Transcript 1235860Chapter 2 – Section 1

Unit 2: Colonizing North
America
European Settlements in
North America
Main Idea
In the 1500s and 1600s,
European nations, led by
Spain continued to explore,
claim territory, and build
settlements in America.
Spain or Portugal?
 In 1494, the “new” world was divided between
the major European powers of Spain and
Portugal.
 The Treaty of Tordesillas was the treaty that
divided the world, giving Spain the best deal,
by far. Guess where the Pope of the time
came from?
Conquistadors
 Spanish explorers in the 1500s were known
as Conquistadors, which is Spanish for
“conquerors.”
 They ventured out for the “3 G’s” of Spanish
exploration: God, gold and glory
 In other words, riches, fame and to spread
Christianity
Juan Ponce de León
 Claimed an area on
Easter Sunday, 1513
which he named “La
Florida.”
 He was searching for
the mythical “Fountain
of Youth”
Hernán Cortés and the Aztec
 Seeking gold and land
Cortés and his
conquistadors landed
on the Gulf Coast of
Mexico in 1519, intent
on conquering the
Aztec Empire
Factors that aided Cortés’s conquest
 Some Aztec saw the Spanish as prophesized
gods
 Did this include Aztec ruler Moctezuma?
Some say yes, others suggest it is a myth
applied after the conquest to explain defeat
 Cortés gathered allies from the angry tribes
conquered by the Aztec, enlarging his army
Factors that aided Cortés’s conquest
 Aztec ruler Moctezuma tried to avoid warfare
and bribed the Spanish with gold
 Aided by Malinche, a native ally who served
as an interpreter
 Weapons, horses, dogs, armor, disease, etc.
Other Conquistadors…
 Francisco Pizzaro – Took advantage of the
aftermath of the Incan civil war to lead a
Spanish expedition to conquer Peru
 Hernando de Soto – aided the conquest of
Peru & explored the Southeastern US for
gold and good sites to colonize
 de Soto died in 1542, a failure in the eyes
of the Spanish
Impact of the Spanish Conquest
 The fall of the Aztec devastated many
Mexican people and their culture – many
traditions lost
 Christianity (Catholicism) became the official
religion
 Spanish became the official language
Social Structure of Spain’s Empire in
the Americas
 Peninsulares – Those who came from Spain,
considered themselves superior to all others
 Creoles – Pure Spanish descent, born in
Americas
 Mestizos – Mixed Spanish and Native
 Mixed Spanish & African, pure-blooded
Native peoples and Africans
Spanish Society in the Americas
 A key aspect of the Spanish
social structure was the
mission.
 These developed into large
plantations, centered on the
church. Missionaries were
then sent out to convert local
populations to Christianity.
The economic system the
colonies used was called the
encomienda system.
Other nations explore…
 Henry VII of England
sent John Cabot to
explore in 1497
 He landed in
Newfoundland and
claimed it for England –
like Columbus he
claimed he landed in
Asia
Queen Elizabeth I
 Built England into a
global power based on
its navy
 Her captains attacked
Spanish ships, stealing
their gold and silver.
One such captain Sir
Francis Drake
circumnavigated the
globe in 1577
Queen Elizabeth I
 In 1588, the Spanish
Armada was sent to
England where both
weather and England’s
Navy defeated it,
shifting the balance of
power to the English on
the oceans.
France
 Jacques Cartier discovered the St. Lawrence
River and claimed Quebec
 In 1608, Samuel de Champlain founded a fur
trading post
 In 1666, the Sieur de la Salle followed the
Mississippi River to its mouth and claimed
land for France, naming it Louisiana after the
king