1. Age of Exploration
People in Europe were fond of silks, spices, porcelain, ivory, glass, and carpets from Asia. Camel caravans went back and forth between European cities and the Far East-China and India. To get back to their home countries, traders had to cross China, India and Arabian Desert and then sail in wooden boats across the Mediterranean Sea. This route was long, dangerous, and expensive. Many bold explorers wanted to find a shorter and easier route to the East. While Portuguese explorers focused on reaching Asia and the Indies from the east, other explorers began to look west.

3. An Italian named Christopher Columbus ventured west and would eventually land in the “New World” in He believed that we would reach India and other parts of Asia by crossing the Atlantic Ocean. He didn’t realize that North and South America would be in his way. He was sponsored by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Columbus would land in the present day Bahamas and in counter native people whom he called “Indians” thinking that he had landed in India. Columbus would return to the area two more times. He would load his ships with native plants, parrots and Indian prisoners. Columbus was seeking gold and other precious metals more than any other product. He punished the natives of the area by threat of death if they could not eventually bring him god to take back to Spain. In the end Columbus never realized that he had discovered a new land unknown to Europeans.

4. What is it called when one culture views it’s culture superior?

5. Two Cultures Meet
What happens when two very different cultures meet? This happened when Europeans met Native Americans. Columbus proved that the world was a much bigger place than anyone had imagined. He found two new continents inhabited by millions of people the Europeans had not known existed. Columbus opened the way for other explorers to come to the Americas. They brought horses, metal tools, weapons, wheat, and sugar to the Indians. Priests brought Christianity. The Indians showed the Europeans new things like tomatoes, potatoes, and corn. Trade items started going back and forth across the Atlantic. However, the Europeans unintentionally brought diseases that would kill millions of natives of the Americas.

6. Columbian Exchange

7. Other Explorers to Follow
After Columbus returned from his voyages, other Europeans leaders became interested in profiting from the lands in the New World and began to send their own explorers.
English in the Americas
King of England hires John Cabot to find route to Asia.
1497 Cabot finds New Foundland and Nova Scotia (Canada) and eventually ventures down to Maryland.
French in the Americas
French concentrate their efforts into Canada (Indian word meaning village)
The French would clam Canada for themselves. They would concentrate their efforts in trade with the Native Indians
Spanish in the Americas
Spanish focus their efforts into mostly Central and South America.
However the Spanish did venture into North America even going into parts of North Carolina.
Hernado de Soto ventured from Florida to Western Carolina in 1539
Spanish explorer Juan Pardo ventured from Florida to the Carolinas but couldn’t establish a settlement outside of Augustine, Florida.

9. Questions For Exploration
What goods were Europeans fond of in Asia?
What were the explorers trying to accomplish?
Who helped Christopher Columbus?
How did Christopher Columbus treat the natives?
What are some of the items exchanged in the “Columbian Exchange”? What is this an example of?
Other than Spain what other European countries started to get involved in exploring the “New World?