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b. reasons for exploration

1. Spain backs Columbus in voyage west to get to east (he isconvinced world is round and therefore can sail West to get

to the East, not fully aware that massive continent lies

between). a. October 12, 1492

Columbus lands in Bahamas, sure they were the

famous Indies, a great disappointment to Spainbut leads to:

b. Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) gives Spain most of the

New World (Portugal gets Brazil, ten in Africa and

Asia) therefore Spain is dominant colonizing powerin New World, motivated by

1) zeal to Christianize natives

2) desire for gold (gets more attention in next

book).2. important early explorations of Spanish Conquistadores

a) Balboa, 1513- Pacific Ocean b) deLeon, 1513- Florida

c) Magellan, 1519--1522- circumnavigated globe

d) Cortes, 1519--1521- Mexico and Aztecs,

Montezumae) Pizarro, 1531--1533- Peru, Incas

f) deSoto, 1539--1542-

exploration crossed Mississippi River.g) Coronado, 1540-42- America Southwest, Grand

Canyon, and Buffalo herds (Arizona, New Mexico,

and Kansas).c. effects of Spanish colonization

1. spurred English and others to colonization because of massive

deposits of gold and other minerals found in central and SouthAmerica.

2. Spanish empire in New World characterized by

great cities, majestic cathedrals, and distinguished universities - all

before English colonizing era and maintained control after Englandforced out.

3. Spain becomes dominating exploring and colonizing power in

1500s2. English Exploration

a. background

1. England and Spain were allies in early 1500s, therefore littleinterest in colonies

2. this changes after 1558 with reign of Protestant Queen Elizabeth

(Henry VIII and Reformation first led to split with Roman Catholic

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church)

b. reasons for exploration1. Protestant Reformation (especially Catholics, Separatists and

Reformers within the Anglican Church) i.e. religious freedom

2. Defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 led to safety on seas butalso confidence of English people in a victory over Catholicism

and development of patriotism and faith in the role England was to

play in the world, (e.g. golden age of literature)3. International rivalry for power and influence (lure of Spanish gold

e.g. Francis Drake knighted for piracy)

4. Political turmoil (after Glorious Revolution and ascendancy of

Parliament, and Puritan Revolution)5. Enclosure movement freed laborers from land, so population

surplus available to colonize

6. Primogeniture forced second sons to seek fortunes elsewhere

7. New business forms arise, e.g. joint-stock company8. Curiosity, adventure, etc.

9. Attitude toward colonization which permitted a mix of peoples toleave (compared to Spanish and French who screened for the

religious and political orthodox

10. Growth of commercial capitalism, which is to say the availability

of capital to invest, need for raw materials and markets inmanufacturing, etc.

11. Overcrowded

c. significance1. colonies of Spain, France, Holland and Portugal were important in

development of New World but policies of England had greater

significance for United States3. French exploration

a. background

1. France a late-comer in colonization efforts, just like England,mostly because of both domestic strife and foreign wars e.g.

fighting between Catholics and Huguenots

b. reasons for exploration

1. 1598 Edict of Nantes, which granted limited toleration to Frenchprotestants, therefore domestic tranquility

2. series of strong leaders led France to become one of strongest and

most feared nations in Europe, therefore interest in overseasempire, especially to thwart growing English dominance

3. Interest in New World further enhanced by Jesuit missionaries

interested in Christianizing Indians, lucrative fur trade, search forNorthwest Passage

c. significance

1. pockets of influence remain in areas of United States, Quebec, and

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several islands but primarily cultural

C. First English Settlements

1. Jamestown, Virginia, 1606, Southern Chesapeake colony

a. motivation

1. gold2. Christianize Indians

3. search for passage (Northwest)

through Americas to India b. sponsors

1. Virginia Company of London, a joint-stock company

receives charter from James I (later revoked, 1624, and

colony becomes a royal colony)c. economy

1. very poor start on banks of mosquito-infested James River,

searched for gold instead of planted food and constructed

shelters but saved in 1608 by John Smith with help ofPocahontas and later John Rolfe who introduces tobacco

planting (and marries Pocahontas)d. significance

1. important precedent set with Jamestown charter since

colonists guaranteed same rights as Englishmen, therefore

serves as cornerstone of American liberty2. promoted plantation system where large acreage devoted,

therefore requiring large number of laborers, devoted to

cash crop3. first Africans sold (by Dutch) to colonists, possibly as

servants

4. representative self-government born in 1619 when VirginiaCompany authorized House of Burgesses

2. Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1620, New England colony

a. motivation1. refuge for Separatists, Pilgrims (extreme Puritans who

anted to separate from Church of England, which they felt

was still too Catholic) (tried Holland but feared children

would be de-Anglicized) b. sponsor

1. Virginia Company granted Separatists right to settle within

their jurisdictionc. economy

1. Mayflower missed its destination and landed in

Massachusetts where land was not suitable for farming,therefore furs, fishing, lumber (Beaver and Bible) became

mainstays

2. William Bradford was an able leader but colony never

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really grew to be influential and by 1691 still without a

legal charter so Plymouth merges with the MassachusettsBay Colony

d. significance

1. Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compactwhich was anagreement to form a body politic in which all would

agree to the will of the majority, therefore a significant step

toward self-government, especially via town meetings2. Compact becomes important precedent for developing

written constitutions

3. First Thanksgiving 1621

D. Spanish and French settlements and long-term influence

1. Spanish

a. settlements

1. Spain built presidios and missions to establish control overwhat is today American southwest and Florida but

eventually lost control to the growing United States2. Spanish control in Central and South America and the

Caribbean remained until 1820s when most nations were

able to achieve independence (i.e. before and after English

control of North American colonies)b. long-term influence

1. many Indian cultures lost but not entirely; tremendous

influence considering language, religion, social customs2. French

a. settlements

1. French empire in the New World covered vast amounts ofterritory in North America

2. government was autocratic and centralized, which seemed

like a strength but proved to be a weakness3. French in North America concentrated on fur trade rather

than large permanent settlements like the English

4. rivalries with England and Spain eventually caused France

to lose (and sell) her New World Empire, therefore, todayonly pockets in United States and islands (New Orleans,

Martinique, Haiti); Quebec, Acadians) remain

b. long-term influence1. Jesuits who came to Christianize Indians were valuable

explorers and geographers and helped map North America

2. Fur trade extinguished beaver population, changed Indiansway of life

3. primarily cultural influence in the areas listed above

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E. American Indians

1. Bering Strait theory on how Siberians crossed what was then a land bridgeand over thousands of years filtered down into North and South American

continents

2. As centuries passed, migrants split into hundreds of tribes, some of whichdeveloped highly advanced civilizations, especially in Central and South

America

a. Indians lived as subject peoples in three great empires - Aztecs,Incas, and Mayans

3. Settlements in North America were mostly small, scattered and

impermanent and tribes lived off the land farming, hunting, and fishing

depending on the environmenta. Iroquois Confederation an example of a powerful union of tribes

who banded together to end war among tribes

4. In the Indian/European exchange that took place after 1492

a. Indian population decimated by 90% within a hundred years,primarily due to diseases they didnt have immunity against,

though also through conquestb. important North American crops include tobacco, corn, beans, and

tomatoes, potatoes, which revolutionized international economy

and fed peoples of Europe

c. Indians lives change with introduction of horse, domesticatedanimals, attractiveness of fur trade

5. Conflict between Indians and Europeans

a. Eurocentrismb. struggle for land

c. beliefs about nature and role of man

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