Worlds Collide

1. Worlds Collide Columbian Exchange, Conquest of Americas, Colonial Empires , and the Atlantic Slave Trade

2. Two Worlds Collide • The writings of Marco Polo had increased European interest in trade with Asia • People wanted goods, spices and silks • Those goods were carried overland to Constantinople and then shipped across the Mediterranean by the Italian city-states • Conquest of Byzantine Empire by Ottoman Turks, cut off European Trade with East Asia • This created an incentive to find a new route to the East, especially an all-water passage

3. Two Worlds Collide • At the same time as this new need for a better trade route, the spirit of the Renaissance was leading the Europeans to explore the oceans • Europeans had adapted technological innovations from other cultures to improve their navigation skills • Compass from China and triangular sails from Arabs

4. Apply it! • Why did Europeans become interested in overseas exploration? • What role did Muslim expansion play in this new interest?

5. The Age of Discovery • Both Spain and Portugal were determined to gain a share of the trade with Asia and had the resources to finance costly overseas exploration

6. The Age of Discovery • Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal developed a new, lighter sailing ship and sponsored expeditions along the coast of Africa

7. The Age of Discovery • Spain’s ruler, Ferdinand and Isabella had just completed the Reconquista of Spain • The Reconquest of Spain’s Muslim areas • Reunited the country under Christian rule in 1492 • They also expelled the Jews • Ferdinand and Isabella hoped to further spread the Christian faith and to glorify their country through overseas exploration

8. Apply it! • Aside from the monetary or financial benefit to be gained from trade, what other motivators caused Ferdinand and Isabella to back exploration?

9. Voyages of Christopher Columbus • Columbus was a sea captain from Genoa, Italy • Columbus was convinced he could reach Asia by sailing westward • After years of seeking support, he finally persuaded Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain to provide him with 3 ships for his journey

10. Voyages of Christopher Columbus • Columbus miscalculated the size of the Earth and thought the journey would take only a few weeks • After two months at sea, his crew almost mutinied • They accidentally landed in the Americas instead of the intended East Indies • This “discovery” of the Americas provided new sources of wealth and raw materials that would forever alter the economy of Europe

11. Columbus’ First Voyage

12. Columbus’ World Perception

13. The Columbian Exchange • Columbus’ encounter with the peoples of the Americas quickly led to an important exchange of products and ideas known as the Columbian Exchange

14. Apply it! • What were the positive effects of the Columbian Exchange? • What problems can you see arising from the Columbian exchange?

15. Later Explorers • Vasco de Gama (1462-1524) • A Portuguese explorer, Da Gama discovered an all water route from Europe to India by sailing around the southern tip of Africa in 1497 • This discovery made it possible for Europeans to obtain Asian goods without relying on overland routes

16. Later Explorers • Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) • A Portuguese explorer, Magellan led the first expedition of ships to circumnavigate the world

17. Later Explorers • England, France, and Holland each sent their own explorers to find an all-water route to Asia and also to claim new lands. • Based on the voyages of John Cabot, England claimed territories in North America • France sent Jacques Cartier, Samuel Chaplain and Robert de la Salle to explore the St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River • The Dutch sent Henry Hudson on a quest to find a shortcut from Europe to the Far East. Hudson ended up exploring the Hudson Bay region of Canada and the Hudson River in America looking for the “Northwest Passage” to Asia

18. Apply it! • In what ways was Columbus’ discovery a “happy accident”? • How were the other explorers’ trips different?

19. The Conquest of the Americas • The impact of the arrival of the Europeans was especially profound on the Native Americans • Spanish conquistadors (conquererors) and priests arrived soon after the first explorers • They came with goals: • Conquer natives • Seize gold and silver • Obtain natural resources • Convert natives to Christianity

20. The Conquest of Mexico • Soon after Columbus’ voyage, the Spanish conquered the main Caribbean islands • Small numbers of Spanish soldiers, using horses and firearms and acting with local allies, were quickly able to overcome large numbers of Native Americans

21. Hernando Cortes • In 1519, Cortes sailed from Cuba to Mexico with a small force of soldiers in search of Gold and Silver • Cortes met the Aztec Emperor Montezuma • The Aztecs first believed the Spaniards were gods and showered them with gifts • Later, Cortes left Tenochtitlan (the Aztec capital) and made allies with the enemies of the Aztecs

22. Hernando Cortes • With a few hundred Spaniards and several thousand Native American warriors, Cortes attacked Tenochtitlan in 1521 • The Aztecs fought with clubs, spears and bows • The Spaniards had guns, steel swords, shields, dogs, horses and cannons • Eventually, the Aztecs were worn down by an outbreak of smallpox, accidently introduced by the Europeans • The Aztecs had no immunity • Thus, Cortes was able to quickly conquer the Aztecs

23. Aztec Empire

24. Apply it! • How was Cortes able to conquer the Aztecs? • How did the idea of “guns, germs, and steel” play a role?

25. Conquest of Peru • Francisco Pizarro set sail from Panama to conquer the Inca of Peru • Pizarro arrived just as the Inca were recovering from a brutal civil war • Pizarro first encountered a large force of Incan warriors in the Andes Mountains • Even though Pizarro had a smaller force, their technology overwhelmed the natives

26. Conquest of Peru • Pizarro feigned friendship and invited the Inca emperor to visit him • Pizarro and his army next ambushed the Incas and murdered their emperor • He was then able to conquer the Inca captial by 1533 • The Spanish treated conquered Indians harshly • Indians were forced to accept Christianity and labor for their new rulers

27. Conquest of Peru

28. Apply it! • How did the conquest of the Inca differ from that of the Aztec? • What is the long-lasting impact of Spanish conquest and colonialism of this area?

29. Colonial Latin America • Although the conquistadors did not find the cities of gold they were seeking, the Spanish asserted their dominance, religion and culture on the native tribes • The region was transformed into Latin America—a fusion of European and Native American cultures

30. Colonial Government • As a result of these conquests, Spain now ruled an American empire many times larger than Spain itself • Spanish Royal Governors, known as viceroys, were sent to rule the colonies in the king’s name • Officials born in Spain filled the most important positions in the colonial government and military • Gold and Silver were shipped from the Americas to Spain making it the strongest power of Europe in the 16th Century

31. Colonial Government

32. Colonial Society • Conquered lands were often divided among the soldiers • They used Native Americans to till the land and work the mines • This system of forced labor was called the encomienda system

33. Colonial Society • Church leaders also formed an elite class and shared political power • Priests sought to convert Native Americans • The Jesuits (religious order founded in the Catholic Counter Reformation) built schools, founded hospitals, and taught agricultural skills • However in 1767, the Jesuits were expelled from Latin America

34. Decline of Native Population • Native American populations declined because they had no immunity to diseases from the Eastern Hemisphere like measles and smallpox • Because of the sharp decline in the Native American population from these diseases and over work, the Spanish landowners in the Caribbean nad Brazil needed a source of labor able to survive the harsh working conditions • As a result, they turned to importing Africans as slaves

35. Decline of Native Population The Story of the Spanish Empire!

36. Apply it! • Would you describe the encounter between Europe and the Americas as a favorable or unfavorable • Compare the perspectives of each group… • Why was the “accidental” biological warfare so effective?

37. Other European Colonial Empires • New France!

38. New France • New France was established in Canada and along the Great Lakes and Mississippi River • New France never became as populous as the Spanish or English Colonies but did have a handful of towns and trading outposts • French missionaries arrived and converted Native Americans to Christianity

39. New France • By the End of the seventeenth century, French territory covered almost 3/4ths of North America • French explorers were attracted by valuable fur-bearing animals within the region (especially beavers—which they used for making hats)

40. New Netherland • Based on Henry Hudson’s explorations, the Dutch claimed control of the region around present-day New York • They set up successful trade with the native peoples of the Hudson River Valley • The Dutch West India Company had control of the colony

41. New Netherland • In 1624, thirty families settled in Fort Orange (present day Albany) • More settlers arrived the next year and established a fort on the tip of Manhattan Island • This settlement became New Amsterdam • With its natural harbor, New Amsterdam became a leading center for trade • “Even old New York, was once New Amsterdam…why’d they change it I can’t say…people just liked it better that way!”

42. The English Colonies • The first permanent English colony in the “New World” was established at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607 • Many came for gold but Jamestown became profitable by growing tobacco • A second colony was founded by Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock • Another group of English Protestants known as the Puritans landed in Massachusetts Bay • They came to practice their own religious beliefs without fear of persecution

43. The English Colonies • Eventually the colonies spread to 13 total stretching from Georgia to Massachusetts

44. Apply it! • In what ways were the French, Dutch and English exploration and colonization different from that of the Spanish? • Similar?

45. The Atlantic Slave Trade • Finding enough workers to be able to survive the harsh working conditions became a problem for many of the colonies, especially in the Caribbean • The solution led to one of the most negative aspects of the European conquest of Americas—the rise of the slave trade • Slavery had existed in Africa long before European invention but the Atlantic Slave Trade expanded the institution of slavery on a scale unparalleled in human history

46. The Atlantic Slave Trade

47. The Atlantic Slave Trade • Enslaved people were usually captured by powerul African tribes in raides on neighboring villages • The slaves were brought to the West Coast of Africa where they were imprisoned and traded to Europeans and American slave traders in exchange for guns and other goods • It is estimated that the slave trade took away as many as 15 million African men and women over the next 300 years (more than 11 million went to the Spanish colonies)

48. The Atlantic Slave Trade • Many died during the “Middle Passage” (voyage across the Atlantic) due to the horrible conditions endured on board the ships • Once they arrived in the Americas, most worked long hours in the sugar fields of the Caribbean and Brazil or raised tobacco and cotton in North America • Click to hear what John Green has to say about it!

49. Apply it! • From Rufus Clark’s book, The African Slave Trade (1860): • “They came swarming up, like bees from the opening of a hive, till the whole deck was crowded to suffocation, from stem to stern. After enjoying for a short time the unusual luxury of air, some water was brought; it was then that the extent of their sufferings was exposed They all rushed like maniacs towards it. No threats or blows could restrain them; they shrieked and struggled and fought with one another for a drop of this precious liquid. There is nothing from which slaves, in the Mid-Passage, suffer so much, as want of water. When the poor creatures were ordered down again, several came and pressed their heads against our knees, with looks of the greatest anguish at the prospect of returning to the horrid place of suffering below.”

50. Apply it! • What can we learn from this description of the “Middle Passage”?