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CHAPTER 2 PREVIEW
A Look Back at the First Americans
Chapter 2: Exploring the Americas
The first Americans were probably migratory hunters who came
from Asia by crossing a land bridge during the last ice age. They
gradually spread throughout the continents of North and South
America. This process took thousands of years.
Agriculture allowed complex civilizations to develop in Central and
South America. These civilizations built long-lasting roads and
monuments like the pyramids of the Aztec and Maya. They had
cities, laws, religion, and art.
The Native Americans in North America developed many different
cultures due to their adaptation to different environments. There
were hundreds of different tribes with distinct ways of life,
languages, and religious beliefs. Some tribes were nomadic while
others formed permanent communities. The tribes from the Plains
of North America hunted buffalo and lived in teepees. The Iroquois
lived mainly in New York. They lived in longhouses and their main
source of food was cultivated crops.
The new interest in learning during the Renaissance also spurred
exploration. Europeans wanted goods from Asia, such as silk, spices,
and gold. European countries grew in wealth, power, and
technology.
European explorers tried to find shortcuts to Asia by sea because
overland routes were slow. One of these explorers, Christopher
Columbus, sailed west and "found" the New World. This had
important effects for Europe and the Americas.
Spanish conquistadors took over a large empire in the Americas,
conquering both the Aztec and the Incan empires. They came to the
New World for different reasons: profit, adventure, and religion.
As Spain grew wealthy from its American colonies, other European
countries explored North America, trying to find a Northwest
Passage by sea to Asia and to establish profitable colonies.
Timeline of Events
RENAISSANCE
A period of artistic and
intellectual creativity
and learning. It was also
an era of exploration.
COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE
An exchange of plants, animals, diseases,
and ideas between the Old World and the
New World. Europe and the Americas got
new food crops, but millions of Native
Americans died from new diseases.
1492
Columbus found the
“New World” and
spread the news to
Europe.
1500
1400
1600
HERNÁN CORTÉS
Conquered the
Aztec Empire in
1521.
JOHANES GUTENBERG
Invented a printing press
with movable type. Books
were easily produced and
knowledge spread. (1439)
FERDINAND MAGELLAN
Led an expedition that
circumnavigated the world.
(1519)
HENRY HUDSON
FRANCISCO PIZARRO
Conquered the Incan
Empire in 1533.
Found the Hudson River while
working for Holland. He was
looking for the Northwest
Passage. (1609)
Important events, people, and vocabulary
What are the Three G’s? Explain each one.
Reasons for
exploration
“Gold, God, and Glory”
 Gold = money, profit, jobs
 God = religious freedom or to
convert others
 Glory = adventure, fame
What did he do?
Francisco
Pizarro
What happened? Why was it important?
Columbus “found” America and spread
news of it in Europe.
1492
Columbian
Exchange
Effect of
European
contact on
Native
Americans
What did he do?
Ferdinand
Magellan
Led an expedition that sailed around the
world. Magellan did not complete the
voyage—he was killed in the Philippines.
What is it? What effect did it have on Europe and the
Americas?
What did he do? What was his nickname?
The exchange of goods, ideas, and diseases
between the Old and New Worlds. This
meant new foods for Europe. Native
Americans did not have any immunity to
European diseases.
Spanish priest who spoke out about how
the Spanish colonists were treating the
Native Americans. He was called “Protector
of the Indians”.
Las Casas
What was the most important effect on Native
Americans?
European contact led to the death of
millions of Native Americans due to
European diseases like small pox.
What was it? Why were explorers searching for it?
Northwest
Passage
What did he do?
A water shortcut to Asia through North
America that early explorers attempted to
find.
What did he do? Why is it important to us?
Spanish conquistador who conquered the
Aztec Empire.
Hernán Cortés
Spanish conquistador who conquered the
Incan Empire.
Henry Hudson
The British explorer was working for the
Netherlands when he found the Hudson
River. This led to the colony of New
Netherland, which was later taken over by
Britain and became New York.