the Word Bank to complete each sentence correctly.
Word Bank
 Columbus
 Cortés
 da Gama
 Dias
 Las Casas
 Magellan
 Montezuma
 Pizarro
 Prince Henry
 Sir Walter Raleigh
 1. _____ established a school in Portugal to help sea captains get better at navigation.
 2. In 1487, _____ sailed around the tip of Africa.
 3. In 1492, _____ sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean to reach Asia.
 4. In 1498, _____ left Portugal with four ships and reached India.
 5. In 1519, _____ began a three-year trip around the world.
 6. In 1519, _____ sailed to Mexico and conquered the Aztec Empire.
 7. _____ led the Aztec Empire when the Spanish landed in Mexico.
 8. In 1532, _____ marched up the mountains of Peru and conquered the Incan Empire.
 9. _____ was a priest who tried to help American Indians in New Spain.
 10. In 1585, _____ established an English colony that later disappeared.
On a sheet of paper, write the letter of the answer that correctly completes each sentence.
 11. Europeans from _____ explored the Americas.
 A Spain
 B England
 C France
 D all of the above
 12. The first French settlement in North America was _____.
 A Quebec
 B Roanoke
 C Jamestown
 D Plymouth
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 13. The English Pilgrims settled at _____.
 A Roanoke
 B Jamestown
 C Plymouth
 D Quebec
 14. In 100 years, the American Indian population went from 20 million to _____ million.
 A 10
B8
C6
D4
 15. In 300 years, traders captured and sold into slavery more than _____ million Africans.
 A 60
 B 40
 C 20
D1
On a sheet of paper, write the answer to each question. Use complete sentences.
 16. Why did Portugal and Spain want to find a water route to China and India?
 17. Why did so many native people die under Spanish rule?
 18. What new plants did the Europeans find in the Americas and how did these change
European civilization?
Critical Thinking
On a sheet of paper, write your response to each question. Use complete sentences.
 19. Historians give five reasons why the Spanish defeated the Aztecs and the Incas. Which of
these reasons seems the most important to you and why?
 20. The Spanish conquistadores said they came to the Americas for “God, Glory, and Gold.??
Which of these do you think was the most important to them? Explain your answer.
Test-Taking Tip: Write your answers neatly on essay questions. Neat papers are easier for the
teacher to read and grade.
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