1. Exploring the Americas: 1400 - 1625
Early Exploration

2. Viking Voyages 100’s of years B4 Columbus
Scandinavians called Vikings sailed west reaching NA
800’s and 900’s CE visited Iceland and Greenland
Established settlements
1000 CE- Leif Eriksson (son of Eric the Red) attempted to create settlement in “Vinland”
Now Newfoundland

3. Slowly but Surely
Neither had been done B4; no one even seen open ocean or coastline of Africa
Portugal leads the charge
Prince Henry the Navigator
Sets up school for navigators and sailors
Info they share greatly helps his ship captains
Armed w/ info and $$$ from Henry set out to explore Africa and possible water route to Asia
1445- Dinis Dias reaches “Western Bulge”
1470’s- cross Equator
1488- Bartolommeo Dias sails around southern tip… turns around b/c crew scared
1498- Vasco da Gama sails around tip all the way to India

4. Early Ideas of Exploration
By 1400’s- few believe world is flat
But…
Did not know there was land b/t Europe and East Asia
Most estimate over 10,000 miles to sail from Europe to East Asia
No ship could carry enough food and water to make such long journey

5. Cristoforo Colombo
Disagreed w/ distance estimates; thought less than half that
Italian guy but…
Was turned down by Italy
Approached several other countries to find backers for trip ($$$)
All turned him down until…
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain

6. At Sea… Friday, August 3, 1492 12 October 1492
Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria set sail
After not seeing land for 3 weeks…
Crew gets scared and begs to turn back
Continue on for 2 months and 8 days B4 signs begin to appear
12 October 1492
By moonlight around 2 am the Pinta’s spotter cries, “Tierra, Tierra!” (Land, Land!)

7. Territories Divided
Portugal claimed all land west of Africa was theirs’
Big Problems NOW
Pope Alexander VI divides ocean at 400 miles west of Azore Islands
West of line… Spain
East of line… Portugal
Lined named… Papal Line of Demarcation

8. Treaty of Tordesillas 1494-
line moved in agreement to new “Treaty” 700 miles further west when realized how much more land there was
Treaty of Tordesillas divided Americas between Spain and Portugal
Didn’t allow for claims by other countries
England, France, & Netherlands ignored treaty

9. Exploring the Americas
England, France, & Netherlands wanted in on the $$$ from trade and colonization too
Voyage to Asia, either around Africa or S. America long and difficult
Want to find route going NW over Canada
“NW Passage”
1497- England sent John Cabot look
Only made it to Newfoundland
But trip was basis for future attempts
1499- Amerigo Vespucci began mapping SA coastline
Concluded this was new continent not Asia
By 1500’s European map makers begin calling land America

10. Exploring the Americas
1513- Vasco Núñez de Balboa
Governor of Panama to Spain
Heard stories of “great waters” beyond mts.
1513- forms a party to hike through the jungles
After weeks, sees Pacific Ocean
1st European to do so!!!
1524- France hires Giovanni da Verrazano to look
Explored coast from N. Canada all the way to Carolinas
1535- French hire Jacques Cartier
Sails up St. Lawrence hoping it would lead to Pacific
Made it to present-day Montreal, claiming land for France

11. Sailing Around the World
Spanish wanted to find sea route through or around SA to Asia
1519- hire Ferdinand Magellan, actually Portuguese though
5 ships
Sail across Atlantic then down east coast of SA
November 1520 finds and sails through a narrow strait (now bares his name)
Names the ocean on other side Pacific, meaning peaceful
Expects trip across Pacific just a few weeks
Lasted 4 months
Crew ran out of food
Ate sawdust, rats, and leather to survive
Magellan dies in the Philippines
Crew continued
Trip took 3 years
Only 1 of 5 ships
Only 18 of 200+ crew members
1st to circumnavigate, or sail around the world

12. Still in Search of NW Passage
Netherlands (Dutch) wanted to find NW Passage too
1609- Dutch hire Henry Hudson
Discovers the Hudson River
Sails up as far as Albany and turns back
1610- hired by England and discovers Hudson Bay
Thought it was the Pacific but when couldn’t find outlet crew rebelled
Hudson, his son, and a few sailors were kicked off boat never to be seen again