3º ESO

Topic Six:
The discovery of America
 Exploration and Expansion Spices were in high
demand in 15th century.
They were used by
Europeans to flavor
their food, to preserve
their meats, to make
medicines, and even in
perfumes.
These nations began to
look at other ways of
transporting spices into
Western Europe.
Many adventurous businessmen began to look at the sea. If they could find a way to sail
from Europe to Asia over the sea, they could make a fortune.
During dark ages both Western Europe, and China began to send out explorers in an effort to
learn about the world around them. These explorers helped to expand the knowledge of
their people.
As a result of their explorations, trade routes opened up between civilizations. Each nation
specialized in certain types of products and goods. These goods would be shipped to far
away nations, in exchange for the goods that they specialized in. Spices from Asia could only
reach Europe by going around Africa, and through the Italian Peninsula.
Sailors were limited by what they could
see. If they traveled out into the open
ocean, away from land, they would get
lost. They used landmarks along the coast
to help them navigate. Thus they were
forced to stay near the coastlines.
Between 1100 A.D. and 1400 A.D. new
technologies emerged, which helped to
overcome many of these problems. The
astrolabe, which was invented by the
Arabians, helped sailors measure objects
in the sky such as stars, planets, the
moon, and Sun. Using star charts helped
them to then determine their location.
The compass, which was
invented by the Chinese, helped
them to track what direction
they were traveling.
Maps also began to improve.
For centuries the maps used by
travelers had been very
inaccurate.
The final invention that allowed
sailors to travel further from
home was that of the triangle
shaped sail. This new type of
sail allowed ships to harness the
power of the wind to travel in
any direction.
Driven by a desire to find an overseas route to
B. Dias
India, Prince Henry The Navigator worked Expedition
tirelessly to advance the exploration efforts of
his father’s kingdom. He also funded a
number of important expeditions into the
Atlantic Ocean, and down the west coast of
Africa.
In 1488 Bartolome Diaz and his men arrived
at the southern tip of Africa, which was later
named The Cape of Good Hope. Dias’
bravery helped prove that is was possible to
reach Asia by sailing around the tip of Africa.
Following in the foot steps of Bartholomeu
Dias, another explorer left Portugal in 1497
hoping to sail around Africa, and reach India.
This explorer was Vasco Da Gama. Da Gama
set out with four ships from his homeland in
Portugal. Ten months later, he and his men
arrived in Calicut, India. Vasco Da Gama and
his men returned to Portugal as heroes.
Christopher Columbus
Traveling to India around the
southern tip of Africa was
dangerous and difficult. An Italian
sailor by the name of Christopher
Columbus proposed finding a new
route by sailing West. Columbus
thought that if they sailed West,
they would eventually circle the
globe, and arrive in Eastern Asia.
For seven years, Christopher
Columbus traveled around Europe
looking for someone who would
finance his journey.
Finally, Columbus arrived in Spain.
King Ferdinand, and Queen
Isabella were anxious to prove that
Spain could be as powerful and
successful as their neighbor
Portugal.
In August of 1492 they granted Christopher Columbus the supplies, men, and ships that he
needed to carry out his expedition. Columbus was given three sailing ships. These ships
were named the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
Columbus’ men were terrified that they
would be lost at sea, and that they would
suffer starvation. As the days wore on,
these men began to turn against him.
Columbus was forced to agree to turn
back, if they did not find land within three
days.
On the night of the second day, just before
he would have had to turn around, land
was sighted. Columbus and his men
discovered an island in the Caribbean,
which they named Española. This Island is
the location of the present day nations of
Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Columbus did not realize that he had arrived in a new part of the world. He was convinced
that he was in India. For this reason, he called the natives who lived on these islands the
Indians.
Columbus returned to the Americas three more times.
It was not until 1507 that people began to realize
that what Columbus had discovered was not a new
route to India, but instead was a completely new
world. The first person to suggest that this was the
case was an Italian explorer by the name of Amerigo
Vespucci.

Because he was the first to realize that a new

world had been discovered, map makers began
calling this new land the ‘Americas’ in honor of
him.
Up to this time the two major powers exploring the world were Spain and Portugal.
These nations worried that their new territories would be taken by each other, or by
others. In order to protect their new empires these nations looked to the Pope for help.
In 1493 the Pope drew a line
on the globe cutting the new
world in half. This line was
known as the line of
demarcation. Any territory
discovered on the East side of
the line was to be controlled
by Portugal, while any lands
found on the West side of the
line were to be ruled over by
Spain.
In 1494 Spain and Portugal
signed a treaty moving the
line further West. This treaty
was known as the Treaty of
Tordesillas, and divided the
new world between these two
powers.
 Hernan Cortes
In 1519 a Spanish explorer by the
name of Hernan Cortes left his
home in Cuba in order to explore
Mexico. Cortez was convinced
that he could obtain more riches
on the mainland, than was
possible by remaining on the
islands in the Caribbean.
Cortez and over 500 men arrived in Mexico, and began traveling towards the Aztec capital of
Tenochtitlan. The Aztec Empire was wealthy, and in many ways more advanced than any
European nation. However, they did not have horses, nor did they have guns. This gave the
Spaniards a huge advantage.
In addition, many of the peoples who had been conquered by the Aztecs were unhappy
about the way the had been treated by them. The Aztecs were brutal, and often sacrificed
the people they conquered to their gods. As a result, many of these people joined forces
with Cortes.
At first the Aztecs did not fight
back. They thought that the
Europeans were the fulfillment
of an ancient legend that spoke
of white bearded gods.
After seeing the wealth of their
empire Cortes set out to take
control of it. Within just a few
years, he and his small army
were able to defeat one of the
most advanced civilizations of
the era, setting Cortes as the
ruler of Mexico, in behalf of
Spain.
 Francisco Pizarro
A few years after Cortez conquered the
Aztec Empire, Francisco Pizarro discovered
another wealthy empire in Peru known as
the Inca Empire.
Pizarro was able to
capture the Incan
King, Atahualpa, and
hold him ransom.
After the Incas paid
Pizarro a ransom for
the release of their
leader, Pizarro had
Atahualpa put to
death, along with
other top leaders in
the Incan
Government. The
result was that the
Incan Empire also
fell.
 Magallanes and Elcano

In 1519 a Portuguese (Magellan) and a Spaniard (Elcano) sailor set sail from Seville
in an effort to sail around the globe. This expedition was funded by Spain. After
Magellan and his 260 men and five ships reached South America, they began looking
for a way through the continent to the other side. After several months, they finally
discovered the Southern Tip of South America, which is now known as the Straight
of Magellan.
 As Magellan
traveled through
these rough waters
one of his ships
became separated,
and was forced to
return to Spain.
Another ship
crashed on a rocky
island. The three
remaining ships
traveled for several
more months, and
finally made it to
the Philippians.
Magellan became involved in a local dispute with a tribal king, and was killed. His remaining
crew of 18 men, led by Elcano, sailed back to Spain, arriving home after being gone for three
years.
This expedition was costly in both cost of goods, as well as cost of life. However, it was
important, because it was the first time anyone had managed to sail around the entire globe.
 Dutch exploration
In 1621 leaders in the Netherlands sent an explorer by the name of Henry Hudson to
North America, in search of suitable land for setting up colonies.
While Spain and Portugal had dominated exploration, other nations also began to send
out explorers. One of these nations was the Netherlands.
In the late 1500s the Dutch enjoyed one of
the highest standards of living among all
the Europeans. They had grown wealthy
through trade and commerce. However,
their homeland was small, and there was
little room for farming or manufacturing. In
order to maintain their wealth, the Dutch
decided to look at colonizing new lands.
The most important of these colonies was New
Amsterdam, which would eventually become
New York.
Henry Hudson explored much of the region
around New Amsterdam, and also discovered the
Hudson Bay.
 English exploration

England also sent out explorers to find new land and

wealth in the new world. In 1497 King Henry VI sent a
captain by the name of John Cabot. He explored
Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New England
In 1606 King James I of England allowed a group of
merchants known as the Virginia Company to send
settlers lead by Captain John Smith to the new world in
search of treasure and wealth. This group explored the
coast of New England, and within a year established the
first permanent English settlement in the new world,
which they named Jamestown. Jamestown was located in
present day Virginia. But life was still difficult . Things
became a little easier when a settler by the name of John
Rolfe married Pocahontas, the daughter of the
Algonquian chief. Anyway, life remained very difficult for
decades to come.