1.3 European Exploration in the Americas

3 min read•june 18, 2024

Will Pulgarin

Jillian Holbrook

AP US History 🇺🇸

454 resources

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Columbus Sails Circa 1492

New ships, such as the caravel, allowed for longer exploratory voyages. Caravels were typically about 50-60 feet long and had a narrow hull with a shallow draft, which made them well-suited for sailing in shallow waters and for navigating in close quarters. They were also equipped with triangular lateen sails, which allowed them to sail close to the wind and make sharp turns—greater maneuverability than previous nautical vessels.

In August of 1492, Columbus used three caravels (la Niña, la Pinta, and Santa María), supplied and funded by the Spanish crown, to set sail toward India. After an arduous voyage, Columbus and his men reached land on October 12, 1492. At dawn, Columbus went ashore and encountered a group of people who called themselves the Taino. He renamed their island San Salvador and claimed it for Spain.

Columbus observed in his journal:

“They…brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks’ bells. They willingly traded everything they owned…They were well built, with good bodies and handsome features…They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane…They would make fine servants…With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.”

When Columbus returned to Spain, word of his discovery spread through Europe and ignited the Age of Exploration.

🎥Watch: AP U.S. History - Columbus & the Legacy of Discovery

1513 Atlantic map from cartographer Martin Waldseemuller. Wikimedia.

The Age of Exploration

Columbus’ voyage pleased the Spanish monarchs, who quickly funded more voyages to the New World. Other European powers quickly set sail across the Atlantic to lay their own claims and explore. Like Columbus, European explorers set sail to the New World in search of gold, to seek glory, or to spread the word of their God to the Native peoples.

(remember: God, glory, gold as the influences of exploration) ⛪ 🌟 💸

Notable Explorers

The main explorers during the Age of Exploration were:

Date	Explorer	Country they sailed for	Major Achievement
1000 CE	Leif Ericson	Norway	First explorer to come ashore in the New England Area
1487	Bartolomeu Dias	Portugal	First to sail around the southernmost tip of Africa, setting up the route from Europe to Asia
1492	Christopher Columbus	Spain	Landed in the Bahamas – eventually, this would lead to the discovery of the Americas
1497	John Cabot	England	Sailed to Chesapeake Bay; helped lay the groundwork for the later British claim to Canada
1499	Amerigo Vespucci	Spain	Explored the coast of South America; America was named after Amerigo
1513	Juan Ponce de Leon	Spain	Discovered Florida; died looking for the fountain of youth 🤔
1519	Ferdinand Magellan	Spain	Reached the southern part of South America while attempting to circumnavigate the globe
1519	Hernan Cortez	Spain	Conquered the Aztecs in Mexico
1531	Francisco Pizarro	Spain	Conquered the Incas in Peru
1534	Jacques Cartier	France	Looked for the northwest passage; explored parts of Canada
1540	Francisco Vasquez Coronado	Spain	Explored and led a large expedition from Mexico to present-day Kansas through parts of the southwestern United States
1603	Samuel de Champlain	France	Explored and established the city of Quebec in the northern colony of New France
1607 & 1608	Henry Hudson	England	Discovered the Hudson River and Hudson Bay