EUROPEAN IMPACT ON EARLY AMERICA

Mr. Beward

HIS 108

THE BEGINNINGS

Long before Columbus, America lived in the fantasies of Europe

The vast unknown beyond the sea played a major role in the mythology of ancient Greece

The west, toward the sunset, was supposedly an earthly paradise

Vision of America as a new Eden still colors the image of the American people

Norse discoveries of the eleventh and twelfth centuries are the earliest that can be verified

Erik the Red and Thorvald Eriksson sighted the coasts of Newfoundland about AD 1001

THE EXPANSION OF EUROPE

Age of discovery coincided with opening of the modern period in European history

Reasons for expansion Revival of learning and rise of the inquiring spirit Rise of trade, towns and the modern corporation Decline of feudalism and the rise of national states Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-

Reformation Old sins

Greed Conquest Exploitation Oppression Racism Slavery

THE GENESIS OF EXPLORATION

Age of discovery influenced by ancient understanding of geography

6th century BC—Pythagoreans taught earth as a sphere

3rd century BC—Earth’s size computed nearly correctly

All of this accepted by Renaissance universities on the work of Aristotle

MYTH: Earth is flat FACT: No informed person believed that the

earth was flat

NAVIGATION

Renaissance saw progress in the art of navigation

Mariners still used the astrolabe and cross-staff to sight stars and find latitude

Seeking across the open seas remained a matter of extreme reckoning

A ship’s master set course along a given latitude and used the angle of the North Star

TRADE, TOWNS AND NATION-STATES Towns were center of growing trade that broadened

horizons of feudal Europe Moved either overland or through the eastern

Mediterranean Importing medicine, silks, precious stones, perfumes

and rugs Also purchased the spices—pepper, nutmeg and

cloves—used to preserve food Created a merchant class and corporations Trade was both chancy and costly Taxes and Muslims caused Europeans to look for all-

water trade routes Kings and queens began to sponsor voyages—

currencies, trade laws and lack of trade barriers

THE VOYAGERS

Prince Henry the Navigator leads the way 1422—mapping the coast of Africa 1446—reaching Cape Verde 1460—reaching the equator 1482—reaching the Congo River 1488—Bartholomeo Diaz at the Cape of Good

Hope 1498—Vasco da Gama to India

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS

Came from the school of Portuguese seamanship By the 1480s he became an experienced seaman Hatched a scheme to reach the Indies by sailing

west Won the support of Spain’s Ferdinand and Isabella Raised much of his own money for the voyage 10-12-1492—lands in the Bahamas Moves down the Bahamian Cays to Cuba to Haiti

and the Dominican Republic His discoveries caused the Treaty of Tortesillas

between Spain and Portugal Line west of the Cape Verde Islands with

everything west of the line belonging to Spain

COLUMBUS, PART 2

1493—a second voyage leads to violence, deaths and slavery for natives

Moved out along the Caribbean Sea, found the Lesser Antilles, explored Cuba and discovered Jamaica

1498—Found Trinidad and explored the northern coast of South America

1502—sailed the coast of Central America

COLUMBUS’ AFTERMATH He never thought he discovered anything beyond

outlying parts of Asia Knowledge that any land mass lay between Europe

and Asia came slowly to the Europeans America actually name for another Italian—Amerigo

Vespucci His voyages began in 1499—after Columbus In 1507, a young geographer Martin Waldseemuller

asserted that Vespucci found America before Columbus

As a result, there were recommendations to name the new fourth continent for Vespucci—hence America

Name of the continent was entrenched before anyone could question it and it became too late