US HISTORY
Chapter 2
Exploring the Americas
1400-1625
Lesson 1 – A Changing World
 The Crusades
Began in 1095
 Series of expeditions by
European Christians to
Jerusalem to regain control of
the Holy City
 Brought Europeans into
contact with Asians  traded
for spices, sugar, & silk

Lesson 1 – A Changing World
 Marco
Polo
Traveled to China
in late 1200s
 Wrote “Travels” 
described his
journey
 Increased interest
in Asia for
Europeans

Lesson 1 – A Changing World

Growth of Trade
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Arab traders in the Middle
East sold Asian goods to
European merchants
European merchants
shipped goods to
Mediterranean ports such as
Venice and Genoa
European merchants wanted
to figure out a way to bypass
Arab traders in order to
increase their profit
Lesson 1 – A Changing World

Technology Advancements
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Printing Press – allows for
information (books, maps,
etc.) to spread quickly
Astrolabe – helped
determine latitude
Magnetic Compass – helped
determine direction
Caravel – faster ship with
more cargo space, could
also go in shallow waters
Lesson 2 – Early Exploration

Portugal
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Prince Henry set up center for
exploration in Portugal in 1420
This “school” brought together
astronomers, geographers,
mathematicians, sailors, and
shipbuilders to share their
knowledge
Portuguese ships explored the
western coast of Africa  traded for
gold and ivory...later bought slaves
Lesson 2 – Early Exploration

Portugal
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1487 – Bartholomeu Dias sails
around southern tip of
Africa...King John II names the
“Cape of Good Hope”
1497 – Vasco da Gama sails
around the Cape of Good Hope,
travels up coast of East Africa
and sails to India
1500 – Pedro Cabral leaves for
India, swings so wide around
Africa that he lands in Brazil
(claiming the land for Portugal),
takes off from Brazil for India
Lesson 2 – Early Exploration

Spain

Christopher Columbus
 Did NOT “discover” America
 Evidence shows Leif Eriksson
and the Vikings were in N.
America centuries earlier
 1492 – convinces Spain (King
Ferdinand & Queen Isabella)
to finance his voyage to look
for western route to Asia
 Takes three ships (Nina,
Pinta, & Santa Maria) and
reaches Caribbean in October
1492
Lesson 2 – Early Exploration

Spain

Christopher Columbus
 Returns to Spain with Native
American slaves & gets
financing for another voyage
 Returns to Caribbean in 1493
– treats natives VERY poorly
(crew stole food & gold, raped
women, & made many natives
slaves)
 Made two more voyages
(1498 & 1502) sailing along
coastline of Central & South
America
Lesson 2 – Early Exploration

Feud between Spain &
Portugal

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both countries wanted to
protect their claims in the
Americas...turned to Pope
Alexander VI for help
Line of Demarcation –
established in 1493, runs
from N to S, Spain gets lands
to the W, Portugal gets lands
to the E
Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) –
Portugal complains about the
line...two countries agree to
move it W
Lesson 2 – Early Exploration

Other Explorers

Amerigo Vespucci sailed along coast of
South America in 1502,
concluded that South
America was a new
continent and not part of
Asia, geographers then
began to call the land
“America” in his honor
Lesson 2 – Early Exploration

Other Explorers

Vasco Nunez de Balboa
– travels across Isthmus
of Panama in 1513 and
becomes first European
to see the Pacific Ocean
from the Americas,
claims it and all adjoining
lands for Spain
Lesson 2 – Early Exploration

Other Explorers

Ferdinand Magellan –
reached the southernmost tip
of South America in 1520,
encountered storms, went
into Pacific Ocean and gave
it its name...means
“peaceful”...went on to sail to
the Philippines where he was
killed...his crew continued on
to Spain where they arrived
in 1522 becoming the first to
circumnavigate the world
Lesson 3 – Spain in America
 Explorers &
Conquest
Spanish hear stories of
gold & riches in the
Americas
 Spanish crown allows
conquistadors to explore
in search of these
riches...1/5 of any gold
found was to be paid to
the Spanish crown

Lesson 3 – Spain in America

Hernan Cortes
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arrives at Tenochtitlan November 8, 1519
Montezuma (Aztec leader)
believes Cortes is Quetzalcoatl
(Aztec god returning to take
back the throne)
Montezuma becomes prisoner
of the Spanish
Spanish steal millions in gold
Cortes leaves, returns 10
months later
Aztec surrender on August 13,
1521
Lesson 3 – Spain in America

Francisco Pizarro
arrived in Incan Empire in
1531
 captured Incan leader
(Atahualpa)
 Spanish held Atahualpa
ransom, forced Incans to fill
a room with gold & silver
 Incans fill the room ($65
million value)
 Pizarro kills him anyway

Lesson 3 – Spain in America

Juan Ponce de Leon
 First Spanish landing in
North American mainland
(east coast of Florida) in
1513
 Searched for gold &
mythical “fountain of youth”
 Named “Florida”...Spanish
word means “full of flowers”
 His journey led to the first
settlement in what is now
the US – St. Augustine, FL
(1565)
Lesson 3 – Spain in America

Hernando de Soto
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Led Spanish expedition
throughout the American
Southeast in search of the
“Seven Cities of Cibola” or
Seven Cities of Gold
First European expedition
to reach Mississippi River
Francisco Vasquez de
Coronado

Searched throughout
American Southwest for
the Seven Cities of Cibola
Lesson 3 – Spain in America

Social Classes
Peninsulares – born in
Spain, but living in the
New World
 Creoles – born in New
World to Spanish parents
 Mestizos – people of
mixed Spanish & Native
American descent
 Native Americans
 African slaves

Lesson 4 – Competing for Colonies

Religious Rivalries
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First Europeans to travel in
Americas were Catholic
(Spanish & Portuguese)
1517 – Reformation
starts…start of
Protestantism
1533 – English King Henry
VIII leaves Catholic Church
Problems arise during
reign of Henry’s daughter
(Queen Elizabeth I)
Lesson 4 – Competing for Colonies

The Defeat of the Spanish Armada
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England & Spain close to war due to
trade rivalry & religious differences
King Philip II (Spain) wanted to
replace Queen Elizabeth I (England)
with a Catholic
Sir Francis Drake – English, attacked
Spanish ships & ports, Philip II felt he
should be punished, Elizabeth
knighted him instead
Philip sent the Spanish Armada to
conquer England
Spanish Armada is defeated (1588)
by the English
Opens the way for English to
colonize North America
Lesson 4 – Competing for Colonies

Northwest Passage

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Treaty of Tordesillas divided
the Americas b/w Spain &
Portugal...England, France,
& the Netherlands ignored
the treaty and made their
own claims
All of the countries were
interested in finding the
Northwest Passage 
supposed all-water route
through the Americas
Lesson 4 – Competing for Colonies

Northwest Passage
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John Cabot – sailed for England in
1497...landed in Newfoundland...England
used Cabot’s voyage to make land claims
in North America...found important fishing
area now known as “Grand Banks”
Jacques Cartier – French explorer...sailed
up the St. Lawrence River...France used
Cartier’s voyage to make land claims in
Canada
Henry Hudson – Dutch explorer...Hudson
River & Hudson Bay named after
him...mutinous crew set him adrift in
Hudson Bay...he was never seen again
Lesson 4 – Competing for Colonies

French in North America
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Mainly concerned with fishing &
trapping
New France – along St. Lawrence R.
in Canada
French Explorers
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Joliet & Marquette – went down
Mississippi River by
canoe...determined it went south to
Gulf of Mexico and not west to Pacific
La Salle – traveled the Mississippi
River all the way south to Gulf of
Mexico, claimed the region for France
calling it “Louisiana” in honor of King
Louis XIV
Lesson 4 – Competing for Colonies

Dutch Settlements

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Dutch had large fleet of
trading ships that sailed all
over the world
Set up multiple trading posts
along east coast of North
America
New Amsterdam – center of
the colony...Gov. Peter Minuit
paid about $24 in goods to
Manhattoes natives for the
island...island is now known
as Manhattan (NYC)