NORTH AMERICAThe Early Colonial Period

The Vikings…err…I mean the Norse From the 9th to the 12th Century, the

Norse were the leading sea power in Europe

Eirikr Thorvaldsson (Eric the Red) was exiled from Norway for being too violent Escapes to Iceland, but is exiled again

for being too violent Founds the Norse colony of Greenland

which lasts until the 15th C. Leifr (Leif) Eiriksson, son of Eric, lands

in NW NFLD in 1000AD Names it “Vinland” (Wineland) for its

plentiful “wineberries” Thorvaldr, Leifr’s brother, established

a colony which last until roughly 1020AD

NFLD

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NORSE OF N. AMERICA?

“Vineland” (L'Anse aux Meadow)

?Greenland

For 500 years, the Norse raised livestock, fished, hunted, and traded with the Inuit

Many Norse artifacts have been found along EllesmereIsland in N. Canada

At its height in the 12th

C. 4-6000 inhabitants 13th C. Greenland's

climate became colder 1349: Bubonic Plague

kills 1/3 of the pop and the Norse lost command ofthe seas

By 1450, the Greenland settlement disappeared

TEXTBOOK: page 219 - 223Questions:1. Read the quote from John Cabot’s Letters Patent on pg. 219. How does the use of

language make it easier for Cabot and his crew to disregard the rights of people they may meet on their voyage of “discovery”?

2. How did Catholicism contribute to European interest in the Grand Banks off of Newfoundland and Labrador?

3. Imagine you are an aboriginal leader among the Beothuk of Newfoundland and Labrador. Draw up a short list of pros and cons to cooperating with the English encamped on the shores. (no hindsight here: it is the early 1500s)

4. How did Jacques Cartier’s sense of European superiority contribute to the failure of his mission? (make sure to include the primary source on pg. 222)

5. Examine the map of Cartier’s explorations. How does use of language affect the interpretation of maps?