European Contact

First Contact: The Norse The Vikings were the first Europeans to establish colonies in the Americas, as early as the 10th century AD Norsemen from Iceland first settled Greenland in the 980s and maintained a colony there for almost 500 years The Vikings then set out further east and made it to Baffin Island, Newfoundland, and Labrador

First Contact: The Norse North American settlements were small and did not develop into permanent colonies This was partly due to hostile relations with the Native population

The Age of Exploration European history from 1450 to 1700 AD was a time of extensive overseas exploration Countries like Portugal and Spain led numerous navel expeditions across the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans They were looking for the three G’s: Gold, Glory, and God Although a little simplistic, this is an easy way to remember the main motivations of the European explorers

The First “G” – Gold Europeans were looking for wealth (gold and silver) to fuel the rising banking system Spices from India and East Asia were also big business for the Europeans Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama’s 1498 trip to India made a 3000% profit! Other natural resources would come to be sold for profit as well (timber, sugar, tobacco, ivory, etc.)

The Second “G” – Glory Glory was a relatively new idea in Europe Came out of the Renaissance ideal of Humanism, and the focus on individual achievement With the rise of the printing press, the idea of gaining fame for one’s actions was more possible Also, individual kings wanted glory for their kingdoms The Triumph of Fame, a Flemish tapestry from 1502.

The Third “G” – God Europeans had always seen spreading Christianity as a good thing After the Reformation, competition between different faiths started to heat up Colonization became a race to convert native peoples to a particular brand of Christianity Jesuits (Catholics) were some of the most active

Seeking the East Europeans knew the land route there, but wanted a sea route to increase trade In the 1400’s Portuguese explorers managed to find the sea route to Asia by going around the tip of Africa Many believed that there was a shorter route

The Age of Exploration Europeans

Christopher Columbus Born in Genoa, Italy in 1451 Studied atlases and read whatever he could about travels and exploration Decided he could get to Asia by sailing west from Europe Eventually got financial backing for his trip from Spain

Christopher Columbus Left with three ships - the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria in August, 1492 On October 12, he went ashore on a small island in the Bahamas and claimed it for Spain Columbus believed he had reached the East Indies, so he called Native people Indians

Christopher Columbus The natives that Columbus encountered were the Arawak, who were peaceful and friendly Noting their gold ear ornaments, Columbus took some of the Arawaks prisoner and insisted that they take him to the source of the gold From his journal entry of October 12th, 1492: “They ought to make good and skilled servants, for they repeat very quickly whatever we say to them. I think they can very easily be made Christians, for they seem to have no religion. If it pleases our Lord, I will take six of them to Your Highnesses when I depart, in order that they may learn our language.”

Christopher Columbus Continued his Caribbean voyage, exploring Cuba and Hispaniola (all the while thinking he was in Asia) Left 39 of his men to found a settlement in Hispaniola (present day Haiti) Kidnapped about 10 to 25 natives and took them back to Spain, where those who survived the voyage were paraded through the streets of Barcelona Columbus made three more trips to the New World, bringing 1200 colonists to Hispaniola on his 2nd voyage

The Columbian Exchange These voyages marked the beginning of the European exploration and colonization of the Americans The result was a widespread transfer of animals, plants, culture, human populations, technology and ideas between the Americas and Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries This has become known as “the Columbian Exchange”

The Columbian Exchange – Crops From the Americas: Maize (corn), potato, tomato, tobacco, beans, cacao (chocolate), cotton, peanuts, pumpkin, peppers, cassava, vanilla, avocado, sweet potato From Europe: Sugar, rice, wheat, coffee, banana, citrus fruit, grapes, peach, pear, olive, onion, turnip Just think, before 1500 there were no oranges in Florida, no bananas in Ecuador, no potatoes in Ireland, no coffee in Colombia, no pineapples in Hawaii, no chili peppers in Thailand, no tomatoes in Italy, and no chocolate in Switzerland

The Columbian Exchange – Animals From the Americas: Turkey, llama, guinea pig From Europe: Cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, donkeys, chicken, dogs, cats, and bees The transfer of livestock was much more one-sided; mostly from Europe to the Americas The horse had a major impact on many Native American bands Some gave up agriculture and shifted to a nomadic lifestyle, hunting bison and other animals from horseback

The Columbian Exchange