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U.S. History to Reconstruction
Unit 1 – Age of Discovery
Native Histories Before Conquest
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Roughly 20,000 years ago, Siberian hunters became first
American inhabitants
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Crossed over the land bridge created between Russia and
Alaska
May have crossed following migration of hunted animals
Small hunter-gatherer societies
By c. 12000 BCE, reached tip of South America
Paleo-Indians did not suffer from many communicative
diseases
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May have been do to geographical isolation
They also did not domesticate animals
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Migration routes c. 18000 BCE
Native Histories Before Conquest
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Native Americans enjoyed an abundant supply of meat
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Agricultural Revolution (c. 3000 BCE)
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Some suggest they over-hunted and caused the extinction of
several large species
Climatic warming probably played a much bigger role
Crops included maize, squash, and beans
Shift to permanent villages and large cities
Adena and Hopewell peoples (1000 BCE – 700 CE)
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Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys
Large ceremonial mounds
Extensive trade network
Native Histories Before Conquest
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Anasazi culture (c. 700-1130)
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Based out of Chaco Canyon (New Mexico)
Built impressive pueblo structures
Sophisticated irrigation systems
Well-built roads for transportation
Cahokia (c. 600–1400)
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Mississippi River Valley
Large ceremonial mounds
Built over 120 mounds (only 80 still survive)
Far-flung trade network
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Monk’s Mound near Collinsville, Ill.
Native Histories Before Conquest
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Mayans (c. 2000 BCE – 1500 CE)
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Settled in the Yucatán Peninsula and central America
Built vast cities
Large government bureaucracies
Developed astronomy and mathematics
Developed a solar calendar
Incas (c. 1200-1533)
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Settled in the Andes Mountains
Created a vast empire with government bureaucracy
Built Machu Picchu (c. 1450)
Terrace-styled agriculture and irrigation
Native Histories Before Conquest
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Aztecs (c. 1300-1500)
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Warrior culture that settled in the Valley of Mexico
Ruled through fear and force
Created a large, powerful empire
Highly-organized social and political structure
Capital city was Tenochtitlán (modern day Mexico City) and
held approximately 250,000 people
Participated in human sacrifice to please their gods
Practiced cannibalism possibly as a way to commune with the
gods
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Aztec sacrifice and cannibalism
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(Florentine Codex, 1570)
Native Histories Before Conquest
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Eastern Woodland Cultures
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Atlantic coast of North America
Native Americans lived in smaller bands
Agriculture supplemented by hunting and gathering
Likely were the first natives encountered by English settlers
Eastern Confederacies
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Formed mainly in response to the invasion of the white man
Huron - Southern Ontario near Lakes Ontario and Erie
Iroquois - Central New York
Powhattan - Chesapeake
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Locations of Major Indian Groups c.1600s
Vikings and the New World
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The first European “discoverers” of the New World were
the Vikings
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Germanic people based in Scandinavia
A warrior class society known for its superior ship building
Known for their explorations throughout the north including
Russia to the east
In 860, they began exploring the north Atlantic
Discovered Iceland in 874
Eric the Red (950 - c. 1003)
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Parents were exiled to Iceland on charges of manslaughter
Eric was banished from Iceland for murder in 982
Decided to travel west to Greenland
Vikings and the New World
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A number of Vikings had already been to Greenland
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When he returned to Iceland, he encouraged other
Vikings to settle this new territory
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Erik created the first permanent settlement there in 985
By 1000, there were approximately 1,000-3,000 Vikings living in
Greenland
An epidemic reduced the population dramatically after 1002
The colony remained viable until the 15th century
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Problems with Inuit tribes, pirates, and lost communications
with Norway led to its demise
Vikings and the New World
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Leif Eriksson (c.970 – c.1020)
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Son of Erik the Red
According to the Saga of the Greenlanders, he traveled west of
Greenland
Leif had heard the story of Bjarni Hergelfson who had gotten
lost while out at sea and discovered land farther west than
Greenland
In 1000, he led an expedition to find these lands
Helluland (“Land of the Flat Stones”)
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First land he came to in his exploration
Most likely modern day Baffin Island
Vikings and the New World
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Markland (“Tree-land”)
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Vinland (“Land of the Grapevines”)
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The land here was flat, wooded, with white sandy beaches
Because of the shortage of trees in Greenland, Eriksson’s crew
cut down many trees to bring the wood back to Greenland
Most likely modern day Labrador
He and his crew spent the winter at L’Anse Aux Meadows in
Newfoundland
Archaeologists discovered the remnants of a Viking settlement
from the 11th century
Unfortunately, very few Vikings ever returned to North
America
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This is why the discovery was unknown for so long
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Viking expansion routes
European Colonization
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Portuguese expansion
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During the 15th century, were slowly working their way down
the west coast of Africa
Extended their influence and increased their trade routes
Wanted to find an eastern sea route to the Far East to bypass
the Muslim controlled near east
Set up colonies along their trade routes
Were able to build profitable trade markets for gold, ivory, and
slaves
Bartholomeu Dias (c. 1451-1500)
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In 1488, he was the first to sail around the Cape of Good
Hope
European Colonization
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Vasco de Gama (c. 1460-1524)
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Spanish expansion
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In 1498, successfully rounded the Cape and landed in India
Now the Portuguese had found their eastern sea route
In1469 Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile married
This united Spain, launching it into its golden age
First they had to rid their country of the Moors
Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)
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He was an Genoese sailor
Believed the distance from Europe to Japan sailing west was
3,500 miles
Differed from contemporary estimates of 10,000 to 12,000
miles
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Christopher Columbus
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(1451-1506)
Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)
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Where did he get the estimates from?
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Based on the maps of the 9th century Arab astronomer and
engineer Afraganus
Columbus based his calculations using Italian miles (1,238
meters)
Afraganus had used Arabic miles (1,830 meters)
Thus he thought the world was smaller than it actually was
Many of his peers disagreed with his calculations
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They felt that no ship could carry enough supplies for the
distance
Basically this would be a suicide mission
Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)
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In 1484, Columbus met with King John II of Portugal to
get funding for his voyage
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This was before de Gama’s trip
Columbus knew that John wanted a sea route to the Far East
He requested three ships and the title of “Great Admiral of the
Ocean”
John criticized his calculations and believed the trip would be
too costly
He was rejected a second time in 1488
Columbus also attempted funding from Genoa and Venice
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Both refused as well
Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)
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In 1486, he approached Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain to
fund his trip
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They too was refused
Part of it was due to their war with the Moors
Kept him on retainer to prevent him from taking his plans
elsewhere
When he asked a second time, he was rejected again
In 1491, Columbus made his last plea to Ferdinand and
Isabella
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On January 2, 1492, they finally granted him an audience
This was just after the final defeat of the Moors
Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)
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Ferdinand and Isabella were about to reject him a third
time
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Their treasurer intervened saying that this may be profitable if
Columbus succeeded
Ferdinand agreed to partially fund the voyage
Could not afford to fully finance the trip because of the debt
incurred from their war with the Moors
Instead they agreed to the following terms:
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Columbus would be given the rank of Admiral of the Sea
(Atlantic Ocean)
He would be appointed Viceroy and Governor of any newly
discovered lands
He would receive 10% of any new wealth discovered
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Columbus’ First Voyage (1492-1493)
First Voyage (1492-1493)
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First Voyage (1492-1493)
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Discovery of San Salvador (October 12, 1492)
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Only had three ships: the Pinto, Niña, and Santa Maria
Also had 120 men for his first voyage
Landed in the Bahamas and named it San Salvador
Called the natives “Indians” because he believed he reached the
Indies
He spent the next 10 weeks exploring the area
Discovery of Cuba (October 28, 1492)
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Landed on October 28
Thought was mainland China even though his guides told him it
was an island
First Voyage (1492-1493)
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Discovery of Hispaniola (December 6, 1492)
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Landed on the island of Hispaniola
Exploring the coast and set up a fort in the newly created
town of La Navidad
The fort there was created with the wood from the Santa
Maria when it grounded on a coral reef
Of his men, 39 stayed behind to man the new town
Columbus returned to Spain on March 15, 1493
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He returned with cinnamon, coconuts, parrots, gold, and
kidnapped natives for slaves
Columbus was considered a hero and had no problems
receiving financing for his next voyage
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Columbus’ Second Voyage (1493-1496)
Second Voyage (1493-1496)
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Columbus set sail again on September 25, 1493
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This time he took a more southerly route
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This time he had more than 1200 Spaniards in 17 ships
Along with establishing trade routes, the objectives of this
voyage included colonization and spreading Christianity
Traveled through the Lesser Antilles and to Puerto Rico
On the island of Guadalupe, Columbus learned of the Caniba
tribes who supposed ate their enemies
On November 22, 1493, the fleet arrived at La Navidad
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When they got their, they discovered the inhabitants had been
massacred and the fort burned down
While no one knows what exactly happened, many believed
the extreme greed of the inhabitants angered the natives who
retaliated
Second Voyage (1493-1496)
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Columbus had the new colonists start building a new
town 100 km to the east known as Isabella
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He then explored Hispaniola and Cuba searching for gold
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However, many of these colonists were either ill or balked at
doing manual labor
When he did not find sufficient quantities, he took captives as
slaves instead
He captured over 1,200 Taino Indians from Hispaniola and
put them into forced labor
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550 were crammed into ships to be sent back to Spain, of
which only 350 survived
Second Voyage (1493-1496)
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Many settlers complained to Spanish authorities about
Columbus’ mismanagement of the colony
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Part of this had to do with the lack of opportunities
Part of this had to do with him putting his brother Diego in
charge of La Navidad while he was exploring, and he was very
ineffective
In October 1495, a Spanish official was sent to Hispaniola
to investigate the complaints against Columbus
On March 10, 1496, Columbus had to return to Spain to
preempt any formal charges against him
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He was eventually cleared and was able to prepare for his third
voyage
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Columbus’ Third Voyage (1498-1500)
Third Voyage (1498-1500)
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On May 30, 1498 Columbus set sail once again
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Had a smaller fleet of only six ships and traveled further south
His ships became trapped in the Doldrums
Part of the expedition went to help aid the settlement at
Hispaniola
Columbus took the other part and sailed further south to
continue his explorations
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Went on to discover Trinidad and the Orinoco River in
Venezuela
This was the first time that Columbus had any hint that this
might not be Asia
Third Voyage (1498-1500)
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When Columbus returned to Isabella, he found the
colony in the midst of rebellion
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Many colonists were unhappy that they had not found
immediate riches and demanded land and slaves in return
Columbus had to promise each colonist a plot of land and the
Indians who lived on it in order to end the rebellion
In 1500, Columbus and his brother were arrested by
Spanish authorities
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Charged with mismanagement and were once again forced to
return to Spain
This time, when Columbus arrived at the royal court, all his
titles stripped from him as well as most of his wealth
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Columbus’ Fourth Voyage (1502-1504)
Fourth Voyage (1502-1504)
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De Gama’s route to India allowed the Portuguese to
colonize the region
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Reached modern Indonesia and southern China by 1513
By this point, the Portuguese had also captured African gold
trade
With discovery of an eastern sea route to the Far East,
the Spanish Monarchs were willing to finance a fourth
voyage for Columbus
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Columbus was forbidden to return to Hispaniola and was only
given four ships and 150 crewmen
Fourth Voyage (1502-1504)
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Columbus reached Central America
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Trip was plagued by skirmishes with the Indians and severe
storms
Two of the ships were destroyed (one ran aground and the
other at sea to sea worms)
Wanted to seek refuge in Hispaniola before a hurricane hit but
it was too far away to travel
He moved on to Jamaica where the crew beached the
two ships
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The wood from the ships was used to build a fort to protect
the crew from the natives
The crew was stranded on the island for a year
Columbus and his crew were finally rescued in 1504 and he
returned to Spain
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Voyages of European Exploration
Religious Conflict in Europe
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Commercial center of Europe shifted away from the
ports of the Mediterranean to Atlantic ports,
In the process it magnified religious conflict
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Movement to return the Christian church to the purity of early
Christianity
Europe was in the middle of the Reformation
The countries most involved in the reformation were not able
to focus as much attention to colonialism as Spain or Portugal
Included England, France, and the Netherlands
Spain and Portugal helped spread Catholicism to the
colonies
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Dominant religion in the New World during the 16th century
Spanish Conquest of the New World
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From 1492 to 1518 only modest attempts were made at
settlement
Three decades after 1518 became decades of conquest
where the Spanish:
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Nearly exterminated native peoples of the Caribbean Islands
Toppled and plundered the great Aztec and Inca empires
Controlled territories 10 times its size
Discovered silver mines
Built an oceanic trade
The Portuguese, on the other hand, focused its attention
on an eastern trade route with Asia
Spanish Conquest of the New World
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When Columbus had returned to Spain after his first
voyage, he wrote to Pope Alexander VI
Inter caetera (May 4, 1493)
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Issued by the pope after hearing about the discovery
Drew a north-south line 100 leagues west of the Cape Verdes
Islands giving all lands west to the Spanish
The Portuguese were unhappy as they were not mentioned
and thus could not claim any new lands to the east of this line
Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)
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Signed between Spain and Portugal
Line of demarcation was moved to 270 leagues farther west
No one knew that this would give Portugal claim to Brazil
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Demarcation Lines for Spain and Portugal
Spanish Conquest of the New World
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Independent adventurers were commissioned by Spanish
crown to subdue new lands
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Motivated by religion, nationalist pride, and dreams of personal
enrichment
“We came here to serve God and the King, and also to get
rich” – Spanish foot soldier
By 1510, Spanish immigration to Caribbean was underway
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Over the course of the 16th century, over 250,000 Spaniards
came to the New World
Most of those were young men looking for opportunities in
the New World
This was followed with the importation of African slaves for
sugar plantations
Spanish Conquest of the New World
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Encomienda System
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Labor system used by the Spaniards in the New World
A person would receive large land grants and a certain number
of natives to “educate”
Natives would provide labor or tribute
Major reward for Conquistadors
Became a very corrupt system
Appointed officials answered only to crown
Catholic Church
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Protected some Indian rights
Performed mass conversions
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Hernán Cortés
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(1485-1547)
Spanish Conquest of the New World
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Hernán Cortés (1485-1547)
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He was a Spanish conquistador
Conquest of Mexico
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He left from Cuba in 1519 with the goal of conquering Mexico
Had 11 ships, 550 Spanish soldiers, several hundred native
Cubans, some enslaved Africans, and horses
Technically, the trip was illegal since he had been recalled by
the Cuban governor
When he arrived on the mainland, he gained the support of
local people who had been oppressed by Aztecs
He was also given an interpreter, a Nahuatl woman named
Malinche
Spanish Conquest of the New World
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Destruction of the Aztects
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Spanish extended their dominion over the Mayan people
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Done through the combination of by horses, firearms and a
smallpox epidemic
Cortés destroyed the Aztec empire within two years
After a four month long siege, he took the capital of
Tenotichtitlán
Disease killed off and weakened the native populations even
before the Spanish had arrived
More expeditions were launched into Chile, New
Granada (Colombia), Argentina, and Bolivia in the 1530s
and 1540s
By 1550, most of the major centers of native populations
had been overwhelmed by the Spanish
Spanish Conquest of the New World
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Francisco Pizarro (c. 1471-1541)
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From 1524 to 1532, led three expeditions to Peru
By 1533, he conquered the Incan Empire
This was done with an army of only 168 men
Empire had been riddled by smallpox and weakened by violent
internal divisions
Captured Incan capital of Cuzco in 1533
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Reconstruction of a Taíno village in Cuba
Impact of the Spanish Conquest
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The native populations were forced to endure
subjugation, biological disease, and major ecological
changes
By the late 15th century, it is estimated that the
population of the New World had been between 50 and
70 million
Spanish used military force to subdue the native
populations
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In many cases, they were turned into slaves who were forced
to work in these colonies
Impact of the Spanish Conquest
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Native Americans lacked immunity that the Europeans
had to most diseases
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When the Spanish arrived in the Caribbean, they brought along
such diseases as smallpox and typhus
This triggered smallpox epidemics in the 16th century
throughout the Americas
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In the Caribbean, only 1,000 of the original 3 million Taínos
survived the 1518 outbreak
Half of the 15 million inhabitants in central Mexico died within
15 years of contact
In Valley of Mexico, the heart of Aztec empire, the population
of 1.5 - 3 million before Spanish arrival, was reduced to 70,000
by 1600
Impact of the Spanish Conquest
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Over the next 300 years, 2/3 of the native populations of
the Americas were killed by disease
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Usually within a few generations of contact with the Europeans
Ecological Impact
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Spanish brought grains, fruits, and vegetables with them to be
grown in the New World
Included European grains, such as wheat, rye, and barley
Various European fruits and vegetables were also brought over,
including salad greens, lemons, melons, and grapes
Because these foods were not originally found in the New
World, this also dramatically changed the diets of the native
populations
Impact of the Spanish Conquest
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The Europeans also brought over herd animals
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Included cattle, goats, horses, pigs and sheep which had the
biggest impact
Animals were allowed to graze safely in the grasslands with no
natural predators
They were able to quickly and easily reproduce
The grasslands became overgrazed, stripped away of plant life
This in turn led to topsoil erosion and desertification
Europeans brought over weeds and pests as well
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Weeds traveled in the bags with the seeds for the crops
Included hard to control plants such as clover
Rats and rabbits also came across the ocean along with the
diseases they carried
Impact of the Spanish Conquest
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Europeans were introduced to many new product
Spanish ships brought back to Europe:
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Tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkins, pineapples, squash, peanuts,
beans, and corn (maize)
Guinea pigs, turkeys, llamas, and alpacas
Some of these plants had huge impacts on Europe:
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Tomatoes became a staple of European cuisine
Potatoes helped to quadrupled the yield of calories per acre
and helped contribute to population increase in some areas of
Europe
Maize (Corn) became a staple in Spain, Greece and the Balkans
and spread to Africa and China as early as the 1550s
The Spanish and Silver
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Another big import from the New World was silver
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The Spanish forced natives into mining the silver
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While Spain had hoped to find more gold in the New World,
they were much more successfully in discovering silver,
especially in South America
In areas around the mines, the native communities were
allowed to control their own affairs as long as they provided
labor for the mines
After 1550, most of Spain’s effort was put into extracting
as much silver as possible
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From 1500 to 1650, 16,000 tons of silver was mined
This tripled the amount of European silver
The Spanish and Silver
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The flooding of all this silver led to a “price revolution” in
Europe
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Farmers and merchants did well in this economy
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Decline in the value of silver coins because the supply
exceeded the demand for goods and services
Prices doubled between 1550 and 1600 and rose another 50%
in the next fifty years
Due to the price of food and goods going up
Majority of the population’s wages failed to keep up with prices
There was a major redistribution of wealth and increased
the number of people living in poverty
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This helped to encourage people to immigrate to the Americas
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Ponce de Léon
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(1460-1521)
Spain’s Northern Frontier
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Third area of Spain’s empire was the Northern
borderlands of New Spain
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Present-day Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California and
the Gulf region
Spanish control of this region began in the early 1550’s
Continued until 1821 when Mexico gained its independence
Juan Ponce de Léon (c. 1460-1521)
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Spanish conquistador responsible for the discovery of Florida
He supposedly heard of Fountain of Youth on the island of
Bimini from the natives of Puerto Rico and went in search for
the Fountain
Spain’s Northern Frontier
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Real reason for Léon’s travels:
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In 1513, he launched an expedition and discovered Florida
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He had been removed from office as the Governor of Puerto
Rico
Sought to reclaim his good name by exploring the land to the
north of Cuba
He landed at St. Augustine on April 2, 1513
Named it Tierra La Florida because he landed on Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is Pascua Florida in Spanish
In 1521, he led a second expedition to Florida
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He wanted to create a colony on Florida
His group was attacked by natives and he was mortally
wounded
Spain’s Northern Frontier

Lucas Vasques de Ayllón (c. 1475-1526)
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Spanish explorer who created a short lived settlement in South
Carolina in 1526
His original intent had been to find a northwest passage
In the process, he traveled up the southeast coast into the
James River and Chesapeake Bay areas
In 1523, King Charles I of Spain granted him the ability
establish a settlement in the area within three years

He was also given the duty of Christianizing the natives there
Spain’s Northern Frontier

In June 1526, Ayllón sailed from Santo Domingo, with
three vessels and 600 people
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They founded San Miguel de Guandape in present day South
Carolina (near Jamestown,Va.)
First colony in the U.S. to use African slaves
Ayllón died from fever on October 18, 1526
Because of the spreading fever, hostilities with the natives,
and slaves escaping, the colony was abandoned in
December 1526

Of the 600 original settlers, only 150 made it back to
Hispaniola
Spain’s Northern Frontier

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (c. 1490-c.1557)
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He was one of only four survivors of the Narváez
Expedition
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From 1527 to 1536 he explored what are now the states of
Texas, New Mexico and Arizona on foot from coastal Louisiana
to Sinaloa, Mexico
Had been an expedition into Florida from 1527 to 1528
Was devastated by a hurricane, battles with native populations,
and the death of 596 men
De Vaca lived as a slave to a number of native tribes
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Eventually he gained his freedom and became a trader which
allowed for him to travel between tribes
During this time he developed sympathies for the native
populations
Spain’s Northern Frontier
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In 1537, de Vaca made his way to Mexico City and
returned to Spain
When he returned to Spain, he wrote about his
experiences
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It was published as La Relación (“The Report”) in 1542
When he was not given leadership of the next expedition
into the area, he refused to give any information to
Spanish officials about the areas he traveled in
For next half century, Spaniards planted small settlements
along the coast as far north as Chesapeake Bay
Spain’s Northern Frontier
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Hernán de Soto (c. 1496-1542)
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From 1539 to 1542, led a military expedition into the
homelands of the Creek and Choctaw
In search of gold, silver, and a western land route to China
Traveled throughout the southeast, going as far west as eastern
Texas and north through Tennessee
His expedition was responsible for the deaths of thousands of
Native Americans due to conflicts and disease
De Soto died of a fever enroute
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His body was sunk in the Mississippi at night to keep the
pretense that he was an immortal sun god
Spain’s Northern Frontier
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Beginning in 1559, the Spanish began to build settlements
in the Gulf Region
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The French attempted to settle the area as well
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Many of the Native Americans were enslaved by the settlers
They built a settlement in modern-day Jacksonville, Fl.
In 1565, the Spanish wanted to secure Florida
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They destroyed the settlement in Jacksonville and then built a
fort at St Augustine
This was the first permanent European settlement in North
America
It also became the base of operations for the spread of Spanish
territory and Roman Catholicism
Spain’s Northern Frontier
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Francisco Vásquez de Coronado (1510-1554)
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From 1540 to 1542, explored American southwest
Huge entourage including several hundred Spanish soldiers, a
number of Africans, and a baggage train of 1,300 friendly Native
Americans, servants and slaves
His travels included Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, and
he even got as far north as Great Plains
He failed to find the riches he was after but did open up much
the southwest to Spanish control
Spain’s Northern Frontier
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Don Juan de Oñate (1552-1626)
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In 1598, led an expedition into Pueblo territory
The expedition included 129 soldiers, 500 Spanish settlers and
10 Franciscan friars
Part of this expedition’s objectives was to spread Catholicism
The monks had to blend Catholicism with native culture for
them to accept it
Many Pueblo’s were willing cooperate with the Spanish in
return for their military protection against the Apaches and
access to Spanish livestock
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Spanish Exploration Routes
French Expansion
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First French explorer of the St. Lawrence river was
Jacques Cartier in 1533 and again in 1535
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He had hoped to find a water route to the Orient
He discovered the Indian villages of Stadacona (Quebec) and
Hochelaga (Montreal)
Expansion came to a halt for the rest of the century
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France became involved in a religious civil war (1562–98)
Prevented them from sending any more explorers to the New
World
French Expansion
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Samuel de Champlain (c. 1567-1635)
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From 1601-1603, was sent to explore Cartier’s territories in
greater detail by the French King Henri IV
Champlain was a veteran sailor, a valued cartographer, and had
religious zeal
Helped established the small settlement at Port-Royal, Nova
Scotia in 1605
Established small settlement in Québec in 1608 which became
his base for a number of years
Allied with the local Hurons and Algonquians to help
boost the French fur trade in the area
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French became embroiled in the long time dispute between
them and the Iroquois
French Expansion
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Conflicts with the Iroquois
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Champlain and other French settlers supplied the Huron and
the Algonquian with firearms to gave them the advantage over
the Iroquois
First encounter was in 1609 when Champlain and his allies met
the Iroquois at Lake Champlain
The Iroquois were defeated
Two more encounters led to two more defeats of the Iroquois
In the 1620s the Dutch began to settle the Hudson River
area
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They began trading guns to the Iroquois for fur
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Map of New France by Champlain (1612)
English Expansion
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England was the slowest European power to begin
expansion in the New World
The first expedition to the New World under the English
flag was by an Italian
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In 1497, the explorer Giovanni Caboto (aka John Cabot)
attempted to find a northern sea route to Asia
He discovered Nova Scotia and Newfoundland
This became England’s first claim in North America
However, for the first half of the 16th century, England did
not have the desire nor the means for colonization
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Mainly, the government was interested in fishing rights and
having small home ports for pirates against the Spanish
English Expansion
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In the second half of the 16th century, the economy forced
England to venture in colonization
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The rising production of wool encouraged merchants to look
outside of England for new markets
Also the economic conditions of the average Englishman were
worsening, which encouraged some to look to colonization as
a way to improve their lives
During the reign Elizabeth I (1558-1603) England could
not put the time or money into colonialism
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In 1571, Elizabeth was excommunicated from the Catholic
Church
This increased tensions between her and King Philip II of Spain
England aligned with Protestant nations against Catholic
powers
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Philip II of Spain
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(1527-1598)
English Conflict with Spain
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Involvement in the Revolt of the Netherlands (15681609)
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Philip II had sent 20,000 troops into the Netherlands to
suppress the growing Protestant movement there
To support the Protestants in the Netherlands, Elizabeth began
providing covert aid to Dutch resistance
Philip vowed to punish her once he found out
In 1585, Elizabeth got more actively involved
Sent 6,000 English troops to Netherlands
It was at this point that England was now unofficially at war
with Spain
English Conflict with Spain
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In the New World, English ships were terrorizing Spanish
ships
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Sir Francis Drake and other seamen were shipping contraband
to the Spanish colonies in violation of Philip II’s policies
Also attacked Spanish ships and colonies and taking their booty
Drake actually sailed around the world seizing Spanish treasure
In 1586, he bombarded St. Augustine, looted the city and
started an epidemic among the natives
Spanish Armada (1588)
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Sent by Philip to defeat England
It consisted of 130 ships, 30,000 men and 2,400 artillery pieces
The battle resulted in defeat of Spanish
Gave England dominance of the seas which they needed to
seriously begin colonizing the new world
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Sir Francis Drake
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(1540-1596)
English Colonialism
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England’s first effort at colonization occurred in Ireland
English experiences in Ireland shaped how they would
conquer the New World
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To the English, the Irish were wild and barbaric
They would view Native Americans the same way
Ireland was a laboratory for English colonization
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Irish viewed as backward
During the 1560s and 1570s, England engaged in a series of
brutal campaigns to increase its control over Ireland
English employed brutal methods, such as massacring women
and children, to crush frequent Irish resistance
English adventurers compared Native Americans with “wild”
Irish
English Colonialism
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By the 1580s, the opportunities of the New World had to
offer began to permeate all levels of English society
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The first attempts at colonization were approved by the
government but were funded by trading companies
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Richard Hakluyt and his nephew advertised about what life was
like in the Americas and what it offered to each group in
society
Interested more in economic expansion than territorial claims
These first attempts were weak and unprofitable
Only two colonies were attempted during Elizabeth’s
reign
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The first was in 1583 when Sir Humphrey Gilbert formally
took Newfoundland as an English colony
The second was the Roanoke Colony in 1585
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Sir Walter Raleigh
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(c. 1552-1618)
Roanoke Colony
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Sir Walter Raleigh (c. 1552-1618)
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Sir Richard Grenville was put in charge of the expedition
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In 1584, was given a royal charter for the settlement of the
Colony and Dominion of Virginia
He named it after the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I
When they were scouting for a location for the colony, he got
into a skirmish with the natives
After a silver cup was stolen, he order the natives’ weroance
(leader) killed and their village burned
The first settlement was on Roanoke Island
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It lasted for one year (1585-1586)
Roanoke Colony
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The settlers arrived too late for the planting season and
thus ran out of food
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They traded with the local natives for a bit
When the natives refused to trade with them, the settlers
began stealing the food
Soon, the settlers and natives were at war
Sir Francis Drake came to the island in April 1586
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By this point the supply ships were overdue
Drake offered the colonists transportation back to England
which they accepted
Roanoke Colony
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Grenville’s supply ship arrived a week later and found the
colony abandoned
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In 1587, a second group of colonists left England to settle
in Virginia
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After searching the area, he left behind 15 men (and enough
supplies for two years) to hold possession of the island
It consisted of 117 settlers, including women and children
They were originally going to settle in the Chesapeake Bay area
but were forced to settle in Roanoke
When they arrived, the fort had been burned down
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They only found the bones of one man, with no sign of the
other 14 men
Roanoke Colony
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Settlers attempted to renew relations with the natives
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On August 18, 1587,Virginia Dare was born
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A few tribes were friendly with them but they were unable to
rectify the problems Grenville had created
One settler had been killed soon after arrival when he had
been exploring the area
The settlers responded by attacking a village but the natives
there had already fled
First English child to be born in the New World
The settlers realized that they would need additional aid
from England to keep the colony going
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On August 27, the governor, John White, sailed back to England
The “Lost Colony”
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Because of a growing war with Spain, White was unable
to return to the colony until August 1590
When White did return, he found the colony abandoned
and the word “Croatoan” carved into the wood
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He believed the settlers went to the friendly Croatoan tribe
However, a hurricane blew in before he was able to search for
the settlers
He never was able to return to Roanoke before his death
When the Spanish raided the Croatoan village in 1588
they found it abandoned
The “Lost Colony”
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So what happened to the Lost Colony?
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Modern scholars believe that the colony split into two groups
after White left
One group headed to their original destination of Chesapeake
Bay
An account by Chief Powhatan to John Smith in 1607 said that
there were settlers near Jamestown but Powhatan killed them
The other group went to the Croatoans and integrated
themselves into the tribe
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Map of the Roanoke area
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By John White (1584)
African Slave Trade
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One of the major components of colonialism became the
slave trade with Africa
During the four centuries after the discovery of America
by Columbus, over 96 million Africans were brought to
the Americas as slaves
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Millions more perished on voyage over
At the same time, roughly the same amount were traded into
the Red Sea and Indian Ocean slave markets between 650 to
1900
Slavery had long been part of African life
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Many prisoners of wars were sold into slavery and wars were
fought specifically to capture slaves
African Slave Trade
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African slave trade came to Europe first as an attempt to
compensate for a labor shortage in the Mediterranean
region
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In 1442, Portuguese merchants became the first European
African slave traders
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Moors and Arabs were directing the trade
The Portuguese began trading for slaves with guns, horses,
copper and brass, and textiles
By 1500, close to 200,000 African slaves were in European
possession
With Columbus’ discovery, there was now a new market
for these slaves
African Slave Trade
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Thousands of slaves poured into North America in 15th
century with Spanish explorers
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The Spanish relied more on the native populations to
provide most of the hard labor force
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For example, Moroccan-born Estevan was indispensable to
Coronado’s expedition in the Southwest
Therefore, their demand for slaves was not nearly as high as
the Portuguese
Most of the Spanish-owned slaves worked as field hands
and in fort and church construction
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They also worked as soldiers, guides, and linguistic go-betweens
with native populations
African Slave Trade
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Unlike in the later English colonies, the Spanish had a
much more flexible relationship with their slaves
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In the English colonies in North America, there originally
was no dependence on slavery
The English relied more on “indentured servants”
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For example, the Spanish would breed with both Native
Americans and Africans
These were people who sold themselves for a certain period
of time in exchange for free passage to the colonies and in
some cases land
The first African slaves were not brought into the English
colonies until the 17th century