Lesson 2: European Exploration in the Americas

Question 1

Christopher Columbus Definition

Answer 1

Italian navigator who discovered the North American continent for Europe

Question 2

Circumnavigate Definition

Answer 2

To travel all the way around the Earth

Question 3

Columbian Exchange Definition

Answer 3

The global exchange of goods and ideas resulting from the encounter between the peoples of the Eastern and Western hemispheres

Question 4

Crusades Definition

Answer 4

Between 1100 and 1300, the series of wars fought by Christians to control Palestine, or the Holy Land

Question 5

Ferdinand Magellan Definition

Answer 5

Captain of the crew that was the first to circumnavigate the Earth

Question 6

Renaissance Definition

Answer 6

A burst of learning in Europe from the late 1300’s to about 1600

Question 7

How was Feudal Society Organized?

Answer 7

At the top of feudal society stood the king and the most powerful lords. Next came the lesser nobles. Most people in feudal society were peasants who farmed the lord’s lands and could not leave the land without the lord’s permission.

Question 8

What did manors include?

Answer 8

The lord’s castle and the lands around it

Question 9

What were peasants?

Answer 9

Peasants were farmers who worked mostly by hand on small plots. They struggled to produce enough food just to survive.

Question 10

At about A.D 900, what started to change in feudal societies?

Answer 10

By about A.D 900, life began to change. Peasants used new methods of farming to produce more food. Warfare declined and trade began to grow. Slowly, people began to look beyond their isolated villages.

Question 11

What is in a typical Medieval Manor?

Answer 11

A typical medieval manor included a castle, a church, fields for agriculture and livestock, and dwellings for serfs.

Question 12

What else, besides religion, did the Christian Church do in Medieval Western Europe?

Answer 12

The Church ruled more than religious life. The Church owned large amounts of land and offered the only source of education. The clergy were often the only people who could read and write. Because of their efforts, much of the learning from the ancient world was preserved.

Question 13

What was the second most popular religion in Medieval Western Europe, after Christianity? How were the people that practiced this religion treated?

Answer 13

While Christianity was the main religion in western Europe, the region also had a strong Jewish community. Their religion was Judaism, a religion centuries older than Christianity. It, too, had spread across Europe in ancient and early medieval times. While Jewish people played an important role in medieval Europe, they often faced discrimination and persecution, or attacks because of their beliefs.

Question 14

What caused the pace of change of Medieval Western Europe in 1100 to 1300 to increase?

Answer 14

The Crusades

Question 15

Palestine made up much of what modern-day country?

Answer 15

Israel

Question 16

What were the benefits of the Crusades on European and Middle Eastern trade?

Answer 16

Crusaders travelled beyond their villages and came into contact with other civilizations. In the Middle East, they tasted new foods, such as rice, oranges, dates, and new spices. They saw beautiful silks and woven rugs. Europe had traded with the Middle East for many years before the Crusades. However, returning Crusaders demanded more Asian foods, spices, silks, and rugs. Italian merchants realized that people would pay high prices for such goods. They outfitted ships and increased trade with the Muslim world.

Question 17

What were some ideas and innovations that were diffused due to the increased trade between the Europeans and the Middle East, after the Crusades?

Answer 17

Trade brought new knowledge and with it, new technological innovations, or new methods and practical ideas. From the Muslim world, Europeans acquired sailing skills and the magnetic compass. Another useful instrument was the astrolabe (AS troh layb), which helped sailors determine their latitude while at sea. These new instruments let Europeans sail far out to sea, beyond sight of land.

Question 18

Where did Muslims adopt the magnetic compass from?

Answer 18

Muslims had earlier adopted the magnetic compass from the Chinese. The magnetic needle of the compass always pointed north, which helped ships stay on course.

Question 19

What are Innovations?

Answer 19

New methods and practical ideas

Question 20

What did Portugal do by 1500?

Answer 20

By 1500, Portugal had taken the lead in new overseas travel.

Question 21

What did increased trade and travel make Europeans want to do?

Answer 21

Increased trade and travel made Europeans eager to learn more about the wider world. Scholars looked in monastery libraries for manuscripts of ancient Greek and Roman works. Some travelled to the Middle East, where many ancient works had been preserved.

Question 22

What occurred in the Renaissance?

Answer 22

As scholars studied ancient learning, they began to make their own discoveries. They produced new books on art, medicine, astronomy, and chemistry. This great burst of learning and technological innovation was called the Renaissance (REN uh sahns), a French word meaning rebirth. It lasted from the late 1300s until the 1600s.

Question 23

What are objects the Chinese invented during the Renaissance?

Answer 23

The Chinese had invented the printing press and movable type, or metal letters that could be used to print paper. However, the Chinese language required thousands of different letters, and movable type had little impact.

Question 24

Who was Johannes Gutenberg? How did the printing press and movable type influence the spread of learning during the Renaissance?

Answer 24

During the 1430s, a German printer named Johannes Gutenberg (GOOT un burg) is believed to have invented movable type without knowing that it had existed in China. Movable type was much more useful for printing in European languages, which used only 26 letters. Together, movable type and the printing press helped to spread Renaissance learning. Before movable type and the printing press, books were scarce and costly because each was copied by hand. With these technological innovations, large numbers of books could be produced quickly and at a low cost. Soon more people began to read, and learning spread more quickly.

Question 25

How did trade during the Renaissance influence leadership?

Answer 25

During the Renaissance, trade brought new prosperity. European rulers began to increase their power. In England and France, kings and queens worked to bring powerful feudal lords under their control. In Spain and Portugal, Christian monarchs drove out Muslim rulers, who had governed there for centuries.
Rulers in England, France, Spain, and Portugal were eager to increase their wealth. They saw the great profits that could be made through trade.

Question 26

Who controlled the trade routes of the Mediterranean sea?

Answer 26

Middle Eastern and Italian merchants controlled the trade routes across the Mediterranean Sea

Question 27

What did Western European leaders do since Middle Eastern and Italian merchants controlled the trade routes across the Mediterranean Sea?

Answer 27

Western Europe’s leaders began hunting for other routes to Asia. European rulers also looked to Africa as a source of riches. Tales of Mansa Musa’s wealth had created a stir in Europe, but no one knew the source of African gold.

Question 28

True or False: Portugal was an early leader in the search for a new trade route to Asia and for the source of African gold

Answer 28

True

Question 29

What did Prince Henry do to push for trade in Africa and Asia?

Answer 29

In the early 1400s, Prince Henry, known as Henry the Navigator, encouraged sea captains to sail south along the coast of West Africa. Realizing that Portugal needed better navigators to accomplish the task, he set up an informal school to teach sailors techniques of navigation and the art of shipbuilding.
Under Henry’s guidance, the Portuguese designed a new type of ship, the caravel (KAR uh vel).

Question 30

What were the benefits of Caravels and their uses?

Answer 30

With triangular sails and a steering rudder, caravels could be sailed closer to the direction the wind was blowing from. Portuguese caravels stopped at many places along the coast of West Africa. They traded cloth, silver, textiles, and grain for gold and ivory. They also bought Africans who had been forced into slavery and sold them in Europe and elsewhere.

Question 31

What did Bartolomeu do in 1488 for the Portuguese?

Answer 31

Slowly, Portuguese explorers ventured farther south, hoping to find a sea route around Africa to the rich spice trade of Asia. In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias reached the southern tip of Africa.

Question 32

What did Vasco da Gama do in 1497?

Answer 32

Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. He then sailed up the coast of East Africa and across the Indian Ocean to India. The Portuguese pushed on to the East Indies, the islands of Southeast Asia and the source of valuable spices.

Question 33

What did King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, hope to prevent Portugal, their rival, from doing?

Answer 33

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella hoped to keep their rival, Portugal, from controlling trade with India, China, and Japan. They therefore agreed to finance a voyage of exploration by Christopher Columbus. Columbus, an Italian sea captain, planned to reach the East Indies by sailing west across the Atlantic.

Question 34

What did the Spanish want from Columbus’ voyage and a direct trade route to Asia?

Answer 34

Finding a sea route straight to Asia would give the Spanish direct access to the silks, spices, and precious metals of Asia. The spice trade was a major cause for European exploration and a reason the Spanish rulers supported Columbus’s voyage. However, it was not the only reason. They hoped for wealth from any source. “Get gold,” King Ferdinand said to Columbus. “Humanely if possible, but at all hazards—get gold.”

Question 35

What did Columbus do in 1492?

Answer 35

In August 1492, Columbus set out with three ships and a crew of about 90 sailors. As captain, he commanded the largest vessel, the Santa María. The other ships were the Niña and the Pinta.

Question 36

What was Columbus’ goal on his August 1492 voyage?

Answer 36

Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in search of new trade routes for Spain.

Question 37

What happened after a brief stop at the Canary Islands during Columbus’ voyage?

Answer 37

After a brief stop at the Canary Islands, the little fleet continued west into unknown seas. Fair winds sped them along, but a month passed without the sight of land. Some sailors began to grumble. They had never been away from land for so long and feared being lost at sea. Still, Columbus sailed on.

Question 38

What happened on October 7th of Columbus’ voyage?

Answer 38

On October 7, sailors saw flocks of birds flying southwest. Columbus changed course to follow the birds. A few days later, crew members spotted tree branches and flowers floating in the water.

Question 39

What happened on October 12th, at 2 A.M., during Columbus’ voyage?

Answer 39

At 2 A.M. on October 12, the lookout on the Pinta spotted white cliffs shining in the moonlight. “Tierra! Tierra!” he shouted. “Land! Land!” At dawn, Columbus rowed ashore and planted the banner of Spain on the beach. He was convinced that he had reached the East Indies in Asia. He called the people he found there “Indians.” In fact, he had reached islands off the coasts of North America and South America in the Caribbean Sea. These islands later became known as the West Indies.

Question 40

What did Columbus find in the West Indies?

Answer 40

For three months, Columbus explored the West Indies. To his delight, he found signs of gold on the islands. Eager to report his success, he returned to Spain.

Question 41

How did the King and Queen react when they heard of the spoils Columbus brought from his 1st voyage?

Answer 41

In Spain, Columbus presented Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand with gifts of pink pearls and brilliantly colored parrots. The royal couple listened intently as Columbus brought with him several of many things that Europeans had never seen before: tobacco, pineapples, and hammocks used for sleeping. Columbus also described the “Indians” he had met, the Tainos (TY nohz). The Tainos, he promised, could easily be converted to Christianity and could also be used as slaves. The Spanish monarchs were impressed. They gave Columbus the title Admiral of the Ocean Sea. They also agreed to finance future voyages. The promise of great wealth, and the chance to spread Christianity, gave them a reason to explore further.

Question 42

After his first voyage, how many more did Columbus go on across the Atlantic?

Answer 42

Columbus made three more voyages across the Atlantic

Question 43

What did Columbus do in 1493?

Answer 43

In 1493, he founded the first Spanish colony in the Americas, Santo Domingo, on an island he called Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic). A colony is an area settled and ruled by the government of a distant land. Columbus also explored present-day Cuba and Jamaica and sailed along the coasts of Central America and northern South America. He claimed all of these lands for Spain.

Question 44

Was Columbus a better governor or explorer?

Answer 44

Columbus proved to be a better explorer than governor. During his third expedition, settlers on Hispaniola complained of his harsh rule. Queen Isabella appointed an investigator, who sent Columbus back to Spain in chains. In the end, the queen pardoned Columbus, but he never regained the honors he had won earlier. He died in 1506, still convinced that he had reached Asia.

Question 45

What years did Columbus’ voyages occur?

Answer 45

1st: 1492
2nd: 1493
3rd: 1498
4th: 1502

Question 46

What were the results of Columbus’ voyages on the Native Americans?

Answer 46

For a great many Native Americans, contact had tragic results. Columbus and those who followed were convinced that European culture was superior to that of the Indians. The Spanish claimed Taino lands and forced Tainos to work in gold mines, on ranches, or in Spanish households. Many Tainos died from harsh conditions or European diseases. Within 100 years of Columbus’s arrival, the Taino population was virtually wiped out.

Question 47

True or False: After the voyages of Columbus, the Spanish explored and settled other Caribbean islands.

Answer 47

True; they wanted to take advantage of the land Columbus had found, seeking gold, crops, slaves, and converts to Christianity for the Spanish crown.

Question 48

What had Spanish explorers done by 1511?

Answer 48

By 1511, they had conquered Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Cuba. They also explored the eastern coasts of North America and South America in search of a western route to Asia.

Question 49

What did Vasco Nunez de Balboa do in 1513?

Answer 49

In 1513, Vasco Núñez de Balboa (bal BOH uh) plunged into the jungles of the Isthmus of Panama. Native Americans had told him that a large body of water lay to the west. With a party of Spanish soldiers and Indians, Balboa reached the Pacific Ocean after about 25 days. He stood in the crashing surf and claimed the ocean for Spain.

Question 50

When did Europeans realize how large the Pacific Ocean was?

Answer 50

The Spanish had no idea how wide the Pacific was until a sea captain named Ferdinand Magellan (muh JEL un) sailed across it. The expedition—made up of five ships and about 250 crew members—left Spain in 1519. Fifteen months later, it rounded Cape Horn, the stormy southern tip of South America and entered the Pacific Ocean. Crossing the vast Pacific, the sailors ran out of food.

Question 51

When did Europeans have a good idea of how big the Earth is – from Ferdinand’s crew?

Answer 51

In 1522, only one ship and 18 sailors returned to Spain. They were the first people to circumnavigate, or sail completely around, the world. In doing so, they had found an all-water western route to Asia. Their voyage made Europeans aware of the true size of the Earth.

Question 52

How did Ferdinand Magellan pass away?

Answer 52

Magellan himself was killed in a battle with the local people of the Philippine Islands off the coast of Asia.

Question 53

What does the Columbian Exchange refer to?

Answer 53

The Columbian Exchange refers to a biological and cultural exchange of animals, plants, human populations, diseases, food, government, technology, the arts, and languages.

Question 54

What did Europeans introduce to the Americas? What were their effects? Livestock?

Answer 54

Europeans introduced domestic animals such as chickens from Europe and Africa. European pigs, cattle, and horses often escaped into the wild and multiplied rapidly. Forests and grasslands were converted to pastures. As horses spread through what would become the United States, Indians learned to ride them and used them to carry heavy loads.

Question 55

What did Europeans introduce to the Americas? What were their effects? Plants?

Answer 55

Plants from Europe and Africa changed the way Native Americans lived. The first bananas came from the Canary Islands. By 1520, one Spaniard reported that banana trees had spread “so greatly that it is marvelous to see the great abundance of them.” Oranges, lemons, and figs were also new to the Americas. In North America, explorers also brought such plants as bluegrass, the daisy, and the dandelion. These plants spread quickly in American soil and modified American grasslands.

Question 56

What were the negatives of the Columbian Exchange, on the Native American side?

Answer 56

Tragically, Europeans also brought new diseases, such as smallpox and influenza. Native Americans had no resistance to these diseases. Historians estimate that within 75 years, diseases from Europe had killed almost 90 percent of the people in the Caribbean islands and in Mexico.

Question 57

How did the Native Americans benefit the Europeans?

Answer 57

For their part, Native Americans introduced Europeans, Africans, and Asians to new foods, customs, and ideas. After 1492, elements of Native American ways of life gradually spread around the world.

Question 58

What were the negatives of the Columbian Exchange for the Americans?

Answer 58

Sadly, disease also spread from the Americas to Europe and other parts of the world.

Question 59

What were foods the Native Americans gave to Europe, Asia, and Africa?

Answer 59

Native Americans introduced Europeans to valuable food crops such as corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, tomatoes, manioc, squash, peanuts, pineapples, and blueberries. Today, almost half the world’s food crops come from plants that were first grown in the Americas. Europeans carried the new foods with them as they sailed around the world. Everywhere, people’s diets changed and populations increased. In South Asia, people used American hot peppers and chilis to spice stews. Chinese peasants began growing corn and sweet potatoes. Italians made sauces from tomatoes. People in West Africa grew manioc and corn.

Question 60

Did European settlers adopt Native American skills?

Answer 60

European settlers often adopted Native American skills. In the North, Indians showed Europeans how to use snowshoes and trap beavers and other fur-bearing animals. European explorers learned how to paddle Indian canoes. Some leaders studied Native American political structures. In the 1700s, Benjamin Franklin admired the Iroquois League and urged American colonists to unite in a similar way.