EUROPEAN SOCIETIES OF THE 1400S European villages had a long tradition of social hierarchy – complete with nobles, merchants & peasants Christianity played a critical role – religious leaders had power The Reformation in the early 1500s led to a split in the church Martin Luther

EUROPEAN EXPLORATION The countries of Portugal, Spain, France and England explored in the late 1400s for God, Gold, and Glory Improved mapmaking, better sailboats, compasses, astrolabes, Prince Henry– all led to better exploration

Columbus (1492) 1) Under a charter from the King and Queen of Spain, Explorer Christopher Columbus discovered the North American Continent in 1492

Columbus (1492) 2) Columbus was trying to find a shorter route to the East Indies in Asia (Present-day India)

Age of Exploration 1)Columbus’ discovery set off the “Age of Exploration” 2) This led to hundreds of more expeditions to the “New World” that were funded by the countries of Europe

Age of Exploration 3) The countries and empires of Europe wanted to claim, settle, colonize, and exploit the New World for its resources (minerals, timber, etc)

The “Columbian Exchange” 1) The Old and New Worlds had been solidly separated for 1000s of years

The “Columbian Exchange” 2) European Explorers began to exploit the New World to bring back precious metals, spices, plants, and animals EX – Tobacco, Corn, Beans, Tomatoes, and Potatoes, had not existed in Europe or Asia. These were products that were brought back from the New World

The “Columbian Exchange” 3) As Europeans began to settle and colonize the New World, they brought things from Europe and Asia that had not existed in the New World EX – Horses, Cattle, Pigs, Diseases

The Columbian Biological Exchange Old World to New World: New World to Old World: Diseases:Smallpox Measles Chicken Pox Malaria Yellow Fever Influenza The Common Cold Syphilis | This page was last updated on 12/3/98. | Return to History 111 SupplementsReturn to History 111 Supplements

The Columbian Biological Exchange Old World to New World: New World to Old World: Animals:Horses Cattle Pigs Sheep Goats Chickens Turkeys Llamas Alpacas Guinea Pigs

The Columbian Biological Exchange Old World to New World: New World to Old World: Plants:Rice Wheat Barley Oats Coffee Sugarcane Bananas Melons Olives Dandelions Daisies Clover Ragweed Kentucky Bluegrass Corn (Maize) Potatoes (White & Sweet Varieties) Beans (Snap, Kidney, & Lima Varieties) Tobacco Peanuts Squash Peppers Tomatoes Pumpkins Pineapples Cacao (Source of Chocolate) Chicle (Source of Chewing Gum) Papayas Manioc (Tapioca) Guavas Avocados

The “Columbian Exchange” 5) The diseases brought by the “Columbian Exchange” killed approximately 90% of the Native Americans in North and South America

European Colonization 1) As European countries began to explore the New World they began to establish colonies and settlements

European Colonization 2) The main colonies in N. & S. America were established by the British, the French, and the Spanish FRANCE SPAIN

THE FIRST AMERICAN SETTLEMENTS

The Virginia Company 1) European settlement in the New World was funded for economic purposes for settlers to discover and harvest resources to send back to their home country

The Virginia Company 2) The Virginia Company of London (A group of British investors) funded the English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia as a business venture

The Virginia Company 3) Jamestown became the first successful and permanent English settlement in North America

Settlers of Virginia and the South 1) Virginia and other Southern colonies were settled mostly by people seeking economic opportunity

Settlers of Virginia and the South 2) The early “Virginia Cavaliers” were English Nobility who received large land grants in Eastern Virginia from the King of England

Settlers of Virginia and the South 3) Poor English immigrants also came seeking better lives as small farmers or artisans and settled in the Shenandoah Valley or Western Virginia

Indentured Servants 1) Most settlers to Virginia came as “Indentured Servants”

Indentured Servants 2) Indentured servants were usually poor settlers from England, Scotland, and Ireland who could not afford to pay for their trip to America 3) As Indentured Servants, they agreed to work on plantations as free slaves for 5-7 years to pay off the money they owed 4) Once they paid their debts they were set free

Indentured Servants 5) The first African slaves that were brought to America were Indentured Servants that worked on plantations

New England Settlement 1) New England was settled by “Puritans” (The Pilgrims) seeking economic opportunity and freedom from religious persecution in Europe

New England Settlement 2) The first Puritans sailed on the Mayflower and landed on Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts in 1620

New England Settlement 3) They created one of the first forms of government in the colonies called the “Mayflower Compact”

The Mayflower Compact 1) This document expressed the feelings of the Puritans that a government derives its just powers from the people that are governed

The Mayflower Compact 2) The Mayflower Compact established a “Covenant Community” government included everyone (These ideas were based on Puritan religious beliefs)

The Mayflower Compact 3) This “Covenant Community” was established through “Town Meetings” and was a form of Direct Democracy and self rule

The Mayflower Compact 4) The Puritans were often very intolerant and un-accepting of those that did not share their religious beliefs