Chapter 2 Section 4: The Race For Empires

The Protestant Reformation Events in Europe Wars in Europe led to competition for land and power overseas. The Protestant Reformation Religious protest movement that split the Christian church and led to conflict across Europe. Martin Luther criticized the Catholic church for it’s wealth and abuses of power. He helped start the protestant movement. Johann Gutenberg’s printing press helped spread their ideas, and this helped common people to study the Bible without the need for a priest. The Protestant Reformation led to war in Europe, often Civil War. In England, King Henry VIII declared that he was head of the Anglican Church (or the Church of England).

Spain and England go to war: King Philip of Spain used his great wealth to lead a Catholic Reformation against the Protestant movement in England. English Queen Elizabeth I sent out sailors to raid the Spanish king’s gold heavy ships. The most famous of these “Sea Dogs” was Sir Francis Drake. Philip was angry about this English piracy and gathered a large fleet of warships that became known as the Spanish Armada. The Armada launched with about 130 ships, but was defeated by a much smaller English fleet in a massive battle. This battle coupled with economic woes suffered by Spain led to the country losing influence across the world.

Search for a Northwest Passage Europeans desired a water route to Asia. They wanted to be able to ship goods from Europe to Asia, so they sent explorers to find a route that would connect the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. England sent John Cabot, he didn’t find a passage but his explorations became the basis for England’s claim to land in North America. France and the Dutch sent explorers as well but they didn’t find a passage either. In the end, no passage was found, but exploration of North America by the British, French and Dutch increased. This led to increased interest in the New World.

European Presence in North America Spanish and Portuguese: leaders in overseas exploration and colonization of the New World in the 1500’s (mostly Central America, South America, and the Caribbean). The English: Sir Walter Raleigh received a charter, which gave him permission to start a colony in North America. He named the area he landed Virginia. Raleigh sent another group to found a colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina. The English colonists found life to be harsh. They fought with the natives, and had trouble finding/growing food. After a year the remaining colonists returned to England.

English Presence in North America When colonists returned to Roanoke a few years later, they found themselves facing many of the same challenges. One man, John White, left after the birth of his granddaughter Virginia Dare (the first English colonist born in the New World), and when he was to return he found himself stuck in England for three years because of the war with Spain. When he did return , he found the colony deserted. The only clue to the fate of the colonists was the word Croatoan, the name of a nearby island, carved into a post. Nobody ever found any of them, and to this day, no one is certain what happened to the “lost colony” at Roanoke.

French Presence in North America France built their first settlement in Florida, but the Spanish soon destroyed them and drove out the French. Religious wars in France slowed their efforts to colonize North America. After the fighting France started settling in modern day Canada. Nine years late Rene-Robert de La Salle traveled down the Mississippi River from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. He claimed the Mississippi Valley for France and named it Louisiana. The French also built outposts in North America like Detroit, Saint Louis, and New Orleans. They treated the natives with respect and learned their languages to aid in trade with them.

Dutch Presence in North America The Dutch came to the New World in search of trade. They claimed the land between the Delaware and Hudson rivers and called it New Netherland. This area included parts of what is now New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware. A Dutch trader Peter Minuit bought Manhattan from local Native Americans for $24. He then founded the town of New Amsterdam, today called New York City. To attract colonists, the Dutch allowed members of all religions to settle there.