CONQUESTS AND COLONIES IN THE AMERICAS Chapter 3 Sections 1 and 2

Christopher Columbus  Knew the earth was a sphere, thought that by sailing west he could reach Asia.  Spain sponsored his voyage (Ferdinand and Isabella).  They hoped that Columbus’s voyage would bring money to Spain.

 Columbus and his crew sailed for 3 months, much longer than they had originally planned.  October they landed on an island in the Caribbean.  Columbus named the people “Indians”, thinking he was in India.

 “I implore you to recognize the Church as a lady and in the name of the Pope take the King as lord of this land and obey his mandates. If you do not do it, I tell you that with the help of God I will enter powerfully against you all. I will make war everywhere and every way that I can. I will take your women and children and make them slaves. The deaths and injuries that you will receive from here on will be your own fault and not that of his majesty nor of the gentlemen that accompany me.”

Meeting the natives  When the natives first met Columbus they shared their resources with the Spanish explorers.  However, they refused to recognize Christian symbols, angering the explorers.  The explorers forced natives to convert and give up their gold.

Guns, Horses, and Disease  Spanish conquistadors (conquerors) had many advantages:  Guns: Their guns and cannons overpowered native bows and spears  Horses: carried supplies and were so large the scared natives  Disease: smallpox, measles, and other diseases wiped out entire villages

The Aztecs  Backbone of their society was the army/military  Believed in human sacrifice to satisfy the sun god  Men were expected to be warriors, women would weave, create medicines, and traded in markets.

Cortes and the Aztecs  Cortes was determined to gain wealth so he went to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.  The Aztec emperor Moctezuma was captured and began to demolish the city.  Cortes and his army were pushed from the city, but when they returned 2 years later smallpox had wiped out most of the Aztecs.

Incas  Conquered neighboring areas and relocated those captured to keep control of area  Old rulers were mummified and brought to dinner, ceremonies, and kept old land and money.  Large network of roads helped link their civilization.

Pizarro and the Incas  Francisco Pizarro heard that the Incas had more riches than the Aztecs.  Incas were ruled by Atahualpa, who refused to bow down to the Spanish conquistadors  Atahualpa was captured and held for ransom, but after it was paid they killed him.

Spanish and Portuguese Colonies  Ruled by viceroys: representatives of the king who ruled over a colony  Encomiendas: the right to demand forced labor from natives  Many conquistadors used natives as slaves on their land and forced them to convert to Christianity.

Speaking out  Bartolome de Las Casas was a Spanish priest who opposed the Encomiendas system.  Las Casas convinced the government to pass laws that forbade enslavement and abuse.  However Spain was too far away to enforce any of these laws and abuse continued.  Las Casas also endorsed the idea of bringing Africans to work on the plantations, furthering the slave trade.

 Portugal and Spain began to fight over land claims in the New World, so they called the Pope to settle the battle.  Line of Demarcation: divided the non-European world into two zones, Spain got the west and Portugal got the east.  Terms agreed to in the Treaty of Tordesillas.

Reaction to the Treaty  Spain and Portugal began to outfit new ships to explore their areas for resources.  For the rest of the world, the line meant that they would have to build up their own empire in order to compete with these two.

 Many were disappointed that they had still not found a direct route to India.  Ferdinand Magellan set out from Portugal to find a route to Asia.  His crew completes the journey three years later, Magellan dies along the way. Ferdinand Magellan