South Carolina Explorers

When you hear the word “explorer”, what comes to your mind?

An explorer is someone who travels and searches for new places and things.

Who is Considered an Explorer?

South Carolina Explorers

Many of you know Christopher Columbus Many of you know Christopher Columbus. Columbus was an explorer who came from Spain. Spain traded goods with people in Africa and Asia. They got gems, spices, and silk.

Spain Africa Asia

Sailing by boat and traveling by land from Spain to Asia was a long trip. Let’s look at a map to see how long the trip was.

Columbus thought he could get to Asia much faster if he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. So, the king and queen of Spain (monarchs) paid for the trip. Let’s look at a map to see if Columbus was correct.

Was Christopher Columbus correct?

No!!! Where did he land? Christopher Columbus landed on the continent of North America.

We know that the Native Americans were the first people living in North America. After Columbus, explorers from Spain, France, and England came in search of new lands and new treasures on this newly discovered continent. Many of these explorers came to South Carolina.

Why did the explorers come to South Carolina? To claim land and riches for their king and country. Curious Trade Build settlements

Why do you think the kings and queens of Spain, France, and England wanted to have more land and more riches?

They wanted to become richer and more powerful!

Over the years, many explorers came to North America and South Carolina. Let’s take a look at five of those explorers.

Hernando de Soto Explorer for Spain. He searched for gold and slaves. He and his men traveled north from Spanish Florida. He treated the Native Americans badly by stealing from them and kidnapping one of their leaders. He never built a settlement, but continued to travel throughout the Southeastern U.S. looking for riches.

No Settlement!

Jean Ribault Explorer for France. He and his men came to South Carolina to compete with Spain for land. He landed in Port Royal and built a fort called Charlesfort. He later returned to France to get supplies, but he did not come back. The people he left behind gave up and returned to France.

No Settlement!

Juan Pardo Explorer for Spain He arrived at Parris Island and claimed the land for Spain. He renamed this land Santa Elena and used it as a base from which he explored South Carolina. He tried to befriend the Native Americans so he and his fellow men could trade some of their items with items from the Native Americans.

No Settlement!

Henry Woodward Explorer for England. His ship was called Carolina. He and his men landed at Bull’s Bay. He established the first English settlement in South Carolina. It was called Charles Town. He became friends with the Native Americans by respecting them and treating them fairly. He also traded with the Native Americans.

Successful Settlement!

William Hilton Explorer for England He was hired by the English settlers in Barbados to explore the coast of South Carolina. He sought out lush land for plantations. Plantations are large farms. He claimed an area now known as Hilton Head. Later English migrants became an important part of the English colony in South Carolina.

Hilton Head

Cause Effect Because of the explorations by many people from Spain, France, and England, More and more people began to come and settle in this new land. Merchants and missionaries hoped to spread Christianity.

Map Time! Choose five different colored crayons. Draw each explorers route to South Carolina. Draw a map key.

What ever happened between the Native Americans and the Europeans? At first, many of the Native Americans and Europeans were nice to each other. They had a good trading relationship. The Europeans wanted furs while the Native Americans wanted guns, knives, and other manufactured goods.

Later on, the trading relationship between these two groups worsened when the Europeans began treating the Native Americans unfairly. Also, conflicts over land ownership and land use grew worse as settlers began moving onto Native American hunting grounds.

The Native Americans didn’t want anybody owning the land, but the Europeans wanted to claim it for themselves. One group of Native Americans that was greatly effected by this was the Yemassee. The Yemassee went to war with the Europeans. Because of this, many people died on both sides.

Finally, the Native Americans and the Europeans agreed on a truce and the war was over. After the war, many more Native Americans began to die because of the infectious diseases brought over by the Europeans.

Discussion Time What are your thoughts about what you’ve learned? What questions do you have about South Carolina explorers or Native Americans?