Vikings to Declaration (Part 1)

Vikings to Declaration

A brief overview of interest in the "New World" of North America - from the turn of the century to 1776.

Multiple Choice

Who will be the FIRST of these European Nations to discover North America?

• The English

• The Spanish

• The Norse (Vikings)

• The French

• Vikings- Norse (Scandinavian) explorers, warriors, merchants & pirates who raided, traded & settled wide areas of Europe and North Atlantic from the late 700’s CE to the early 1000’s CE.

  • CE = Common Era

• The Sagas were originally Viking Oral History that was eventually written down in the 1200’s CE.  

• The Sagas tell us the first settler of Greenland was Erik the Red, who had been exiled from Norway.

• Erik the Red’s, son Leif Ericson, set out from Greenland in 1002 CE and settled in Vinland, know today as Newfoundland Canada. The settlement only lasted a year before they returned to Greenland. 

• The Vikings traveled back to Vinland for wood for the next decade or so before abandoning their settlements.

​

​The Vikings land...

Multiple Choice

Who was the first Viking explorer to be given credit for discovering North America?

• Eric the Red

• Leif Ericson

• Ragnar Lothbrok

• Kirk Cousins

​Viking Ruins (Newfoundland, Canada)

​The Great Age of Exploration 1400 C.E. to 1700 C.E.

​In this time, Europeans engaged in intensive exploration of the world, establishing direct contact with Africa, Asia, the Americas,  and Oceania. Explorers made maps of the world everywhere they went.
In the 1400’s, European geographical knowledge of the world came from the old Greek and Roman maps. 

• The Italians and Muslims controlled the trade with Asia via the Silk Road. If a European King wanted to have a part in the lucrative trade that came from Asia, they needed to find a new way of getting to there.

Spanish Exploration & Christopher Columbus

• 1492 - King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella of Spain agree to finance Columbus' trip.

  • They had recently conquered the entirety of present day Spain - and were looking for trade routes to Asia.

• Columbus' voyage promised riches - and the Queen wished to begin spreading Christianity throughout the World.

​But the Spanish...

• 1485 - the Italian Seafaring Merchant turned Explorer Christopher Columbus begins seeking funds for a journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

• He was denied by the Portuguese, his homeland (Genoa & Venice), and even tried the King of England.

​The World to explore...

Fill in the Blanks

Columbus' Voyage

• On August 3rd 1492 - Columbus, Three Ships (Nina, Pinta, & the Santa Maria), as well as Ninety men set sail.

  • He believed the journey would take a year (to Japan AND return).

  • Thought this would be faster than sailing around the entirety of Africa.

• By October - the crew had already spotted land.

  • Modern day "Bahamas" - Columbus called it San Salvador.

  • Refers to the Taino People as Indians - believing he had landed in "the Indies - people who live on Islands."

    • Or even "a people in God." "Una gente in Dios"

• Continues to explore the Northern Coasts of Cuba & Hispaniola. Will leave men in modern day Haiti to establish a Spanish Settlement.

• European knowledge of a "New World" has begun.

​The English & Jamestown

• ​1607 - Jamestown (Virginia) will become the first permanent English settlement in North America. All Colonies before Jamestown had failed.

  • Mystery of Roanoke (100 Settlers missing). "CROATOAN"

• 115 years following the first Spanish settlement in the Caribbean.

• Much like the Vikings - the first English settlers were not looking to stay. They wanted to find Gold, get rich, and head back to England.

Multiple Select

Select ALL of the following that are true...

• Jamestown was the first successful English Settlement in North America.

• Many of the Settlers wanted to stay in North America.

• Many of the Settlers wanted to leave as soon as they "made it rich."

• The Spanish had created a Settlement in the Caribbean over 100 years before the English.

​Enter the French - "New France"

• ​French Explorers had been exploring the North American interior while the English settled the Eastern Coast.

​French Fur Trappers

​English Colonies

​The Fur Trade

​New France’s economy developed around the fur trade.  

• French fur trades developed good relations with Native Americans. Many French fur traders even married native woman.  

• By 1760, the French colony of New France had a population of 80,000.  The British colonies had 2,000,000 settlers.

• The French’s interaction with the land and Native Americans was much different than the English’s Interaction.

Open Ended

In your own words - how was French Settlement different than English or Spanish in North America?