European EXPLORATION SETTLEMENT &

Why Explore?

Age of Exploration Life in Europe changed dramatically from 1450 to 1700. New inventions and ideas led to the Age of Exploration. Once the New World was discovered, Spain, Great Britain, and other European nations began to compete to claim as much territory as they could.

Spain Exploration of the New World brought great wealth to Spain. By the 1500s, the Spanish had established numerous settlements from Florida to Georgia. Spain had three main interests in the New World: God, Gold, and Glory.

God During this time period, the predominant religion in Europe was Christianity (in particular, Catholicism). European rulers wanted to spread their religion to other parts of the world. One of Spain’s top priorities with exploration was to convert non-Christians into Christians.

God The Spanish considered the American Indians in the New World to be uncivilized. They wanted to teach the natives the Christian faith and convert them to Catholicism.

Gold Many of Europe’s explorations were for economic reasons. Europeans knew that they could make a lot of money as traders if they could get Asian goods for a cheaper price. Spanish explorers also desired to find gold and other riches in the New World.

Glory During this time period, Europeans believed that a country’s glory was based on the size of its empire. European nations raced to gain new lands in order to be the greatest empire in the world. Spanish explorers were willing to risk dangerous voyages in order to claim new lands for Spain.

Great Britain Great Britain began exploring the New World in the late 15th century. Great Britain planned to settle and occupy the new land in order to cement its claim on the area. The nation’s interests in the New World included Glory, Mercantilism, Opportunity, and God.

Glory Like other European countries, Great Britain was in the competition to establish the largest empire around the world. Great Britain saw how much Spain was benefitting from its conquests in the New World, and did not want to miss out.

Mercantilism Great Britain’s goal for mercantilism was to export more goods to foreign countries than it imported. In order to do this, Great Britain needed more resources than it had available. British explorers hoped to find raw materials that they could use to manufacture goods in their own country.

Opportunity During this time period, Great Britain had a huge number of poor and unemployed people. This lower class of people needed a place to go for new opportunities. Many of Great Britain’s citizens saw the New World as a chance for a new start in life where they could own land and maybe even get rich working on it.

God The Church of England was very powerful and punished anyone who spoke out against it. Some religious groups in Great Britain did not agree with it, and wanted freedom to worship in their own way. These groups, including the Pilgrims and Puritans, saw the New World as an opportunity to escape religious persecution.

Spanish Contact American Indians

Spain Arrives Spanish explorers and missionaries entered Georgia in the early 1500s. European contact made a dramatic impact on the American Indians. European missionaries attempted to convert the natives to their religion. They also brought diseases that wiped out a large portion of the native population.

de Soto In 1540, a Spanish conquistador named Hernando de Soto led 600 soldiers across Georgia. De Soto was searching for “cities of gold”. De Soto’s men tortured and enslaved the natives in order to gain information about gold and silver locations. He never found the gold, but he did leave a lasting impact on the American Indians in Georgia.

As Hernando de Soto marched throughout the Southeast, thousands of American Indians were tortured and killed by his men.

Diseases De Soto and other Spanish explorers brought horrible diseases that devastated the American Indian population. Some of the diseases included smallpox, influenza, measles, and chicken pox. The natives had no resistance to the diseases, and entire villages were wiped out at a time.

Barrier Islands In 1565, the Spanish established St. Augustine, Florida as their first permanent settlement. Then they moved north to establish a post off of Georgia’s coast on St. Catherine’s Island. Over time, the Spanish traveled to some of Georgia’s other barrier islands, such as St Simons, Cumberland, and Sapelo, and established more posts.

Spanish Missions and Forts Along Georgia & Florida’s Coasts

Missions The Spanish established missions (churches) in all of these places with the goal of converting American Indians to the Catholic religion. As the Spanish influence grew, more and more American Indians adopted the new religion. Many American Indians continued to practice Catholicism even after the Spanish abandoned the area.

Spanish Missions were established along the barrier islands to convert natives to Christianity.

American Indians As the Europeans competed for land in the Americas, they had little regard for American Indians living in the areas. Many natives were enslaved or killed from diseases. The Europeans were only interested in the American Indians for trading, land deals, and military alliances.

Conflict in the Southeast

Southeast By the 1600s, Spain and Great Britain had settlements in the southeastern region of North America, and both wanted control of the area. In 1663, England’s King Charles II declared a new English colony, Carolina, which overlapped Spain’s territory in the region. After seeing the success of this colony, the British desired to take control of the Spanish territories in Georgia.

Allies In order to remove Spain from the Southeast, British colonists began to make allies of many American Indian tribes in the region. After arming the American Indians with firearms, the British led them on an attack of a Spanish mission in Georgia in 1680. The Spanish defended the mission this time, but over the next few years, they abandoned the missions and retreated to their Florida forts for fear of future attacks.

Control British and American Indian raids had successfully pushed the Spanish out of Georgia. Spain was not quite ready to give up its claim to the Southeast, so the stage was set for future conflicts with Great Britain. Neither country wanted to give up the resources or profits made in North America.