Off to the Races: A Land Up for Grabs

Featuring: England, France, and Spain in a Massive (Illegal?) Land

Grab That Rocked the World

Why Settle/Colonize?

• Gold, God, and Glory!

• Main Reason: Water Route to “The Spice Land of East Indies and China”

• Others:– Gold, silver, and natural resources– Convert Native Americans to Christianity

Spain’s Claims

• Americus Vespucius, South America – 1499– 1507 map with Americus’ name leads to

“America”– First to consider the idea of “New World”

Spain’s Claims, cont.

• Ponce de Leon, Florida – 1513– “Fountain of Youth”– Named Florida after its flowers– Died from arrow wound from natives, 1521

Spain’s Claims, cont.

• Cortes, Tenochtitlan, 1519

• Gold n’ Glory: Made Spain filthy rich– Tricked Aztecs to gain control of city– Later, Baja California, Honduras

Spain’s Claims, cont.

• Pizarro, Peru, 1531– Conquered Incan Empire with

guns, 300 men, and 100 horses– Leader executed; germs kill thousands

Spain’s Claims, cont.

• De Soto, southeastern US, 1539– Looking for “Seven Cities of Cibola”– 600-men expedition fought with natives– Died on exploration

Conquistadors

• Spanish mercenaries

Pirates

The Real Pirates of the Caribbean, 1520s-1700

• English, French, Dutch ships begin plundering/attacking Spanish ships on route home

• *Method– Henry Morgan and torture– Port Royal, Jamaica

French Claims

• Attempt to find “Northwest Passage” to East Asia

• Ended up establishing fur trade with Native Americans

French Claims

• All land west of Mississippi River by Samuel de Champlain, Father Marquette, and Louis Joliet

• Named Louisiana after King Louis XIV

French Claims, cont.

• Acadie (modern-day Nova Scotia, Newfoundland)

English Settlers

• The first Pirates of America (privateers)

• Started out by plundering and stealing gold from Spanish ships along East Coast

English Settlements, cont.

• For-profit individuals/companies settled– Task: Find route to Asia, gold, crops, etc.

• Roanoke, 1585-1588

• Jamestown, 1607– Tobacco

The “Lost Colony” of Roanoke, 1585-1588

• First English settlement in North America

• Settlement stories

Jamestown, 1607

• Established for gold mining and permanent foothold in N.A. for England