when worlds collide, 1492-1590 out of many chapter 2
TRANSCRIPT
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, 1492-1590
Out of Many Chapter 2
How did social change in Europe contribute to European expansion overseas?
The Expansion of Europe
First Contact
We all know that Columbus’ journey in 1492 was the first time European explorers landed in the “new world”
But was it really?? There is archeological
evidence that suggests perhaps there were earlier encounters with the native people of the region, particularly in Newfoundland, by the Norse
Before Exploration: European Societies Agricultural; peasant farmers
During the centuries preceding European exploration of the Americas, Europeans were making great advancement in farming technologies Water mills, iron plows, livestock harnesses, crop rotation
Village people; lived in households Labor roles based on gender
Ladies were furnished with dowries, but usually left out of inheritance
Feudalism Roman catholic; some Jewish (fled Palestine) Poor diets, malnourished
Bread & porridge, seasonal veggies, and occasional fish/meat
After the Plague…
The bubonic plague (“Black Death”) struck Europe during the mid 1300s 1/3 of western European population died
European economy showed the ability to recover Commerce expanded to include trading in cereals,
timber, minerals, salt, wine, fish, & wool Stimulated the growth of markets & towns
By 1500, Europe had fully recovered from the plague
European monarchs aligned themselves with merchants which ultimately gave them an extraordinary capacity to generate capital for overseas expansion
The Crusades
Series of great military battles sanctioned by the Catholic Church to try & regain Palestine
Conquest by the end of the 11th century provided Europeans with access to new materials/spice like silk, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, & pepper
Asian civilization also provided new innovations that the Europeans adapted Compass, gunpowder, & printing
with movable type “three greatest inventions
known to man” –Francis Bacon
The Renaissance
After the Crusades, Europeans now had access to previously lost religious texts that had been conserved in Muslim libraries
The revival of interest in classical antiquity sparked the period of intellectual & artistic flowering in Europe during the 14th, 15th, & 16th centurieswas known as the Renaissanceperiod Human-centered perspective Critical component of the spirit
that motivated the explorationof the Americas
Portuguese Explorations
Portugal was the first to send explorers off to distant lands
Prince Henry, “the Navigator” Started a school with the brightest geographers & instrument
makers By mid-fifteenth century, they knew the world to be spherical
Idea that Columbus thought the world was flat when he sailed on his voyage is a myth
Created a faster & better-handling ship called a caravel & later armed it with cannons
Portuguese explored the Atlantic coast of NW Africa Colonized the Atlantic islands of the Azures and the
Madeiras 1488, Dias rounded Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) to
find a new trading route with Indies 1498, Da Gama reached the Indies Established the Atlantic slave trade
Columbus Reaches the Americas
Columbus wanted to find a shorter trade route to the Indies by sailing west across the Atlantic
Needed royal backing, but denied by Portuguese, French, & English monarchs Said Columbus’ calculations were wrong
Finally gets approval from Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain (Castile & Aragon) Nation thrived on military conquest &
they were looking for new land to conquer
Myth: Queen Isabel pawned her royal jewels to finance the trip
Fact: Italian merchants invested in the trip
Columbus embarked on “the Enterprise of the Indies”
Columbus’ Intentions
Very commercial, but more than that Goal was to occupy & settle any lands
Wanted to claim them by right of Conquest for Spain
Intentions were also very much imperial
The Voyage
The vessels left Spain in August 1492 Stopped for some time in the Canary Islands
before moving eastward In October, came upon the
Bahamas Explored the islands of Cuba
& Hispaniola before headingback to Spain to tell of hisdiscoveries
Probably the most importantdiscovery that Columbus made wasthe clockwise motion of the Atlantic currents & wind patterns
He would make a total of 4 voyages to the Americas before his death in 1506
The Tainos
Tainos were the native people of theCaribbean
Columbus brought a group of them back with him to Spain
According to Columbus, they were “of a very acute intelligence” and had “no iron or steel weapons”
Proposed that they could be made into slaves Were treated very poorly by Spaniards
Stole food Abused the people Took women from their husbands & families Captured and sent to be slaves in Spain (most got sick &
died) In 1942, there were approx. 300,000 Tainos. But, by
the 1520s, they had effectively been eliminated as a people
What factors contributed to the defeat of the Aztecs and Incas by European forces?
The Spanish in the Americas
Spanish Invasion of the Americas
By the early 1600s, the Spanish had created a huge and wealthy empire in the Americas
First stages were very violent Natives did not have the same quality/strength of weapons as
the Spanish Forced into labor (essentially slavery)
Bahamas – depleted of population in search of slaves Hispaniola – depleted of gold resources Puerto Rico, Jamaica, & Cuba – invaded in search of gold 1511: Spanish invaded C. America 1517: Spanish landed in Mexico & ran into the Aztecs Hernan Cortes overthrew the Aztec empire
Superior military weapons Made alliances with natives who were unhappy with the
Aztecs Aztecs also suffered from a smallpox epidemic
Opposition to Violence Not all Europeans agreed with the treatment of the native
peoples in the Americas “On what authority have you waged a detestable war against
these people, who dwelt quietly on their own land?” “Are these Indians not men...Are you not obliged to love them as
you love yourselves?” In 1500, Columbus was shackled and sent back to Spain as a
prisoner for the way he was treating the natives & running the colonies
Bartolome de Las Casas Moral figure in early history of the Americas “the entire human race is one” cruelties against the natives essentially genocide
Not all natives died at the hand of war Some died due to lack of food Low birthrates
Too tired from work; induced abortions; killed their own kids Smallpox & other diseases
Intercontinental Exchange
Passage of diseases Smallpox, influenza, plague, measles, & typhus
Precious metals Took artifacts from the natives & melted them down Silver from Mexican & Peruvian mines (used for coins)
Crops/Food Corn & potatoes = miracle food that helped end
famine in Europe New to Old:
Tobacco, Vanilla, Chocolate, Cotton Old to New:
Sugar, Rice, Coffee, Horses
The First Europeans in N. America
Ponce de Leon First to go to North America in search of more slaves Landed in Florida; claimed all of the land for Spain
There were many invasion attempts from the Spanish, however, they were typically pushed back by the natives
Their presence had introduced epidemic diseases that depopulated & undermined the natives in southern North America
The Spanish were searching forCibola – the city of gold When they failed to locate it, they
lost all interest in the southwest partsof North America
Spanish “New World” Empire By 1600s some 250,000 European immigrants
had settled in the Americas Spain & Portugal the primary colonizers at the
time Treaty of Tordesillas
Divided the Americas between Spain & Portugal Spain got the better end of the deal
Few Spanish women came to the new world, so many Spanish men married natives creating a mixed race (mestizos or mulattoes)
Made up one of the largest empires in this history of the world
What differences were there among Spanish, English, and French patterns of colonization?
Northern Explorations & Encounters
Northern Explorations & Encounters French
Looking for NW passage to the Indies Found the St. Lawrence river – connected them to
Great Lakes, & ultimately the OH & MS rivers Encounters with Natives
Woodland Indians More about commerce than conquest
Indians appreciated the textiles, glass, copper, & ironware the Europeans had to offer
Europeans interested in furs – supply depleted in Europe Somewhat uneven trades: furs would sell for 10x-20x the
amount in Europe Spread of epidemic diseases Indians adapted metal knives, kettles, & firearms to
their way of life
Northern Explorations & Encounters English
John Cabot, Italian sea captain Explored the coast of
Newfoundland in 1497 Never followed up on
his explorations Had too many
problems at home
Protestant Reformation
German priest Martin Luther publically proclaimed his differences with the Roman Catholic Church Declared eternal salvation a gift from God, not related to
works/service Attracted followers all over NW Europe who were
persecuted by Catholic authorities John Calvin developed the theory of predestination
Stated that God had selected a chosen number of men/women for salvation, while condemning the rest to eternal damnation
Huguenots, French followers of Calvin, were behind the first French attempts at colonization in the new world
Worried the Spanish; though they had no intentions of colonizing FL, they were fearful of the threat against their gold/silver routes
16th Century England King Henry VIII
Support the Catholic Church at first Became frustrated with the amount of land & property
Rome held in England When Rome would not annul Henry’s marriage to
Queen Catherine (daughter of Isabel & Ferdinand), hedenounced the Catholic Church
Queen Elizabeth After Henry’s death, her younger brother & older sister
both took the throne and died Tolerated a variety of views within the church Spanish monarch swore to overthrow her
Irish Invasion England needed a place for all of the uprooted citizens
that were homeless in the major cities Decided to subdue Irish Catholics & settle the homeless
there on their lands (“wild Irish”)
English Claims
In the 1570s and 1580s, under Queen Elizabeth, England challenged Spanish shipping in both the Atlantic & Pacific oceans
Sir Francis Drake Attacked Spanish ships Seized gold and silver Attacked Spanish settlements
on the coast of Peru Sir Walter Raleigh
1587, Attempted to establish a settlement at Roanoke Island (off NC coast)
Venture failed Both were known as “sea
dogs”
The Spanish Armada, 1588
King Philip II of Spain was outraged that England was attempting to invade the “new world”
Sent a fleet of 130 ships to invade the British Isles England chose the cloak of a storm as their opportunity
to attack By defeating the large Spanish fleet, England had
gained a reputation as a major naval power
Conclusions
The Spanish opened the era of European colonization in the Americas with Columbus’s voyage in 1492
By the end of the 16th century, however, they had not succeeded in establishing any lasting colonial communities.
Left it open for other countries to colonize.
“Not So”
You are going to be divided up into 5 groups. As a group, either assign one person the task
of reading, or decided to break up the reading amongst the group members
Once you have finished reading the article, have a group discussion about your thoughts on the article.
Break up into pairs (it’s ok if you pair up with someone from another group)
As a pair, you will answer the following questions on a sheet of paper.
Discuss the following questions as they apply to the article: What appears to be the author’s motive or purpose in writing
about this issue? Does the author take a position on the issue? What evidence does the author give to support his position?
Make sure to fully describe the type of evidence he uses and give specific examples from the article. Facts? Opinions? Cause/Effect Relationships?
What does the author conclude about the issue & controversy?
State YOUR conclusion, being sure to include the following: Do you agree or disagree with the author’s position and the
evidence he offered to support it? Were any of the facts, opinions or cause/effect relationships faulty? Did his arguments and evidence convince you of his position?
What other evidence can you cite pertaining to this issue (such as your textbook, other readings or material presented in class)? Give SPECIFIC examples and sources of the other evidence that you use to support your conclusion.