European Explorers

European Explorers

Christopher Columbus

Columbus and his brother, Bartholomew, knew that there were great riches to be had in China and East Asia. However, traveling overland by the Silk Road was dangerous and a sea route around Africa seemed much too long. Columbus thought he could sail straight to China by crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

It would turn out that Columbus was wrong. The Earth was much larger than he thought and there was another land, the Americas, between Europe and Asia.

Multiple Choice

What ocean did Columbus think he had to sail across to get to China?

• Atlantic

• Pacific

• Indian

• Southern

Christopher Columbus

Columbus spent years trying to convince someone to pay for his voyage. He first tried to get King John II of Portugal to pay for his journey, but the King was not interested. Finally, he was able to convince Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain to pay for the trip.

He set sail on August 3, 1492 with three ships named the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. The voyage was long and difficult. At one point his men threatened to mutiny and wanted to turn back. Columbus promised them he would turn back in two days if they didn't find land. In his journal, however, he wrote that he had no intention of turning back.

Multiple Choice

Which is not the name of a Columbus ship?

• Nina

• Pinta

• Balsa

• Santa Maria

Christopher Columbus

On October 12, 1492 land was spotted. It was a small island in the Bahamas that Columbus would name San Salvador. He met natives there that he called Indians because he was convinced that he had landed on islands off the coast of East Asia. He also visited other islands in the Caribbean such as Cuba and Hispaniola.

Multiple Choice

What is one of the islands Columbus explored in the Caribbean

• Mackinac

• Cuba

• Madagascar

• Palau

Henry Hudson

Henry Hudson wanted to find a northern passage to India. He thought that, since the sun shined most of the summer on the North Pole, the ice there would melt in the summer. Perhaps he could sail right over the top of the world to India. Starting in 1607, Henry headed up four different expeditions searching for the elusive northern passage.

Multiple Choice

What was the passage over the top of the world that Henry Hudson thought would take him to India?

• Arctic Passage

• Canadian Passage

• Northern Passage

• Russian Passage

Henry Hudson

Henry set sail on his first expedition in May of 1607. His boat was called the Hopewell and his crew included his sixteen year-old son John. He sailed north up the coast of Greenland and to an island called Spitsbergen. At Spitsbergen he discovered a bay full of whales. They also saw plenty of seals and walruses. They kept going north until they ran into ice. Hudson searched for over two months to find a passage through the ice, but eventually had to turn back.

Multiple Choice

What is one example of wildlife Hudson found off the coast of Greenland?

• Mammoths

• Sabre Toothed Tigers

• Dodo Birds

• Walruses

Henry Hudson

In 1608 Hudson took his ship out to sea in hopes of finding a passage to the northeast over Russia. He made it as far as the island of Novaya Zemlya located far to the north of Russia. However, he once again encountered ice which he could not pass no matter how hard he searched.

Multiple Choice

What stopped Hudson from continuing his expedition?

• Ice

• Pirates

• Storms

• Lack of Food

Hernan Cortes

Hernan Cortes was born in Medellín, Spain in 1485. He came from a fairly famous family and his father was a captain in the Spanish army. His parents wanted him to become a lawyer and sent him to school to study law when he was fourteen. Cortes wasn't interested in becoming a lawyer and returned home when he was sixteen.

Multiple Choice

What country was Hernan Cortes born in?

• England

• Spain

• Italy

• Portugal

Hernan Cortes

Cortes and his men landed at the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico in April of 1519. He had 11 ships, around 500 men, some horses, and some cannon. He soon met a native woman named Dona Marina. Dona Marina spoke the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs and could help to interpret for Cortes.

Cortes heard of the gold and treasures of the Aztecs. He wanted to conquer them and take their treasure for Spain. He requested a meeting with the Aztec Emperor, Montezuma II, but was repeatedly turned down. He then decided to march to the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan.

Multiple Choice

What did Hernan Cortes want from the Aztecs?

• Gold and Treasure

• Food

• Horses

• Weapons

Hernan Cortes

After conquering the Aztecs, Cortes renamed the city of Tenochtitlan to Mexico City. The city became the Spanish capital of the territory which was called New Spain. Cortes was named governor of the land by King Charles I of Spain.

Multiple Choice

What did Cortes rename the city of Tenochtitlan to?

• Cancun

• San Cruz

• Mexico City

• Juarez

Multiple Choice

What did Cortes rename the city of Tenochtitlan to?

• Cancun

• San Cruz

• Mexico City

• Juarez