European Background to Its Incursion in and Settlement (Conquest) of North America

How did the United States come to be? Conquest of a continent was not a foregone conclusion. A unitary state did not have to emerge out of the conquered lands of native peoples. In many way, the European encounter with the Americas was an accident.

Portuguese Forays Along the African Coast to India (Prince Henry the Navigator) Bartholomew Dias around the Cape of Good Hope (1488) Vasco da Gama to India (1498) Pedro Cabral to Brazil (1500)

Spanish Forays Christopher Columbus (1492—first of 4 voyages) Columbus Controversy—hero or instigator of genocide?

Christopher Columbus

The Pinta and the Santa Maria

European Motives Escape disease and scarcity Technological, economic, and political, intellectual transformations Why Europe and not China? Zheng He commanded a large treasure fleet in the 1430s, but China had no incentive to explore beyond the Indian Ocean and East African Coast.

Spanish Empire in the New World Conquistadors conquer Mexica and Quechua (Cortes and Pizarro) Coronado and DeSoto explore interior of North America Focus on Silver in Mexico, especially rich strikes at Zacatecas. Encomienda Great Biological Exchange

Reformation Martin Luther John Calvin English Reformation—from Henry to Elizabeth

Martin Luther

John Calvin

ELIZABETH I— Marriage politics Aided Protestants in Netherlands Supported “Sea Dogs”—really pirates like Drake

Spanish Armada Phillip II desired to rid himself of both his English and Protestant problems in the north. Mythology of Armada or why we can’t get the obvious falsehood on page 40— [‘smaller... English vessels to go Away.]

Results of Armada English freer to exploit North Atlantic Spanish sea power was considerably weakened English morale heightened.

Walter Raleigh Established Roanoke on Carolina’s outer banks Armada interfered with supplying ti. “Lost Colony”

Roanoke