Transatlantic EncountersUnited States History: Mr. Vanderporten

Christopher Columbus

• Columbus was an Italian sailor (born in Genoa)

• Determined to find a quicker route to Asia

• Why Asia? Land of silk, spices, gold etc.

• Columbus also wants to spread Christianity

• Financially supported by Spain’s monarchs

• First voyage left Spain in August 1492

Columbus’s First Voyage

• Famous three ships: the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria

• Lookout on the Pinta sees land in October 1492

• Meets with the natives, Tainos (“noble ones”)

• Names the island, San Salvador (“Holy Savior”)

• He is currently in the Bahamas, not Asia

• Tainos are very friendly but Columbus wants GOLD!!!!!

Columbus’s First Voyage

Columbus’s First Voyage• Does not find gold on San Salvador

• Moves on to explore other islands in the Caribbean, (Bahamas, Cuba, and Hispaniola)

• All this new land is claimed for Spain, thinks he has landed in islands off of Asia (Indies)

• Calls the natives of the islands, los indios, “Indian”

• Returns to Spain, second voyage leaves in September 1493

• 17 ships, armed soldiers, priests, colonists, hidalgos

Columbus and Colonization

• Beginning of centuries long interaction between Native Americans and Europeans

• Biggest problem for the Taino? European diseases

• Europeans use the plantation system to subjugate the indigenous populations of the Caribbean

• Use forced labor (SLAVERY)

• Have superior weaponry to maintain control

Resistance and Disease

• Native Americans fight back, numerous revolts take place

• European diseases= measles, mumps, chicken pox, smallpox, and typhus

• Indians have no natural immunity

• 1/3 of Hispaniola’s population dies because of disease

The Slave Trade Begins• European settlers look to Africa for slaves

• Demand for African slaves increases as more and more natives die because of European diseases

• Europeans see they can make lots of money trading slaves

• The slave trade would last for the next three centuries

• Many Europeans now are voluntarily migrating to the Americas to escape social and economic constraints

The Columbian Exchange• Many new plants/animals are moving from continent to

continent

• Columbian Exchange- the transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere

• Expansion also increases rivalries in Europe, Spain vs. Portugal

• Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)- the Pope prevents war, agree to divide the Western Hemisphere, ignored by other European countries

The Columbian Exchange

A New Society is Born• Columbus lived on Hispaniola until 1500, he died in

1506 disappointed that he never reached China

• Started chain reaction of people moving from Europe to the Americas (England to North America)

• U.S. History begins with this interaction (NA, African, and European)

• Native Americans and Africans resist giving up their cultural identities

• Multiculturalism? Challenge and Asset

Exit Slip

•Take a few minutes to analyze the following poster.

•Take notes about what you see.

Exit Slip• 1. What is the message of the poster?

• 2. Do you agree with the artist’s opinion of Columbus?

• 3. Can you think of any other historical figures that could have a “Wanted” poster?