European Exploration in

North America

Essential Quesion

• Why and how did European explore the Americas and where did they build their first colonies?

Who am I going to learn about?

• John Cabot• Vasco Nunez de Balboa • Juan Ponce de Leon • Christopher Columbus • Henry Hudson • Jacques Cartier

Let’s Get Started!!

What do you think the reasons were for European

exploration?

Why explore?

• The 1400s marked the Renaissance (meaning rebirth) period.

• This was a time of new ideas. • Johannes Gutenburg invented the printing

press at this time as well. Before the this, all books were hand-written!! Talk about writer’s cramp!

• The Travels of Marco Polo was the most popular book at this time.

• It was about Marco Polo’s voyage to Cathay, which is now called China.

• Europeans were amazed to read about Chinese inventions such as gunpowder and the compass (what is a compass?)

• Merchants, or people who sold things, were interested in the riches he spoke of. They wanted to buy and then resell to Asian goods such as silks and spices.

Traveling to Asia

• In effort to buy goods from the Asians, the Europeans had to travel to Asia. Could they buy a round trip ticket??

• NO! • At this time, no one had ever traveled to Asia by

boat; they had no maps to show them the route.• So they had to travel by foot over mountains and

desert! Find these two continents on your class map.

• Not having a sea route or the technology was a problem, so scientists started working to solve this.

Learning to sail

• Prince Henery of Portugal opened a school of navigation.

• This school taught people how to sail.• Mapmakers at the school worked hard

to create better maps. They did this by reading early explorers’ journals where they would read about bodies of water and land shapes.

• Expeditions began with the goal of finding a sea route to Asia.

• Europeans knew about Asia because of Marco Polo’s book and trade.

• Traders had been using the “Silk Road”- an ancient route between China and Italy .

• At this time Europeans knew all of Asia as the Indies. (Find the Indies on your map.)

The Silk Road

Christopher Columbus

• Wanted to sail to Asia• Believed he could get to Asia by

sailing west across the Atlantic• The Europeans had already found a

route around Africa, but Columbus thought his would be faster.

• After receiving permission from the King and Queen of Spain, he set sail.

“In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue”…

• He took a crew of 90 and three ships.

• Do you know what his ships were named?

• The Nina• The Pinta • The Santa Maria

Columbus’s Discoveries

• On his expedition Columbus discovered a tiny island and named it San Salvador.

• He thought he was in the Indies, but really he was in the Americas.

• Because he thought he was in the Indies he named the people there “Indians”.

• He claimed this land for Spain which made the King and Queen happy.

This is where Columbus landed

Q & A• Who invented the printing press? • Johannes Gutenburg• What was the route called that traders used to travel between

China and Italy?• The Silk Road• Why did Columbus want to go on an expedition? What was he

looking for?• A shorter sea route to Asia• Where did Columbus land?• San Salvador• Where did he think he was?• Indies in Asia• Where was he really?• The Americas• What did he call the people living in San Salvador and why?• Indians, because he thought he was in the Indies.

John Cabot

Who was John Cabot?

• Italian sailor From the country of England• Sent on an expedition by King Henry VII to

find riches and land like the Europeans had. • He sailed North of Columbus’ route • He found land and claimed it for England.• He, like Columbus thought he was in the

Indies, but today it is believed he was really in Newfoundland and Labrador (in Canada).

Vasco Nunez de Balboa

Who was Vasco Nunez de Balboa?

• Spanish explorer• One of the first Europeans to settle in the Americas.• Failed at becoming a farmer on the island of

Hispanola, and ended up owing a lot of people money.

• Because there were so many people upset with him, he ran away and hid on a ship bound for Colombia.

• After arriving in Colombia he found a settlement that was falling apart. He helped them take land from the Native Americans and started a settlement in what is now called Panama.

Balboa con’t…

• While Balboa was in Panama he heard of a huge ocean to the West.

• Over time, Balboa and his group reached what is now the Pacific Ocean.

• He was 38 when he first saw it.

Balboa’s Route

Q & A

• Why did King Henry VII send Cabot on an expedition?• He wanted him to find riches and land for England.• What did Cabot discover?• Newfoundland and Labrador, but he thought it was the

Indies• Who was the first European to settle in the Americas?• Balboa• Why did he flee from the island of Hispanola?• Because he owed people money.• When he reached Panama what did he do?• Helped a settlement become successful and went on an

expedition to the Pacific Ocean.

Juan Ponce de Leon

Who was Juan Ponce de Leon?

• Spanish explorer (or a conquistador)• He led the first European expedition to

Florida while looking for the island of Bimini• He named the land of FL La Florida, Spanish

for “flowery” and claimed it for Spain• He is associated with the Fountain of Youth-

it’s water supposedly made old people young again

• He became the first Spanish explorer to set foot on land that became part of the US

Ponce de Leon’s Route

Henry Hudson

Henry Hudson

• English explorer• Made 4 trips to find Northwest Passage

(Asia is reached more easily by sailing through or around N. America)

• An English company paid for his first 2 trips

• On 1st trip in 1608, he reached the island of Greenland

• He failed to find the NW Passage

Henry Hudson

• Dutch East India Company (located in the Netherlands) paid for Hudson’s 3rd trip

• 3rd trip= he spent a month exploring a river in NY, the Hudson River and claimed this and the land around it for the Dutch

• 4th trip was paid for by an English company• He sailed along northern coast of N.

America to what is now the Hudson Bay• He claimed the land for England and spent

3 months exploring there

Hudson cont’d.

• By Nov. his boat was frozen in the ice• His crew became fed up from the cold

winter and rebelled against Hudson• They sent Hudson and 8 others adrift

in a small boat• They were never seen again

Henry Hudson’s Route

Jacques Cartier

Jacques Cartier

• French navigator• In 1534, King Francis sent him to look

for the Northwest Passage and to look for gold

• Between 1534-1541 he made 3 trips to N. America

• Reached mouth of St. Lawrence River on 1st trip and claimed the land around it for France

Cartier cont’d.

• On 2nd trip, he traveled up St. Lawrence River

• He met river rapids and his boat could not pass- he had to turn back

• In 1541 he visited the St. Lawrence River again, but could not find the NW Passage or gold

• He returned to France

Cartier’s Route