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Settling of the New World
Pangaea 225 million years ago, it is believed the Earth
consisted of one single super continent
Due to land shifts, oceans were formed and the continents as we know them today
Great Ice Age 2 million years ago, the Great Ice Age
allowed for thick sheets of ice to expand over the Americas, as well as Europe and Asia
Due to the ice age, the ocean levels dropped & allowed for the emergence of of a land bridge connecting Eurasia to North America
This is believed to have allowed for the first human inhabitants of the American continents for over 250 centuries
The Earliest Americans
Viking Explorers As the Ice Age ended & sea levels rose, the
American continents re-entered a time of isolation for the rest of the world
Until about the year 1000, a Scandinavian explorer by the name of Leif(v) Erikson explored what is now today Nova Scotia
The Crusades The Crusades (11th to 14th centuries) also had
an indirect influence on the founding of the New World
Christian crusaders from Europe traveled to the holy land to defeat the Muslims
On these conquests, the Europeans acquired a taste for the goods from this region (sugar, silk, drugs, perfumes, etc.)
This would then foster the exploration of Europeans to the East to acquire these goods
Rivalry Due to the desire to travel East, the
Portuguese were innovators & developed the caravel ship
This allowed the Europeans to travel along the forbidden African coast
The sea fearing Portuguese pushed even farther, and Vasco de Gama reached India by 1498
The successes of Portuguese discovery fueled rivalry with Spain, who would pursue their own discovery, conquest, & colonization
Columbus & the New World
Christopher Columbus persuaded the Spanish monarchs to support his sea adventure to the “Indies”
October 12, 1492-Columbus sighted an island in the Bahamas, accidentally
This discovery initiated an explosion in international commerce and globalization with the Columbian Exchange
Spanish Conquistadors
Spain became the dominating power of the New World by the 1500s
Conquistadors, conquerors, spanned across the Caribbean and onto the mainland of the American continents seeking gold and fortune Were the conquistadors immoral?
Read pages 18-19 in text & discuss
The Spread of Spanish America
Within half a century since Columbus’ arrival, the Spanish Catholic empire extended from Colorado from Argentina
However, other European powers were eager to place their mark on the map as well
This fueled the Spanish to further secure their empire and North American lands. Mainly through the conversion of the natives to Christianity.