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AKS 31b - European Exploration

Last updated about 1 year ago
27 questions

Exploration and Colonization



People in Europe did not know that American Indians lived throughout North and South America. Most Europeans did not even know these lands existed. In the 1400s, that began to change. Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the Americas in 1492 sparked tremendous interest from European nations. The Spanish found gold in Mexico and Peru, and silver in Peru and Chile. Spain, France, and England raced to claim their share of untold riches in these lands, expanding their rivalry across the globe. Rivalry is competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field. Explorers, and eventually settlers, sought treasure—or at least raw materials—to send back home. Aside from these economic goals, many others made the journey to spread Christianity or to seek adventure in a far away land. People of African descent became a third group to interact in this “New World.” Brought to the Americas against their will, Africans struggled to survive as they were forced into labor. This interaction of Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans left a lasting legacy on Georgia.
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Who's voyage sparked interest from European nations in the Americas?

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What was one of the main reasons for European exploration of the Americas?

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Which three groups of people interacted in the 'New World'?

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What was the role of Africans in the new colonies?

The Columbian Exchange

Encounters between Native peoples and foreign explorers resulted in cultural diffusion (the spreading of something more widely), which brought changes to both cultures. Overtime, Europeans introduced horses, metal tools and weapons, and the Catholic religion to the Indians, while the Indians introduced Europeans to new methods of farming, government, and warfare. The two groups exchanged new foods as well. When explorers visited the New World, they brought cattle, sheep, pigs, and oranges from Europe. When they returned, they took potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and chocolate from the Americas with them. This became known as the Columbian Exchange. In addition to introducing Europeans and American Indians to many new plants and animals, it also introduced new ideas, methods of agriculture, and social customs. Many points of contact were helpful to both sides, but others were devastating. European diseases caused a population crash among American Indians across the entire Western Hemisphere.

Click on the link to see the interactive map of the Columbian Exchange.

Zoom in on the map below to read it in detail:
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What was the primary effect of the Columbian Exchange on both European and Native cultures?

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What animals were brought from Europe to the New World during the Columbian Exchange?

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What foods did the Europeans take from the Americas to Europe during the Columbian Exchange?

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What was one negative impact of the Columbian Exchange on American Indians?

Exploration and Colonization


Europe in the 15th century was a place of tremendous growth, prosperity (wealth), and violence. Trade was expanding, giving rise to new markets and creating centers of great wealth. As part of this expansion, trade routes crisscrossing the globe began to connect distant countries to one another, but traveling was dangerous and expensive. Daring explorers hoped to find shorter and easier routes from place to place. It was in this setting that Christopher Columbus convinced the king and queen of Spain to fund an expedition.

Columbus wanted to find a shorter route to Asia, and he vowed to introduce the Catholic religion to the people he met. For the glory of Spain, the riches that might be found, and the religious converts Columbus would gather, the king and queen agreed to finance his expedition. Columbus believed he could reach Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean. What no one in Europe realized at that time was that an entire continent stood in the way. When Columbus sailed into the Caribbean Sea and landed on an island in the Bahamas, he thought he had reached the East Indies. He called the island San Salvador and claimed it for Spain. He called the Native Taino people he encountered “Indians” and enslaved many of them. Columbus made four voyages to the islands, relaying stories of the gold mines and wealth they held.
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Why did Christopher Columbus convince the king and queen of Spain to fund an expedition?

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What did Columbus initially believe when he landed on an island in the Bahamas?

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What incorrect term did Columbus use to describe the Native Taino people?

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How many voyages to the islands did Columbus make?

A Race for Colonies


The Columbian expeditions ushered in a contest among European powers to establish themselves in the Americas. To secure their claims to the land, the rulers wanted to start colonies throughout the world. A colony is a settlement ruled by a distant country. The country with the most colonies would become the richest and most powerful empire in the world.

England sent an explorer named John Cabot to find a shorter route to Asia. Though he never actually explored the continent, he sailed close to what is now Massachusetts and as far south as Maryland. Because of Cabot’s explorations, England laid claim to land in North America. Before long, explorers from Spain, France, the Netherlands, Italy, England, and Portugal were exploring various regions of North America.




New Spain

Spain was the first European power to establish colonies in the Americas. With armies of conquistadors (the Spanish word for “conquerors”), men such as Hernando Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, and Hernando de Soto claimed a large territory in Central and South America, part of which became known as New Spain. They also claimed land in what is now the southeastern United States, which they called La Florida. The Spanish colonies brought great wealth to Spain in the form of gold and silver.

But Spain’s gain in the Americas cost the Natives dearly. Cortés and Pizarro, with the help of Spanish soldiers and Indian allies, destroyed the Aztec and Inca Empires of Central and South America. Following Spain’s lead, the French established New France in what is now Canada and the Great Lakes region. The French, the Dutch, and finally the English all built colonies in the Americas, hoping to find wealth.
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What is a colony?

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Who did England send to find a shorter route to Asia?

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Which European power first established colonies in the Americas?

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What did the establishment of New Spain and New France lead to?

Why Start a Colony?


The motives for starting colonies had a lot to do with economics—the production and distribution of goods and services. Chief among the economic reasons were these:

  • Silver and Gold: Spanish explorers told of treasures they found in the Americas. There were reports of silver, gold, and pearls. Everyone believed these stories. The kings and queens of Europe hoped to enrich their empires with silver and gold.
  • Raw Materials: The Americas had another kind of treasure—natural resources. There were vast stretches of forests full of timber, which could be used to build ships and houses; and there were animals, whose skins could be sold for a high price in Europe. The waterways were full of fish. These were valuable raw materials (things that could be used to make other products). Kings and queens could become rich and powerful by controlling these resources.
  • New Routes, New Markets: Everyone believed an all-water route to Asia existed somewhere. Whoever found it would get to claim it and profit (make money) through trade with Asia. A colony would be a base for trade, and trading was an important way of making money. Buyers in Europe would want goods from the New World, and people in the colony would need goods from Europe.
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What was one of the primary economic motivations for starting colonies?

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Why were raw materials valuable to the kings and queens of Europe?

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What did explorers hope to find by creating an all-water route to Asia?

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Why would a colony be used as a base for trade?

De Soto’s Expeditions


The first European to explore inland North America and cross the Mississippi River was Hernando de Soto. He had already amassed (collected)a fortune helping to conquer the Incas in Peru; now the king gave him permission to conquer and colonize La Florida. In 1539,de Soto sailed for Florida with nine ships,600 men, and more than 200 horses to begin his search for “God, gold, and glory. ”The expedition landed at Tampa Bay and never actually touched the coast of Georgia. Receiving news of an abundance of gold and silver mines from an Indian translator, de Soto set off to discover more riches.

For the next three years, de Soto and his men explored much of southeastern North America. Working their way north through Florida, they entered what is now Georgia. The first big obstacle they encountered was the Flint River, near Bainbridge. Rodrigo Rangel, de Soto’s personal secretary, wrote, “The river was so broad that our best thrower never managed to throw a stone across. ”They made a large raft and attached a chain cable so they could cross the river. It took them four full days to transport all the men and possessions across the river. DeSoto’s men traveled up central Georgia to east Georgia, then crossed the Savannah River near Augusta and entered what is now South Carolina. After exploring north into Tennessee, they returned to northwest Georgia. In 1540, they arrived at the Indian village of Coosa near Carters Lake in northwest Georgia. After staying for about a month, they kidnapped the chief and some of his family members and moved south to the village at the Etowah Mounds. From there they followed the Etowah and Coosa Rivers into Alabama.

Encountering the Indians

De Soto’s army encountered some of the great Mississippian chiefdoms in the interior of Georgia. These inland towns were larger than the villages along the coast at the time. The people were mostly Muskogean speakers, though many of the Indians in the Carolinas spoke Iroquoian languages. Like other explorers, de Soto and his men sometimes treated the Indians cruelly, even when the Indians fed and sheltered them. The Spaniards stole food and supplies from Indian villages, enslaving hundreds and killing anyone who tried to stop them. Horses, attack dogs, and superior weapons gave Europeans the upper hand when it came to conquering. Additionally, European diseases such as smallpox, influenza, mumps, and measles, would kill thousands more Natives.

Crossing the Mississippi

De Soto continued exploring until he reached and crossed the Mississippi River. Over the course of the journey, the Spanish lost precious livestock. Food ran scarce, and Indians attacked frequently. Almost a year after crossing the river, de Soto died from a fever. Ragged and hungry, the remaining men built boats and floated down the river to the Gulf of Mexico. Indians followed them in canoes and attacked repeatedly. By the time the Spanish reached Mexico, fewer than 300 of the original crew were still alive.

Despite discovering the Mississippi River, the Spanish government deemed De Soto's expedition a failure. He had not found the riches he sought, and he had not established a permanent colony. Several other Spanish expeditions traveled into Georgia, but none of them resulted in a permanent settlement.

Tristán de Luna at Coosa

Spain tried again, sending Tristán de Luna and 1,500 soldiers and colonists from Mexico to colonize several key areas of the Southeast before the French could do so. They wanted to establish settlements at Pensacola (in Florida), Santa Elena (in South Carolina), and the large Indian town of Coosa in northwest Georgia. The de Luna expedition and its15 ships landed at Pensacola Bay. After a hurricane destroyed ships and supplies, they made their way inland in search of food. Entering present-day Georgia, they traveled to Coosa and remained for six months. However, after several more setbacks, Spain decided to give up its hopes for the de Luna colonies.

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Who was the first European to explore inland and cross the Mississippi River?

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Where did de Soto's expedition first land?

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What diseases did Europeans bring that killed thousands of Natives?

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Why was de Soto's expedition considered a failure by the Spanish government?

Spanish Missions




In 1565, nearly 30 years after DeSoto’s expeditions, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés established St. Augustine on Florida’s east coast, followed by Santa Elena on Parris Island in South Carolina. The new Florida colony was intended as a colonial base that could also protect the Bahamas Channel, a passageway for Spanish ships laden with gold and silver coming from South America.

Menéndez envisioned a series of Catholic missions that would include Georgia’s coastal Indians. These Early Encounters religious outposts would help support, develop, and strengthen the colonies at St. Augustine and Santa Elena. Their purpose was to convert the Indians to Catholicism and teach them Spanish farming techniques so they could supply the colony with food and labor. In effect, the missions became the "bread basket" and labor pool for St. Augustine. From1568to 1684,the Spanish built missions on the barrier islands, such as St. Catherine's, St. Simons, Sapelo, and Cumberland Islands, in the Okefenokee Swamp, and in the interior of Georgia, at Valdosta, Folkston, and Lumber City. Santa Catalina de Guale was the most important mission for the Spanish. The missions had a devastating impact on the local tribes, including the Guale, who lived on the islands and in larger towns on the mainland of the middle and upper coast, and the Timucua of the southeastern coast. Disease brought by the Spanish killed up to 90 percent of the local Indian population. Despite their reduced numbers, the Guale revolted in the Juanillo Rebellion of1597, killing five Spanish friars (priests). The Spanish abandoned the missions, but only for a short time. They soon made peace and continued to build missions.




The Mission Era Ends

A number of factors brought the mission era to an end in the 1600s. Disease and rebellion took a toll on the mission population. Also, the English who had colonized as far south as Charles Town, South Carolina, teamed up with Native Americans to attack the Spanish missions. Pirates also raided the missions and coastal waters in search of Spanish treasure. In 1684,the last mission was destroyed by pirate attack. The Spanish had failed at colonizing Georgia. However, these early explorers had gained important knowledge about the area— knowledge that eventually would help James Oglethorpe and the British colonists succeed.
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What was the main purpose of the missions established by the Spanish?

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What devastating effects did these missions have on local tribes?

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What brought the mission era to an end in the 1600s?