1. The Age of Exploration 4th Grade
Explorers
The Age of Exploration
4th Grade

2. Motivations
The motivations of most explorers were “God, gold and glory” for themselves and for their countries.

3. Leif Eriksson
Leif Eriksson was a Viking from Greenland who sailed the northern Atlantic Ocean and settled briefly in North America, which he called Vinland.

4. Leif Eriksson
However, the Vikings’ relationship with other Europeans did not allow them to share their discovery so North America remained unknown to most Europeans.

5. Leif Eriksson

6. Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus sailed for Spain looking for a new and faster route to the Far East.

7. Christopher Columbus
Columbus sailed west because the Portuguese controlled the eastern route around Africa. Columbus also believed the world was small enough that he could reach the Far East by sailing west. [Columbus was not the first person to believe the world was round. Most educated people of the time held this belief. This is a common misconception.]

8. Christopher Columbus
Columbus did not reach his goal to bring back the many riches from the Far East. Instead he discovered the lands and wealth of North and South America.

9. Christopher Columbus

10. Check out this website to see an interactive map of Columbus’ voyage.
Christopher Columbus
Check out this website to see an interactive map of Columbus’ voyage.

11. John Cabot
John Cabot sailed for England. Cabot was looking for a quicker route to the Far East known as the Northwest Passage. Cabot sailed near the Arctic Circle, but he had no success.

12. John Cabot
He claimed the lands he encountered for England.

13. John Cabot

14. Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition was the first to sail around the world.

15. Ferdinand Magellan
Although Magellan died before the journey was complete, he claimed more lands for Spain. His crew proved that sailing around the world could be achieved but only at great cost.

16. Ferdinand Magellan

17. Check out this website to see an interactive map of Magellan’s voyage.
Ferdinand Magellan
Check out this website to see an interactive map of Magellan’s voyage.

18. Hernando de Soto
Hernando de Soto was a Spanish conquistador who explored throughout the southeastern United States and claimed this land for Spain.

19. Hernando de Soto

20. Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson was an explorer who sailed for both the Netherlands and England. In searching for the Northwest Passage, he claimed and mapped what is now New York for the Dutch and lands in Canada for the English.

21. Henry Hudson
The Hudson River and Hudson Bay are named for him.

22. Henry Hudson

23. Robert LaSalle
Robert LaSalle explored for France. LaSalle explored the Mississippi River to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico and named the area Louisiana, claiming it for France.

24. Robert LaSalle

25. Robert LaSalle and Henry Hudson
Check out this website to see information about the path of Hudson and LaSalle’s voyage.

26. Let’s take a look at the paths explorers traveled…
Maps
Let’s take a look at the paths explorers traveled…

27. Overview…
The Spanish conquistadors defeated the Aztecs in Central America and the Incas in South America. Spanish explorers claimed Florida and the southwest region of what is today the United States and called all of this land New Spain.
The French explored the St. Lawrence River, the headwaters and the length of the Mississippi River to what is now New Orleans (LaSalle) and claimed this land as New France.
The Dutch claimed the area around the Hudson River and established New Netherlands and New Amsterdam in what is today New York..
The English claimed the coast of North America based on the explorations of Cabot and called this land Virginia and New England.

28. What’s it all mean?
In summary, European nations claimed lands based on the explorations of the explorers that they sponsored. Settlements were started in order to establish claims to the land and make a profit from the venture.