Download European Exploration Colonization

European
Exploration & Colonization
A spirit of
was
brewing throughout Europe in the
1400’s, 1500’s, 1600’s,….
One way they could show their
strength was to
The “Big Three” countries in Europe
who were competing for land were
All three countries explored for
the same reasons--“The Three G’s”
North American Territories
Russia
Britain
France
Spain
Spanish in North America
Reasons:
• Gold – wealth looking for gold; conquistadors
• God – religion spread influence of Catholic
Church; convert Native Americans; built missions
• Glory – power looking for route to Asia; gain
colonies
Spanish in North America
• West Indies;
Mexico; Florida;
Southwest United
States; Texas;
Central America and
South America
• built missions to
convert Native
Americans
Spanish in North America
Negative Consequences:
• diseases
• slavery (Native American and
Africans)
• forced Native
Americans to convert
to Catholic religion
• authoritarian
government
• guns
Positive/Lasting Contributions:
• language (place names: Rio Grande,
San Antonio etc..)
• religion (Catholic Church)
• ranching industry (horses &
cattle)
• mining industry
• architecture (1 to 2 story houses,
sloped roofs, wooden boards or brick)
• cash crop agriculture (people
owning and working their own land,
growing crops to sell for profit)
French in North America
Reasons:
• Gold – wealth looking for gold; fur trade
• God – religion spread influence of Catholic
Church
• Glory – power gain colonies and look for NW
passage across northern part of North
America to East Asia
French in North America
• St. Lawrence River;
Great Lakes; Mississippi
River; Missouri River
• Louisiana
• Canada
• built towns along
waterways centers of
trade and commerce
• settlements and land
claims spread from the
north toward the south
along navigable river
systems
French in North America
• Adapted to the Native American way of life to
encourage trade: French fur traders and other
merchants established trading posts, learned
native languages, dressed like the natives, and
tried to establish friendly relations.
French in North America
Negative Consequences:
• diseases
• peasant system of
farming
• fur trade
• guns
Positive/Lasting Contributions:
• language (Louisiana)
• religion (Catholic Church missionaries
lived peacefully in Native American
villages)
• architecture (2 story houses
covered porches wrought iron railings)
• respect for Native American
culture
Dutch in North America
Reasons:
• Gold – wealth looking for gold; fur trade
• God – religion Catholic Church
• Glory – power gain colonies
Dutch in North America
• Hudson River in
New York
• founded New
Amsterdam
present day New
York City
Dutch in North America
Negative Consequences:
• diseases
• fur trade
• guns
Positive/Lasting Contributions:
• language (place names: Harlem,
Bronx, Catskills Mts.)
• religion (Catholic Church)
• architecture (brick houses with
steep roofs)
English in North America
Reasons:
• Gold – wealth looking for gold; tobacco way to
make money Jamestown Colony 1607
• God – freedom of religion; Protestant Church
Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony 1620
• Glory – power gain colonies
English in North America
• established strong
settlements along east
coast Atlantic Ocean
• Original 13 Colonies
• After initial settlement
of Jamestown (all men)
whole families moved
to established new lives
built towns that were
similar to English
villages.
English in North America
• settled in area to live and farm or trade
• At first wanted to get along with Native
Americans until they got in their way of
further settlement – then they used force to
remove them so that other English could
settle more easily.
English in North America
Negative Consequences:
• diseases
• conflicts with Native
Americans (taking land,
fencing fields, cutting down
trees and killing game)
• imported African
slaves
• tobacco industry
• guns
Positive/Lasting Contributions:
• American concepts of law &
government (self-government,
representative assemblies, written laws,
equality under the law)
• language
• religion (diversity, freedom of
religion)
• architecture (1 to 2 story houses,
sloped roofs, wooden boards or brick)
• cash crop agriculture (people
owning and working their own land,
growing crops to sell for profit)
Spain, France and England
• All three nations were competitive in their
attempts to gain new colonies.
• All three nations were laying claims to the
same territories in North America.
• All three nations were trying to “out do” the
others in a search for wealth and power.
Key Questions
1. Do people ever have the right to take
another’s property? If so, when? If not, why
not? Why did Europeans believe they had the
right to take and use land that had been
Native American land?
2. Within a few generations of the European's
arrival, the Native American population of the
Americas was reduced by 90%. What caused
this decrease? Was it essential? Is this an
example of genocide? Was the purpose of
European colonization to spread civilization or
promote national interest?
3. Between 1500 and 1750, the nations of Western
Europe took over almost all of North and South
America. Between 1750-1900, they did the same in
Asia and Africa. They claimed to have done so to
spread Christianity and their idea of civilization. The
greatest immediate changes that resulted from this
conquest and colonization were that the natives in
these areas became poorer while Europe became
immensely rich and powerful. Do you think the
Europeans were being honest when they claimed to
be doing this for the good of Native Americans?
Explain.