Transcription
Hi, welcome to class today. Today, we're going to be learning about European exploration and colonization of North America. At the end of the video, you're going to these three main questions you'll need to be able to answer, so let's get started.
[Music] [Applause]
At the end of the video, you'll need to be able to tell me:
1. Why is Europe exploring at this time in history?
2. Who are the three main countries exploring and colonizing North America?
3. What is the impact of this exploration?
During the 15th century, European countries began to explore new trade routes to increase their wealth. At the time, monarchs believed there was a limited amount of gold or wealth in the world, and they began racing to acquire more gold than their rivals so they could have the most power by building an empire. The country developed a steady source of income from raw materials and a guaranteed place to sell finished products. This is known as the economic theory of mercantilism. In essence, colonies exist for one reason: to make that mother country more money. Because of this, monarchs were willing to risk spending money to fund expeditions by purchasing ships and supplies in the hope of a positive return on investment. This means monarchs hoped they would get back more money than they spent in the form of gold, spices, and other valuable goods.
For centuries, countries in Europe had been trading with India and China to get these valuable trade goods. They had been trading over land, which was long and very dangerous. With advances in technology and navigation, using water routes became more popular than land routes. At first, Portugal was winning this trade game, leaving other countries in the dust. However, that was about to change.
For centuries, Spain had been ruled by the Moors, Islamic people from North Africa, who had established their own empire. Almost as soon as the Moors conquered Spain, the Spanish fought to regain control of their country. In 1492, after nearly seven hundred years of fighting, the Moors were finally defeated in Granada, and Ferdinand and Isabella became king and queen of Spain. That same year, Christopher Columbus came to Ferdinand and Isabella asking for funding for an expedition. He wouldn't have beat the Portuguese at their own game, thought the best way to get to India and China wasn't to go around Africa, but instead to go west across the Atlantic Ocean.
Now, you may have been taught that people opposed Columbus's plan because they believed the earth was flat. That's just not true. Many people knew the earth was round; they just thought it was a lot smaller than it actually is, and they didn't even realize North and South America were even there. Ferdinand and Isabella saw Columbus's plan as an opportunity to increase wealth for Spain. Remember mercantilism? If Columbus goes out and acquires riches for Spain, Spain gets more power in Europe. Two months later, Columbus landed on some small islands and believed he had found a faster route to India. He didn't. Columbus never realized he'd stumbled upon a new continent, which other explorers quickly did.
Columbus's discovery of the new world presented opportunities for Ferdinand and Isabella. They were starting to get that wealth that they so desperately needed to have power in Europe, and it presented an interesting solution to some problems they were facing back home. Now, remember, Spain had just finished fighting a seven-hundred-year war to reconquer Spain, and all of those people who'd been leading the armies were starting to get restless. Ferdinand and Isabella knew that if they didn't give them something to conquer, they were going to be facing civil war. So, they sent the conquistadors to North America to build empires, thereby gaining more prestige not only for Spain but also for the conquistadors themselves.
I know this is a lot of information to remember, so the best way to remember the three reasons for Spanish exploration are the three G's: Glory, God, and Gold. Spain sent out their conquistadors for their own personal glory and for the glory of Spain. Spanish exploration took on a religious tone. Remember, you learned about missions last year in seventh grade. They wanted to spread Christianity to the Native Americans: God. And they wanted to acquire more wealth: Gold. Remember your three G's: Glory, God, and Gold.
Spain established a massive empire that included what is now Florida, much of the southwestern United States, including Texas and California, Mexico, and much of Central and South America. Spain also established colonies on several islands in the Caribbean Sea. The Spanish colony was a massive success, and other European countries got super jealous and wanted in on that too, so they also established colonies.
So, France went over there and established their own new colony. New France was divided into two different regions. Louisiana covered much of what is today the central United States. More people settled in Canada than in Louisiana, and Quebec became the capital of New France. Remember how we talked about the three G's being the reasons for Spanish exploration? Well, France doesn't do that; they have their own style, and we remember French exploration with the three F's: Friends, Fur, and Fish.
The French weren't interested in converting the Native Americans to Christianity like the Spanish had. Instead, they wanted to make friends with the Native Americans. This means they established alliances with local tribes and used them as trading partners. Instead of sending families or missionaries to settle in New France, the French established limited trade outposts with people who were serving out prison sentences in the New World or people who only wished to remain in North America for a short period of time. They would trade with Native Americans and then return to France.
Our second F refers to the desire to get beaver pelts and other furs to use as trade goods. Just like today, Paris was the center of fashion in Europe, and all the rich people wanted to wear exactly what the rich people in Paris were wearing at the time. The biggest trend in fashion was wearing beaver fur. The French used their alliances with Native Americans to discover the best beaver hunting grounds and send furs back to Europe.
The last F refers to the desire to find natural resources like fish and send them back to France so they could get more money.
The last major group to colonize North America were the British. Now, we're going to be talking about them at a time in this class, so we're just going to have a brief intro. The British settled along the Atlantic coast, stretching from what is today Maine all the way south to Georgia, and established colonies along the Hudson Bay in northern Canada. The British settled the new world in their own way. They sent families over who established thriving communities and colonies. Many people moved to colonial America for two reasons: one, they wanted to escape religious persecution, which means they wanted to have the ability to practice their religion in their own way. We'll talk way more about that later in another video. Second, they wanted to pursue economic wealth, meaning they wanted more money, but not just for Britain; they were looking out for number one.
The British also explored the Hudson Bay. They were looking for the Northwest Passage, a supposed water route to get to India and China across North America. They never found it; it doesn't exist.
One major effect of colonization was the Columbian Exchange. This refers to the transfer of plants, animals, and unfortunately, diseases between the Old World (or Europe and Africa) and the New World (North and South America). Plants like squash, pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes, and corn were introduced to Europeans for the first time from North America. Could you imagine Italian food without tomato sauce? The same time, grains, grapes, and citrus fruits were introduced to North America from Europe, Asia, and Africa. Animals like the turkey were brought from the Americas to Europe, and horses and livestock traveled across the Atlantic to North America for the first time.
One of the biggest consequences of the Columbian Exchange was the spread of diseases like smallpox, the flu, and even the common cold to Native American populations. As a result of the introduction of these diseases, somewhere between 80 to 95 percent of the native population of North and South America was killed, with some areas being completely wiped out, meaning not a single Native American in that area survived.
I hope you learned something today about European exploration. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you in class.