European Explorers in North America

European Exploration In North

America

The Big Three

• Spain
• England
• France

Reasons for Exploration

• Gold

– Riches and wealth

• God

– Desire to spread religion

• Glory

– Fame from discovering a new land

Check for understanding _1

• Which of these was NOT among the main

reasons for European exploration of North
America?
A. Desire to spread religion
B. Desire to acquire gold
C. Desire to be famous
D. Desire to trigger war

Obstacles

• Lack of supplies
• Different climates
• Lack of Food

– Many men died of starvation

• Diseases
• The fear of the unknown

Check for understanding _2

• Which of these was not one of the major

obstacles to the European explorers?
A. Hunger and disease
B. Lack of supplies
C. Fights with Native Americans
D. Fear of the unknown

Great Accomplishments

• Discovery of New Lands!!

– This was the main accomplishment.

• Goods and ideas were exchanged by

different peoples.

• Navigational tools were improved.
• New areas were mapped.
• Transportation was improved.

Check for understanding_3

• One of the great accomplishments of

discovering new lands was:

A. Interactions and friendships among the
European explorers and the natives
B. Exploitation for resources and minerals
C. Importation of spices and jewelries
D. Production of maps of new areas

Famous Explores

• Christopher Columbus: 1492
• John Cabot: 1497
• Juan Pone de Leon:1513
• Vasco Nunez Balboa: 1513
• Jacques Cartier: 1534
• Henry Hudson:1609-1610

Christopher Columbus

1492

Christopher Columbus

• Country

– Spain

• Obstacles

– No maps, frightened crew

• Purpose

– Sail west to reach Asia

• Achievements

– First European to reach the

New World in 1492

• Interesting Fact

– Sailors on Christopher

Columbus’ ships slept on
the open deck at night.

– They tied themselves down

to keep from being thrown
into the sea as the ship
rolled in the waves!

John Cabot

1497

John Cabot

1497

• Country

– England

• Obstacles

– No maps

• Purpose

– Wanted to reach Asia

• Achievements

– Landing on the

eastern coast of
Canada, where fish
were plentiful. Other
Europeans went to set
up fishing companies

• Interesting Fact

– One of the his three

sons, Sebastian also
went on the trip

Juan Ponce de Leon

1513

Jaun Ponce de Leon

1513

• Country

– Spain

• Obstacles

– Fought with Native

Americans

• Purpose

– Find gold and a

legendary “fountain of
youth”

• Achievements

– Discovered Florida

and claimed it for
Spain in 1553.

• Interesting Facts

– Named Florida after

the Spanish word
flower.

Vasco Nunez Balboa

1513

Vasco Nunez Balboa

1513

• Country

– Spain

• Obstacles

– Fought with Native

Americans

• Purpose

– Looking for wealth and

fame.

• Achievements

– The first European to

discover the Pacific
Ocean in 1513

• Interesting Facts

– Once settled in South

America, Balboa
married the daughter
of the local Native
American Chief

Jacques Cartier

1534

Jacques Cartier

1534

• Country

– France

• Obstacles

– Sailors caught

diseases

• Purpose

– Find a water route to

Asia

– Looking for Gold

• Achievements

– Discovered the Gulf of

St. Lawrence and the
St. Lawrence River in
Canada in 1534.

• Interesting Facts

– He named the area

“Kanata,” the Iroquois
word for “village.” He
tried to create a
settlement, but it didn’t
last the winter.

Henry Hudson

1609

Henry Hudson

1610

• Country

– Holland

• Obstacles

– Crew mutinied in the cold

climate

• Purpose

– He was trying to find a

northern path to Europe
Asia called the Northwest
Passage.

• Achievements

– Explored the Hudson River

near present-day New York
state and the Hudson Bay
in 1609 and 1610.

– He claimed the area for

Holland.

• Interesting Facts

– Hudson’s crew kicked him

off the boat, and he was
never heard from again.

Cooperation and Conflict

• When the European explores reached

North America, they found people already
living there.

• These were tribes of Native Americans.
• Contact between the Europeans and

Native Americans sometimes led to
cooperation and other times led to conflict.

Check for understanding

• Which of the famous explorers landed on

the eastern coast of Canada where fish
was plentiful?

• A. Christopher Columbus
• B. Juan Ponce de Lean
• C. John Cabot
• D. Vasco Nunez Balboa

Cooperation and Conflict

• Here are examples of contact between

Europeans and Native Americans:
– French

• Established trading post
• Spread the Christian religion

– English

• Established settlements
• Claimed ownership of land
• Learned farming techniques from the Native Americans
• Traded good with the Native Americans

– Spanish

• Conquered and enslaved many Native Americans
• Brought Christianity to the New World

Check for understanding_4

• State at least one major obstacle, and one

major achievement of each of the following
explorers: (answer with Google doc)
i. Christopher Columbus: 1492
ii. John Cabot: 1497
iii. Juan Pone de Leon:1513
iv. Vasco Nunez Balboa: 1513
v. Jacques Cartier: 1534
vi. Henry Hudson:1609-1610

Examples of

Cooperation and Conflict

• Cooperation:

– Technologies

(weapons and farm
tools)

– Trade
– Crops

• Conflict

– Claims to land
– Competition for trade
– Differences in culture
– Differences in

language

French, English, or Spanish?

• The people living here are amazed by us.

They ask about our weapons and our
clothes. We have set up trading post
where they bring hides from game they
have killed. In return for the hides, which
we send home to be made into coats and
hats, we give them small trinkets such as
beads. Our trading posts are quite
profitable.

French, English, or Spanish?

• They are just a bunch of savages living

here in the wilderness. We can easily
overpower them and make them into our
slaves. They might even have hidden
stores of gold we can take from them.
There are so many of these Indians living
here that we have a constant supply of
slaves to do the hard work for us.

French, English, or Spanish?

• The land here is beautiful. We have plenty

of water nearby and there are also many
forests of large trees we can use to build
houses and churches. This is a wonderful
place for us to build settlements.

Check for understanding_5:

Explorers

• List of 4 explorers:

– Christopher Columbus
– Vasco Nunez Balboa
– Jacques Cartier
– Jaun Ponce de Leon

• Which explorer is different from the other three.
• Write three sentences explaining how the other

three explores are different.

• Write two to three more sentences explaining

how the other three are alike.

Check for understanding_6

• Explain in half a page how the English,

French, and Spanish explorers interacted
with native Americans.

Quad Cluster

• Christopher Columbus
• Vasco Nunez Balboa
• Jacques Cartier
• Jaun Ponce de Leaon