Ch 20 The Atlantic World 1492 1800 Spain

Ch 20 The Atlantic World 1492 -1800

Spain Builds an American Empire Sec 1

Columbus • Fierce competition among European nations for wealth prompted Christopher Columbus to make a daring voyage from Spain in 1492 • Columbus

Voyage • Instead of sailing around Africa to reach Asia, Columbus sailed west in search of an alternate route • On August 3, 1492, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria sailed out of a Spanish port

The Encounter • The Encounter- Columbus’s discovery of the Americas • On October 12, 1492, the Pinta caught sight of the shore • Thinking he had reached the East Indies, Columbus called the inhabitants of the island Indians • Scholars believe he reached shore on an island in the Bahamas

Colonization • Columbus claimed the island he discovered and named in Salvador • Finding no gold there he searched other islands and claimed them for Spain • After returning to Spain, Columbus got permission and financing for three more trips • He traveled not as an explorer but as an empire builder

Colonies • Spain intended to transform the islands of the Caribbean into colonies or lands that are controlled by another nation

Other Explorers • In 1500, Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral claimed Brazil for his country • In 1501, Amerigo Vespucci, explored the coast of South America and reported back that it was a “new” world and not Asia • Ferdinand Magellan became the first to circumnavigate the world when his crew returned to Spain in 1522 • Magellan

Conquistadors • In 1519, Hernando Cortes, landed on the shores of Mexico • Cortes marched inland looking to claim more land for Spain • Cortes and the many Spanish explorers who followed him were known as conquistadors (conquerors)

Conquistadors • Lured by rumors of vast lands filled with gold, the Spanish carved out colonies in regions that would become Mexico, South American, and the United States • As a result of Spanish colonization they greatly enriched their empire and left a mark on the cultures of the Americas that still exists today

Aztecs • Soon after landing in Mexico, Cortes learned of the vast and wealth Aztec Empire in the region’s interior • After marching for weeks, Cortes and 600 of his men reached the capital of Tenochtitlan • Aztec emperor Montezuma II believed that Cortes was a god dressed in armor and gave him a share of the empire’s gold

Fall of the Aztecs • Not happy with the amount of gold he was given Cortes killed many Aztec warriors and chiefs during a religious ceremony • Briefly driven out by an Aztec rebellion in 1520, Cortes and his men conquered the Aztecs in 1521

How was Cortes’ small group of soldiers able to take out an entire empire?

Spanish Advantages • Superior weaponry • Help of native groups that were enemies of the Aztecs • Disease – The native population in central Mexico decreased from 25. 3 million in 1519 to 1 million in 1605

Peru • In 1532, conquistador Francisco Pizarro, marched a small force into Peru to conquer the Incan Empire • After kidnapping and betraying Incan leader Atahualpa, Pizarro was able to conquer the Inca without a struggle

Spanish Conquest • When conquering the natives the Spanish lived among them and imposed their culture on them • The Spanish settlers known as peninsulares were mostly men. • Relationships between the peninsulares and native women led to a large mestizo, or mixed population

Encomienda System • In order to exploit the land, the Spanish forced Native Americans to work within a system known as encomienda • Under this system natives farmed, ranched, or mined land for Spanish landlords • The landlords received the rights to the native’s labor from Spanish authorities and were supposed to take care of the natives in return but most were abused and worked to death

Portuguese in Brazil • Finding little gold or silver, the Portuguese began to grow sugar in Brazil • Huge plantations were cleared from forest land natives were used for labor

Spanish Influence Expands • The American colonies helped make Spain the richest, most powerful nation in the world during much of the 16 th century • Spanish conquistadors continued to expand north into the southwestern United States • Finding little gold in the southwest, the conquistadors left settling the land to Catholic priests

Opposition • As Spanish priests worked to spread Christianity in the Americas they also pushed for better treatment of the natives • Bartolome de las Casas- Priest who spoke out against the encomienda system • De las Casas suggested using Africans for labor instead, something he later regretted • Many tribes of natives tried to fight back but none were successful for very long

European Nations Settle North America Sec 2

Other Countries • Spain’s successful colonization efforts did not go unnoticed • Other nations such as England, France, and the Netherlands soon became interested in obtaining their own colonies

Northwest Passage • Magellan’s voyage showed that it was possible to reach Asia by way of the Pacific Ocean • Other countries began to look for a northwest passage, an easier, more direct route to the Pacific • Not finding the route, the French, English, and Dutch established colonies in North America

New France • In 1524, Giovanni da Verazzano, an Italian in service of France, sailed to North America and discovered New York harbor • Ten years later, Jacques Cartier, discovered the St. Lawrence River • In 1608, Samuel de Champlain sailed up the St. Lawrence with 32 settlers and established Quebec, which became the capital of New France

New France • After the establishment of Quebec the French moved to the interior of North America

The English • In 1607, the English established a permanent settlement in Jamestown in modern Virginia • Jamestown Game • In 1620, the Pilgrims established a second English colony, Plymouth, in Massachusetts

The Dutch • Following the French and English into North America were the Dutch • In 1609, Henry Hudson was exploring for a northwest passage to Asia when he discovered the Hudson River and Hudson Bay • The Dutch claimed the areas along these waterways and established a fur trade with the Iroquois

The Dutch • The Dutch built trading posts at Fort Orange (Albany) and New Amsterdam (Manhattan) • The new colony was called New Netherlands • The Dutch were slow to attract settlers so they gradually opened the colony to other countries and many Germans, French, and Scandinavians settled there

English Oust the Dutch • To the English, New Netherlands separated their northern and southern colonies • In 1664, the Duke of York arrived with a fleet and the Dutch surrendered without a shot and the colony was renamed New York • By 1750, about 1. 2 million English settlers lived in the 13 colonies

England vs France • In order to handle the growing population, the English continued to push west into the continent causing conflicts with the French • In 1754, the French and Indian War broke out over land in the Ohio River Valley • As a result of the war the English seized control of the eastern half of the US

Disease • Just like the Spanish colonies, the Native Americans in North America were greatly affected by disease • One tribe was reduced from 24, 000 members in 1616 to 750 members in 1631 • As a result of the deaths there was a severe labor shortage in the colonies that led the colonists to look to Africa

Slave Trade • Sugar plantations and tobacco farms required a large supply of workers to make them profitable • Slavery had existed in Africa for centuries • The spread of Islam into Africa increased the trade as Muslims believed they could sell non. Muslim prisoners of war into slavery • Slaves in Muslim and African society had some legal rights and opportunity

Why did the Europeans choose to use Africans for slaves?

Demand for Africans • Many Africans had already been exposed to European diseases • Many Africans had experience in farming • Africans were less likely to escape than Native Americans because they did not know the land • Skin color made it easier to catch them if they did escape

Atlantic Slave Trade • Atlantic Slave Trade- buying and selling of Africans for work in the Americas • By the time the slave trade ended around 1870, 9. 5 million Africans had been imported • More than 40% of all Africans went to Brazil

African Cooperation and Resistance • Many African rulers and merchants played a willing role in the slave trade • Most European traders waited in ports as African merchants captured Africans to be enslaved

Triangular Trade • Triangular Trade- trading network between Europe, Africa, and the Americas

Middle Passage • Middle Passage- middle leg of the triangular trade route that brought Africans to the Americas characterized by sickening cruelty and brutality • 20% of all slaves died on the journey

What was life like for a slave?

Consequences • Many cultures in Africa lost generations of their fittest members • Families were torn apart • Guns were introduced to Africa • Slave labor contributed greatly to the economic and cultural development of the Americas

Columbian Exchange • Columbian Exchange- global transfer of foods, plants, and animals during the colonization of the Americas • Perhaps the most important were corn and potatoes that were introduced to Europe • These foods changed diets and helped people live longer

Disease • One part of the Columbian Exchange that greatly affected the world was disease • Millions of Native Americans died

Capitalism • Capitalism- economic system based on private ownership and the investment of resources for profit • No longer were governments the sole owners of great wealth

Mercantilism • Mercantilism- economic theory that a country’s power comes from wealth • Every nation was trying to become as rich as possible • The colonies existed solely for the benefit of the mother country • Countries sought to develop a favorable balance of trade where they sold more goods than they bought

Economic Revolution • The economic revolution in Europe spurred the growth of many cities and towns and the rise of merchants who controlled great wealth