Transcript Exploring America

Exploring America
• For centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire, the
people of western Europe were isolated from the rest of
the world.
– Dominated by the Catholic Church
– The religion known as Islam swept across Middle
East and Africa.
– Followers of Islam were known as Muslims.
– As Muslims power grew, European Christians
became fearful of losing access to the Holy Land, the
birthplace of Christianity, in what is now Israel.
• In 1095, the Europeans launched the first of nine
expeditions- The Crusades (regain control of the holy
sites)
• Crusades brought west Europeans into contact with the
Middle East
• Europeans trades with Arab merchants, China and India.
• Marco Polo returned from China
• In 1296, he began writing an account of his trip
describing the marvels of Asia.
• 200 years later his book about the East inspired
Columbus and others to sail in the opposite direction to
reach the same destination.
Economics
• Merchants would make a fortune selling
goods to the Orient.
• Arab merchants sold at very high prices
• As demand for Asian goods increased,
Europeans began looking for a route to the
East that bypassed the Arab merchants.
In the 1400s a new type of centralized state
was emerging in western Europe.
-Strong monarchs came into power in Spain,
Portugal, England, and France.
- Established national laws, courts, taxes,
and armies.
- These kings and queens sought ways to
increase trade and make their countries
stronger and wealthier.
A Divided Church
• In 1517 Martin Luther, a German priests, nailed
a list of complaints about the Catholic Church on
the door of the local church.
• His actions led to changes in Europe
• Catholicism had been the main religion in
Europe
• Within years he had many followers
• His protest was the start of a great religious
movement known as the Protestant
Reformation
• John Calvin- a French religious thinker,
also broke away from the Catholic Church.
• In England, King Henry VII also left the
Catholic Church- not for religious reasons.
• Pope Clement VII refused Henry’s request
to declare his first marriage invalid.
• In 1534 the English Parliament, working
with the king, denied the authority of the
pope and recognized the king as the head
of the Church of England.
• Throughout western Europe, people and
nations divided into Catholics and
Protestants .
• Spanish and French Catholics worked to
spread their faith to the Native Americans.
• The Spanish settled in SW and SE North
America regions of North America and the
French Catholics settled in the NE.
• Dutch and English Protestants established
colonies in lands along the Atlantic coasts
between the French and Spanish
settlements.
• Religion was only one of the factors that
pushed European nations across the
Atlantic Ocean.
Promise of great wealth was equally strong
Mercantilism- a nation’s power was based on
it’s wealth.
Rulers tried to acquire gold and silver by
developing trade.
Increased the rivalry between nations.
Columbian Exchange
• The voyage of Columbus and other
explorers brought together two parts of the
globe that previously had no contact.
• The contact led to an exchange of plants,
animals, and diseases that altered life on
both sides of the Atlantic.
• This was known as the Columbian
Exchange
• Treaty of Tordesillas- divided the Americas
between Spain and Portugal.
– It did not allow for claims by other nations- so
England, France, and the Netherlands
ignored the treaty.
– During the 1500s and 1600s, these countries
sent explorers to chart the coast of North
America.
– They wanted to profit from trade and
colonization as well.
– The voyage to Asia- around the southern tip
of Africa or around South America was
difficult.
Northwest Passage
• The three countries hoped to discover a
Northwest Passage to Asia- a more direct water
route through the Americas.
• In 1497 England sent John Cabot, an Italian, to
look for a route.
• Cabot probably landed on the coast of presentday Newfoundland.
• England used Cabot’s voyage as the basis for its
claims to North America.
• French and the Netherlands did the same