The Founding of America European Explorers The Founding of America

Early Exploration The first European to set foot on North America was Leif Erickson, a Viking Explorer, in the year 1000. In the 15th century, the European Age of Discovery began. Europeans believed only Europe, Africa, and Asia existed in the world.

Silk Road

Age of Discovery Europeans were interested in trading with the Far East, which included India, China, and Japan. This area was also known as the Indies, and it contained highly prized goods such as silk, spices, teas, and gems. Muslim traders controlled the land and sea routes by which these goods were supplied to the west.

Age of Discovery The Age of Discovery began because Europeans wanted their own trade routes to the Indies. This started a race between several European countries for better trade routes to the Indies.

Christopher Columbus Italian-born explorer He believed the world was round, unlike many other people during his lifetime. He received financial support from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to discover new trade routes to the Indies. He was to conquer in the name of Spain. On October 12, 1492, after six weeks at sea, the crews of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria spotted land. They called the island San Salvador.

Columbus’ First Voyage

America Columbus never knew he had discovered new territories. He believed he had found a trade route to the Indies. Amerigo Vespucci accompanied Columbus on one of his voyages, he realized they were on territories that Europeans had not yet discovered. In 1507, a Swiss cartographer put the new land on the map and called it “America” after Vespucci.

Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci

Line of Demarcation In 1493, Pope Alexander VI divided the rights to the New World between Spain and Portugal. The Line of Demarcation was drawn north and south between the two poles 400 miles west of the Azores Islands. All lands to the east belong to Portugal, thereby protecting trading routes around Africa. All lands to the west belonged to Spain.

Line of Demarcation

Treaty of Tordesillas Portugal was not happy, believing that the division was in favor of Spain. In 1494, Spain and Portugal renegotiated the Line of Demarcation and they signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, moving the line 700 miles further west.

Spain Spain came to the New World for God, Gold, and Glory. God- They wanted to convert the natives to Christianity. Gold- The explorers, the king, and queen of Spain wanted to get rich off of the explorations Glory-The explorers wanted to become famous by conquering new lands for Spain

England The English explorers came to the New World for mercantilism. They wanted to make money for the “mother country” off of the raw materials found in the Americas.

France France’s explorers’ reasons for coming the New World was much like Spain’s French explorers were looking for fame and glory; however, some came to look for a new place to live or the colonize the New World.

Europe

Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto was from Spain. He was the first European to explore the interior part of Georgia in 1540. Many natives were killed because of his cruelty to them, and they also died from

Hernando de Soto European diseases that de Soto and his men had and the natives had no immunity to them. De Soto kept records of his exploration of Georgia and this is its first recorded history.

De Soto’s Exploration

The Impact of European Explorers on Native Americas The European Explorers met the Mississippian Indian Culture. The Europeans almost wiped this culture out with diseases, that the natives did not have immunity against, and with cruelty. The Spanish started many missions along the barrier islands of Georgia. They used this missions to try and convert the natives to Christianity.

Spanish missions