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Exploration in the Americas
Who were the first Americans?
• Native American cultures were here before the Europeans arrived.
• “[They] had hundreds of societies, millions of people, whose experience
had told them that the world was a pretty diverse place. Walk for a day in
any direction and what do you find: A tribe with a whole new set of gods,
a language as distinct from your own as Tibetan is from Dutch—very little,
in fact, that’s even slightly familiar.” Louise Erdrich, an American writer.
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The Europeans Arrive
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Native Americans ways of life began to change forever after 1492 when
Christopher Columbus explored islands in the Caribbean Sea.
Spanish and French Claims to the Americans: During the 1500’s Spanish settlers
spread out across the Americas. They often enslaved native peoples, forcing them
to work in mines or on farms under harsh conditions.
English Colonists Grow Powerful: English settlers established 13 colonies along the
Atlantic Coast where they came to start new lives, be free from debt, own land and
practice their religion freely. Jamestown, Virginia was the first English Settlement.
1619 the first Africans arrived as indentured servants. Later about 1640 Africans
were brought as slaves and many were forced to work on plantations.
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Break with Britain
• Patriots such as Samuel Adams, Thomas Paine, and Patrick
Henry encouraged colonists to rebel against British rule,
and the Revolutionary War began in 1775. Thomas
Jefferson wrote the official Declaration of Independence.
• George Washington our first president led the American
forces to victory in 1781.
• The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783 and it made
American independence official for the 13 new states.
• The Constitution, approved in 1789, established a
government of three branches in which the government’s
powers are limited and citizens have rights that the
government cannot take away.
Growth and Conflict
A Growing Nation
• 1803 President Jefferson bought all the land between the
Mississippi River and the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
from France. This sale of land was called the Louisiana Purchase
and it doubled the size of the United States. Not much was known
about the land so Lewis and Clark were sent to explore it.
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Nation Prospers
• More room to Grow: In 1836 American settlers in the Mexican
territory of Texas rebelled against Mexican authority. Mexicos new
leader Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna marched twards San Antonio
to put down the rebellion. Even though Santa Anna would defeat
the Texans at the Alamo and Goliad he would lose decisively to Sam
Houston, the leader of the Texas volunteers, and his men at the
Battle of San Jacinto on April 21st, 1836. The territory was named
the Lone Star Republic of Texas. In 1845, Texas became a part of
the United States.
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The Industrial Revolution
• Many immigrants were pouring into cities in the
Northeast. This movement was spurred by the
Industrial Revolution, or the change from making
goods by hand to making them by machine. The first
industry to change was clothmaking, or textiles. By
1860 railroads linked most major Northeastern and
Southeastern cities.
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The Civil War and Reconstruction
• In the late 1700s, a new machine called the
cotton gin was invented. It quickly removed
seeds from cotton, which made the crop more
profitable. Growing cotton still required many
laborers for planting and harvesting. Since
plantation owners relied on slaves, that meant
that slavery would spread into the new
territories.
Causes of Conflict
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Until 1850, there were equal numbers of slave and free states in the United States.
Thousands of Northerners became abolitionists, people who wanted to end
slavery. Many helped slaves escape to Canada where slavery was illegal.
When Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860 many Southerners feared
they would have little say in government. Some Southern sates seceded, or
withdrew, from the United States. They founded the Confederate States of
America, or the Confederacy.
Conflict Erupts into War: In 1861 the Civil War between the North and the South
erupted and lasted 4 years. The Civil War ended with a Union victory in 1865.
Lincoln wanted the Southern states to return willingly to the Union. This was the
step for the Reconstruction or rebuilding of the nation.
Less than a week after the was Lincoln was assassinated and Congress took control
of Reconstruction. As soon as the Union Army withdrew southern lawmakers
voted to segregate the blacks from the whites. Segregation affected all aspects of
life for nearly a hundred years.