WORLD HISTORY



WORLD HISTORY

CHAPTERS FIFTEEN & SIXTEEN

“CONQUEST OF THE AMERICAS”

VOYAGES OF EXPLORATION BRING CHANGE

Late in the 15th century, European adventurers began to make daring voyages that, in only about thirty years, changed forever what people knew and thought about the rest of the world.

They were looking for new trades routes to Asia since the Italians controlled the Mediterranean access to its wealth.

The Portuguese took the lead, and other Western European nations soon followed them in seeking new lands and riches.

Improved Technology

Several improvements in equipment helped the Portuguese and Spanish explorers conquer the oceans.

Astrolabe: an instrument used to determine latitude by using the stars.

Magnetic Compass: used to determine direction.

Sextant: determined latitude and more accurate than the Astrolabe.

Caravel: a new style of ship developed by the Portuguese.

Cartography (Map Making) improved with more accurate maps.

The Portuguese

Portuguese sailors spent nearly 70 years exploring the coast of Africa to find an eastern route to India.

In 1488, Bartholomeu Dias was carried by a storm around the southern tip of Africa (Cape of Storms)

They became the first Europeans to sail around the southern tip of Africa.

When the king of Portugal heard the good news from Dias, he renamed the area, the Cape of Good Hope.

Vasco da Gama

Dias’s discovery of a sea route into the Indian Ocean encouraged Portugal to send Vasco da Gama on a diplomatic mission to the Indies.

Da Gama’s fleet was armed however, and carried goods to trade.

Da Gama first landed at the Muslim city of Mozambique.

A Muslim pilot guided da Gama’s fleet on to Calcutta, India.

Because of Da Gama’s voyage Portugal will dominate the trade routes with the East for several decades.

Spain in the Western Hemisphere

Portugal’s main interest lay in finding an eastward passage to India around Africa.

In 1484 an Italian mariner, Christopher Columbus proposed to sail westward to India, but King John II of Portugal rejected the idea.

Columbus had seriously underestimated the circumference of the globe and thought that his proposed voyage would cover about 2,500 miles.

The Portuguese naval advisers were skeptical of his figures, for they believed it to be about 10,000 miles.

Christopher Columbus

Columbus now took his proposal to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.

In 1492, Spain had driven the Moors from the peninsula and was now ready to embark on overseas ventures.

Providing funds for a small fleet (Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria) Columbus set sail for the west.

Though pressured by his men to turn back, on October 12, 1492, they landed on what is probably San Salvador.

Columbus actually kept two records to deceive his men on how far they had actually traveled.

Columbus believed he had reached the outer islands of Asia.

After exploring the islands in the area, Columbus returned to Spain, with some Arawak natives which he called “Indians.”

Columbus Made Later Voyages

Still convinced he had found Asia, Columbus returned to the Caribbean in 1493 and 1498.

In 1493, he and his two brothers brought 17 shiploads of settlers to Hispaniola and established the first European colony in the Americas.

Due to their poor administrative ability, Columbus and his brothers were arrested in 1500 and sent back to Spain.

Ferdinand and Isabella pardoned Columbus and financed one more voyage in 1502.

Ferdinand Magellan

In September, 1519 an expedition was led by Ferdinand Magellan to find El Paso, a sea route through the Americas and on to Asia.

It took the expedition 14 months to reach the southern tip of South America and what will later become known as the “Straits of Magellan.”

In March, 1521 the fleet reached the Philippine islands.

Magellan was killed in the Philippines.

On September 8, 1522 only one of the original 5 ships and 18 of the _____ crew landed in Seville, Spain.

These men are considered to be the first men to ever circumnavigate the world.

World History

Chapter Sixteen, Section #1

“Conquest in the Americas”

The Spaniards Explore the Caribbean

Columbus had established a base for further Spanish exploration of the Caribbean area.

In 1508 Juan Ponce de Leon, who had sailed with Columbus explored the island of Puerto Rico and founded a colony.

Searching for the legendary “Fountain of Youth,” Ponce de Leon discovered and named the Florida peninsula on East Sunday, 1513.

Vasco de Balboa, a settler in Hispaniola, went to look for gold on the mainland and established a settlement in what is now Panama.

Upon crossing the isthmus of Panama, Balboa became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean.

Spanish Conquests

The first settlers from Spain stayed mainly on the Caribbean islands.

Soon, however, the Spaniards’ desire for gold led them to the mainland where they encountered and soon overthrew the rich, powerful Aztec and Inca states.

Many of the Spanish conquerors, or conquistadores, were sons of aristocratic families.

They were seeking fame, gold, land, and adventure.

Some were motivated by religious reasons as well.

Cortez and the Aztecs

Hernando Cortez landed on the Gulf of Mexico in 1519 with over 500 men and arms.

The Aztec ruler Montezuma believed that the unfamiliar Europeans might be gods or at least their messengers.

Though his army could have destroyed the Spaniards, Montezuma greeted them.

He had hoped they would take the gifts he gave them and leave.

Cortez Gains Indian Allies and Defeats the Aztecs

To prevent his troops from leaving, Cortez ordered his ships sunk.

He then persuaded the Tlaxcalans, who hated the Aztecs to join him against the Aztecs.

In the first battle between the two forces, the Spaniards and their allies were defeated.

Over half of the Spaniards were killed or wounded.

After a lengthy siege on the capital city of Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs were defeated in 1521.

Pizarro Conquers the Incan Empire

The great Incan Empire lay south of the Aztec lands, in what is now Peru.

The Spaniards conquest of the Incas was quicker than the defeat of the Aztecs, but equally dramatic.

Francisco Pizarro had gained permission from Spain’s ruler, Emperor Charles V to attempt the conquest of the South American coast.

When he arrived in 1532, the Inca ruler, Atahualpa met him cordially and was immediately taken prisoner.

The Incan soldiers in the battle that followed were no match for the weapons of the Spaniards.

Not one Spaniard died in the battle that killed hundreds of Incans.

WORLD HISTORY

SECTION #2

“REMAKING THE AMERICAS”

The Spanish Empire Spreads

Spain’s empire in the America’s grew rapidly after Cortez conquered Mexico in 1519.

With the conquest of Peru, it spread down the west coast of South America.

The viceroyalties of New Spain (Mexico) and Peru became the centers of Spanish colonial settlements.

The southern most limit of Spanish lands lay in what is now Chile.

To the north the Spanish Empire continued to grow in what is now the American West.

Settlers Bring Spanish Culture to the Americas

The rulers of Spain gave large tracts of land to the conquistadores and certain favored colonists.

A class of colonial landowners grew up, who had great wealth but no political power in the colony.

Spanish colonies were ruled by viceroys appointed by the monarch to carry out royal policies established in Spain by a council.

In addition to forms of government and patterns of landowning, the Spaniards also brought their language and the Catholic religion to the Indians of the lands they conquered.

The Spaniards Demand Labor and Tribute from the Indians

The Spanish aristocrats (peninsulares) who held most of the land in the colonies felt it was degrading to work the soil, handle tools, or deal in commerce.

To do the hard work on the plantations and in the mines, the settlers and their descendants called Creoles, used the Indian peasants.

Forced labor (encomiendas), particularly in the silver mines of what are now Peru, Bolivia, and Mexico cost the lives of thousands of Indians.

Protection for Indians

Because the Indians had been converted to Christianity, the Spanish rulers issued policies designed to protect them.

Indians could not be bought or sold as slaves and colonists had to be granted a royal license to use Indian labor.

Despite the royal policies, Indian men and women still could be assigned to a colonist and forced to work.

Peasant Life

Life for the peasants called peons changed little.

Before the conquest, landless peasants had worked for the Aztec and Inca nobles.

After that, they labored for the Spanish creoles.

Worked in silver mines,

Harvested wheat

Wove cotton cloth

Built various palaces and cathedrals.

The peons were often harshly treated, poorly fed, exhausted and sick.

Spanish Missionaries

Catholic priests and friars accompanied the earliest Spanish explorers.

One of the first missionaries was Bartolome’ de Las Casas, who settled in Hispaniola in 1502.

As a Dominican friar he spent his life protecting the Indians from the colonists.

King Ferdinand supported the work of Las Casas and named him “Protector of the Indians.”

Las Casas also wrote one of the first histories of Spanish colonies.

Jesuit Missionaries

Spain sent many of its best friars to the Americas to convert the Indians to Christianity.

They established schools to teach the Indians to read and communicate so that they could learn new skills.The most successful schools were those of the Jesuits.

Here they learned European crafts and farming methods.

The mission schools became very prosperous.

Spanish rulers became jealous of the Jesuits and expelled them from the Americas, and their missions soon collapsed.

The Portuguese in Brazil

Pedro Cabral established Portugal’s first colony in Brazil.

Most of the settlements in Brazil were founded by wealthy nobles to whom the Portuguese king gave large grants of land.

Differing from the Spanish colonies the Portuguese recruited people from all classes in Portugal to settle in the New World.

By the mid 1500s there were 15 fortified twins along the coast of Brazil.

Jesuits established mission churches in the interior.

Portuguese settlers soon followed the missionaries to find good grazing land , to discover gold, or capture Indians to sell as slaves.

Section #3

“The Struggle For North America”

North American Discoveries

England, France, and the Netherlands took only a small part in the early voyages of exploration, for religious dissent and civil wars focused their interests at home.

In addition, their ships had to sail farther to go around either Africa or South America.

By the time these countries were ready to join in the explorations, both Spain and Portugal had already claimed colonial empires.

Northern Europeans Seek a New Passage to India

The Dutch and English looked first for a route northeast to Asia.

Their seafarers sailed north of Scandinavia and into the Artic Ocean along the coast of Russia .

Ice made this route impassable for much of the year, however.

The Dutch and English next set out across the Atlantic, hoping to find a northwest passage through North America.

John Cabot

In 1497, King Henry VII sent an Italian navigator, John Cabot, westward to the Americas.

Cabot reached New Foundland and explored its coast.

He reported rich fishing grounds, but also described a cold land quite different form the tropical islands found by Columbus.

Henry Hudson

Henry Hudson, an English explorer, made four voyages in search of a northwest passage.

In 1609, sailing for Dutch merchants, Hudson, took his ship Half Moon up the Hudson River, giving the Netherlands claim to land along the river.

Dutch settlers established the colony of New Netherlands, including what is now New York City, originally called New Amsterdam.

Other Dutch holdings in the Western Hemisphere were some islands in the Caribbean, the colony of Dutch Guiana and parts of Brazil.

England Challenges Spain

Like the Netherlands, England concentrated on developing its trade and sea power.

To trade in Africa, India, or the Americas, however, the English had to fight both rival traders and pirates from other countries.

Traders of the English East India Company, chartered by Queen Elizabeth I in 1600 fought both the Portuguese and the French to gain trading posts in India.

English privateers, sailing with royal approval, captured Spanish treasure ships and attacked ports in South America.

Frobisher and Drake

Martin Frobisher

Explorer, navigator, and privateer.

Searched North American water passages for China route.

Frobisher’s explorations eventually reinforced English claims in the New World.

Francis Drake

Most celebrated English explorer and adventurer.

Extensively involved in piracy against Spain.

Active in the African slave trade.

First Englishman to circumnavigate the world 1577-80.

Laid the groundwork for English imperialism.

Personified rising of England’s global sea power

Sir Walter Raleigh

Walter Raleigh

Proposed North American colonization.

To oppose Spain and other powers in the New World.

To further piracy.

To find the passage to China.

The lost colony of Roanoke.

Landed in Virginia, (virgin Queen, Elizabeth.)

Failures and tragedies beset colony.

Supply ship in 1591 found no survivors.

Jamestown

In 1607, the settlement of Jamestown was established in Virginia.

Named after King James I.

Became the first permanent English colony in the Americas.

It was founded and governed by Captain John Smith.

Plymouth Colony

In 1619, English Puritans were given permission to establish a colony in the New World.

Wanting to find a place where they could worship[ freely.

The Puritans (Pilgrims)

In 1620, 100 men, women, and children set sail for the Plymouth colony.

Sailed on the ship, Mayflower.

In 1630, the Massachusetts Bay colony was also founded in Massachusetts.

French Colonies

Giovanni de Verrazano (c. 1480-1527)

Florentine navigator sponsored by Francis I of France.

Explored Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to North Carolina in 1524.

Provided a basis for France’s original claims to North America.

Jacques Cartier (1491-1557)

Discovered the St. Lawrence River in 1534.

Founded the sites of Quebec and Montreal.

Failure of Quebec site ended serious colonization attempts until the 17th century.

Permanent Establishment of New France

Samuel de Champlain (1567-1635)

Explored the St. Lawrence Valley and south to Cape Cod.

Established settlement of Quebec in 1608.

Explored land named for him in 1609.

Dutch and Swedish Colonies Become Part of English America

The Dutch had established the colony of the New Netherlands in present day New York state.

The British envied the Dutch monopoly on the inland fur trade and wanted control of the excellent harbor at New Amsterdam.

In 1664, Charles II granted the same territory to his brother, the Duke of York (James II).

When an English fleet was sent to New Amsterdam, the Dutch were in no position to defend their colony.

The Dutch quickly surrendered and New Netherlands became New York.

The land south of the Hudson River, which had been settled by Swedish and Dutch colonists, became the English colony of New Jersey.

Rivalry Between Britain and France

While the British were establishing colonies along the Atlantic coast, France was establishing there own colonies along the St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes, and the Mississippi River.

The French laid claim to the large territory of Louisiana, and in 1718 established the city of New Orleans.

As British colonists continued to push westward, conflict will soon develop between the two countries.

France and Britain were already at war in Europe, now the war will spread to the New World.

The French and Indian Wars

In Europe this war, which began in 1754, was known as the “Seven Years’ War.”

At first the war in North America went badly for the British and the colonists.

In 1758, however, they succeeded in capturing a number of French forts.

The next year they besieged and captured Quebec.

The war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763.

France ceded all of its territory east of the Mississippi except for New Orleans.

Spain, who aided France was forced to give up Florida.

Impact of British Expansion

After the wars with the Dutch and French, Britain dominated all of the Americas to the Mississippi, south to the Gulf of Mexico and north to the Arctic.

The French and Indian War put an end to France as a strong power in North America.

It also reduced colonial dependence on Great Britain because the colonies no longer needed British help against a common enemy.

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