When Worlds Collide , 1492-1590

1. When Worlds Collide, 1492-1590 Out of Many Chapter 2

2. The Expansion of Europe How did social change in Europe contribute to European expansion overseas?

3. First Contact • We all know that Columbus’ journey in 1492 was the first time European explorers landed in the “new world” • But was it really?? • There is archeological evidence that suggests perhaps there were earlier encounters with the native people of the region, particularly in Newfoundland, by the Norse

4. Before Exploration: European Societies • Agricultural; peasant farmers • During the centuries preceding European exploration of the Americas, Europeans were making great advancement in farming technologies • Water mills, iron plows, livestock harnesses, crop rotation • Village people; lived in households • Labor roles based on gender • Ladies were furnished with dowries, but usually left out of inheritance • Feudalism • Roman catholic; some Jewish (fled Palestine) • Poor diets, malnourished • Bread & porridge, seasonal veggies, and occasional fish/meat

5. After the Plague… • The bubonic plague (“Black Death”) struck Europe during the mid 1300s • 1/3 of western European population died • European economy showed the ability to recover • Commerce expanded to include trading in cereals, timber, minerals, salt, wine, fish, & wool • Stimulated the growth of markets & towns • By 1500, Europe had fully recovered from the plague • European monarchs aligned themselves with merchants which ultimately gave them an extraordinary capacity to generate capital for overseas expansion

6. The Crusades • Series of great military battles sanctioned by the Catholic Church to try & regain Palestine • Conquest by the end of the 11th century provided Europeans with access to new materials/spice like silk, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, & pepper • Asian civilization also provided new innovations that the Europeans adapted • Compass, gunpowder, & printing with movable type • “three greatest inventions known to man” –Francis Bacon

7. The Renaissance • After the Crusades, Europeans now had access to previously lost religious texts that had been conserved in Muslim libraries • The revival of interest in classical antiquity sparked the period of intellectual & artistic flowering in Europe during the 14th, 15th, & 16th centurieswas known as the Renaissanceperiod • Human-centered perspective • Critical component of the spiritthat motivated the explorationof the Americas

8. Portuguese Explorations • Portugal was the first to send explorers off to distant lands • Prince Henry, “the Navigator” • Started a school with the brightest geographers & instrument makers • By mid-fifteenth century, they knew the world to be spherical • Idea that Columbus thought the world was flat when he sailed on his voyage is a myth • Created a faster & better-handling ship called a caravel & later armed it with cannons • Portuguese explored the Atlantic coast of NW Africa • Colonized the Atlantic islands of the Azures and the Madeiras • 1488, Dias rounded Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) to find a new trading route with Indies • 1498, Da Gama reached the Indies • Established the Atlantic slave trade

9. Columbus Reaches the Americas • Columbus wanted to find a shorter trade route to the Indies by sailing west across the Atlantic • Needed royal backing, but denied by Portuguese, French, & English monarchs • Said Columbus’ calculations were wrong • Finally gets approval from Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain (Castile & Aragon) • Nation thrived on military conquest & they were looking for new land to conquer • Myth: Queen Isabel pawned her royal jewels to finance the trip • Fact: Italian merchants invested in the trip • Columbus embarked on “the Enterprise of the Indies”

10. Columbus’ Intentions • Very commercial, but more than that • Goal was to occupy & settle any lands • Wanted to claim them by right of Conquest for Spain • Intentions were also very much imperial

11. The Voyage • The vessels left Spain in August 1492 • Stopped for some time in the Canary Islands before moving eastward • In October, came upon theBahamas • Explored the islands of Cuba& Hispaniola before headingback to Spain to tell of hisdiscoveries • Probably the most importantdiscovery that Columbus made wasthe clockwise motion of the Atlantic currents & wind patterns • He would make a total of 4 voyages to the Americas before his death in 1506

12. The Tainos • Tainos were the native people of theCaribbean • Columbus brought a group of them back with him to Spain • According to Columbus, they were “of a very acute intelligence” and had “no iron or steel weapons” • Proposed that they could be made into slaves • Were treated very poorly by Spaniards • Stole food • Abused the people • Took women from their husbands & families • Captured and sent to be slaves in Spain (most got sick & died) • In 1942, there were approx. 300,000 Tainos. But, by the 1520s, they had effectively been eliminated as a people

13. The Spanish in the Americas What factors contributed to the defeat of the Aztecs and Incas by European forces?

14. Spanish Invasion of the Americas • By the early 1600s, the Spanish had created a huge and wealthy empire in the Americas • First stages were very violent • Natives did not have the same quality/strength of weapons as the Spanish • Forced into labor (essentially slavery) • Bahamas – depleted of population in search of slaves • Hispaniola – depleted of gold resources • Puerto Rico, Jamaica, & Cuba – invaded in search of gold • 1511: Spanish invaded C. America • 1517: Spanish landed in Mexico & ran into the Aztecs • Hernan Cortes overthrew the Aztec empire • Superior military weapons • Made alliances with natives who were unhappy with the Aztecs • Aztecs also suffered from a smallpox epidemic

15. Opposition to Violence • Not all Europeans agreed with the treatment of the native peoples in the Americas • “On what authority have you waged a detestable war against these people, who dwelt quietly on their own land?” • “Are these Indians not men...Are you not obliged to love them as you love yourselves?” • In 1500, Columbus was shackled and sent back to Spain as a prisoner for the way he was treating the natives & running the colonies • Bartolome de Las Casas • Moral figure in early history of the Americas • “the entire human race is one” • cruelties against the natives essentially genocide • Not all natives died at the hand of war • Some died due to lack of food • Low birthrates • Too tired from work; induced abortions; killed their own kids • Smallpox & other diseases

16. Intercontinental Exchange • Passage of diseases • Smallpox, influenza, plague, measles, & typhus • Precious metals • Took artifacts from the natives & melted them down • Silver from Mexican & Peruvian mines (used for coins) • Crops/Food • Corn & potatoes = miracle food that helped end famine in Europe • New to Old: • Tobacco, Vanilla, Chocolate, Cotton • Old to New: • Sugar, Rice, Coffee, Horses

17. The First Europeans in N. America • Ponce de Leon • First to go to North America in search of more slaves • Landed in Florida; claimed all of the land for Spain • There were many invasion attempts from the Spanish, however, they were typically pushed back by the natives • Their presence had introduced epidemic diseases that depopulated & undermined the natives in southern North America • The Spanish were searching forCibola – the city of gold • When they failed to locate it, theylost all interest in the southwest partsof North America

18. Spanish “New World” Empire • By 1600s some 250,000 European immigrants had settled in the Americas • Spain & Portugal the primary colonizers at the time • Treaty of Tordesillas • Divided the Americas between Spain & Portugal • Spain got the better end of the deal • Few Spanish women came to the new world, so many Spanish men married natives creating a mixed race (mestizos or mulattoes) • Made up one of the largest empires in this history of the world

19. Northern Explorations & Encounters What differences were there among Spanish, English, and French patterns of colonization?

20. Northern Explorations & Encounters • French • Looking for NW passage to the Indies • Found the St. Lawrence river – connected them to Great Lakes, & ultimately the OH & MS rivers • Encounters with Natives • Woodland Indians • More about commerce than conquest • Indians appreciated the textiles, glass, copper, & ironware the Europeans had to offer • Europeans interested in furs – supply depleted in Europe • Somewhat uneven trades: furs would sell for 10x-20x the amount in Europe • Spread of epidemic diseases • Indians adapted metal knives, kettles, & firearms to their way of life

21. Northern Explorations & Encounters • English • John Cabot, Italian sea captain • Explored the coast of Newfoundland in 1497 • Never followed up on his explorations • Had too many problems at home

22. Protestant Reformation • German priest Martin Luther publically proclaimed his differences with the Roman Catholic Church • Declared eternal salvation a gift from God, not related to works/service • Attracted followers all over NW Europe who were persecuted by Catholic authorities • John Calvin developed the theory of predestination • Stated that God had selected a chosen number of men/women for salvation, while condemning the rest to eternal damnation • Huguenots, French followers of Calvin, were behind the first French attempts at colonization in the new world • Worried the Spanish; though they had no intentions of colonizing FL, they were fearful of the threat against their gold/silver routes

23. 16th Century England • King Henry VIII • Support the Catholic Church at first • Became frustrated with the amount of land & propertyRome held in England • When Rome would not annul Henry’s marriage toQueen Catherine (daughter of Isabel & Ferdinand), hedenounced the Catholic Church • Queen Elizabeth • After Henry’s death, her younger brother & older sisterboth took the throne and died • Tolerated a variety of views within the church • Spanish monarch swore to overthrow her • Irish Invasion • England needed a place for all of the uprooted citizensthat were homeless in the major cities • Decided to subdue Irish Catholics & settle the homelessthere on their lands (“wild Irish”)

24. English Claims • In the 1570s and 1580s, under Queen Elizabeth, England challenged Spanish shipping in both the Atlantic & Pacific oceans • Sir Francis Drake • Attacked Spanish ships • Seized gold and silver • Attacked Spanish settlements on the coast of Peru • Sir Walter Raleigh • 1587, Attempted to establish a settlement at Roanoke Island (off NC coast) • Venture failed • Both were known as “sea dogs”

25. The Spanish Armada, 1588 • King Philip II of Spain was outraged that England was attempting to invade the “new world” • Sent a fleet of 130 ships to invade the British Isles • England chose the cloak of a storm as their opportunity to attack • By defeating the large Spanish fleet, England had gained a reputation as a major naval power

26. Conclusions • The Spanish opened the era of European colonization in the Americas with Columbus’s voyage in 1492 • By the end of the 16th century, however, they had not succeeded in establishing any lasting colonial communities. • Left it open for other countries to colonize.

27. “Not So” • You are going to be divided up into 5 groups. • As a group, either assign one person the task of reading, or decided to break up the reading amongst the group members • Once you have finished reading the article, have a group discussion about your thoughts on the article. • Break up into pairs (it’s ok if you pair up with someone from another group) • As a pair, you will answer the following questions on a sheet of paper.

28. Discuss the following questions as they apply to the article: • What appears to be the author’s motive or purpose in writing about this issue? • Does the author take a position on the issue? • What evidence does the author give to support his position? Make sure to fully describe the type of evidence he uses and give specific examples from the article. • Facts? • Opinions? • Cause/Effect Relationships? • What does the author conclude about the issue & controversy? • State YOUR conclusion, being sure to include the following: • Do you agree or disagree with the author’s position and the evidence he offered to support it? Were any of the facts, opinions or cause/effect relationships faulty? Did his arguments and evidence convince you of his position? • What other evidence can you cite pertaining to this issue (such as your textbook, other readings or material presented in class)? Give SPECIFIC examples and sources of the other evidence that you use to support your conclusion.