Chapter 2: Exploring the Americas
1400-1625
Section 1: A Changing World - This section highlights the growth of wealth and power of European countries and explains the reasons behind the growing interest for trade with Asia and Africa.
Section 2: Early Exploration - This section describes the voyages of early European explorers, detailing the causes for exploration and the resulting effects.
Section 3: Spain in America - This section describes how the Spanish established settlements in the Americas.
Section 4: Exploring North America - This section explains how mercantilism and religion fueled European nations to compete for territories in North America.
Skillbuilder: Reading a Time Line - This skill demonstrates how to read a time line and relates the importance of time lines to the study of history.
Section 1: A Changing World - This section highlights the growth of wealth and power of European countries and explains the reasons behind the growing interest for trade with Asia and Africa.
Section 2: Early Exploration - This section describes the voyages of early European explorers, detailing the causes for exploration and the resulting effects.
Section 3: Spain in America - This section describes how the Spanish established settlements in the Americas.
Section 4: Exploring North America - This section explains how mercantilism and religion fueled European nations to compete for territories in North America.
Skillbuilder: Reading a Time Line - This skill demonstrates how to read a time line and relates the importance of time lines to the study of history.
Map Activity
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Section 1: A Changing World
Watch the video on the right after you have read p. 38-42 in your textbook. The information in the video will highlight the key ideas of the section and provide you with the notes you should take for Chapter 2, Section 1. There will not be a quiz over the information in this section, but there will be a homework assignment over this section's information.
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Growth of Trade & Ideas
Cinnamon, pepper, cloves, perfumes, silk, and precious stones drew many merchants to the Orient. The demand for these goods forced Europeans to begin the search for a route to the East that bypassed Arab merchants. Click on the map to learn more about the east-west trade.
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Technology
Many technological advancements made it possible for explorers to search out better trade routes. Some of these advancements included better maps, better ships, astrolabe, magnetic compass, etc. Click on the three-masted caravel to learn more about these technological advancements.
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African Kingdoms
The powerful kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai flourished in the Africa between 400 to 1600. To learn more about these kingdoms click on the picture.
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Section 2: Early ExplorersWatch the video on the right after you have read p. 43-49 in your textbook. The information in the video will highlight the key ideas of the section and provide you with the notes you should take for Chapter 2, Section 2. There will be a quiz over the information covered in this video and section. You can preview the quiz by scrolling to the bottom of this page and downloading Quiz 2-2.
Additional VideosLeif ErikssonChristopher Columbus |
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Bartholomeu Dias
Dias explored the southermost part of Africa for Portugal. He encountered some strong storms and nicknamed this are the "Cape of Storms". King John II renamed it the Cape of Good Hope because he hoped the passage around Africa would lead to a new route to India. To learn more about Dias, click on the picture on the left.
Leif Eriksson
Leif Eriksson reached North America long before Columbus. It is believed that the Vikings visited Greenland and Iceland in the 800s and 900s. Archaeologists have found remains of a Viking settlement in Newfoundland, but are not sure if they explored other parts of North America. To learn more about the Vikings and Leif Eriksson, click on his picture on the left.
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Spain in 1520. By November 1520, he found a strait at the southern tip of South America. Today this strait is called the Strait of Magellan. Magellan continued his voyage, but quickly ran short of food and supplies. Magellan was tragically killed in the Philippines. Only 18 out of more than 200 men returned to port and successfully circumnavigated the world. Click on the map to see a short video on Magellan's voyage.
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Vasco da Gama
Da Gama was also a Portuguese sailor. He followed Dias' route around the southern tip of Africa, rounded the Cape of Good Hope and visited cities along the east coast of Africa. With the help of an Arab pilot, he reached the port of Calicut, India in 1498. The Portuguese now had their eastern sea route to Asia. Click the photograph of Vasco da Gama to learn more.
Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci mapped the South American coastline and concluded that it was a continent and not part of Asia. Because of this discovery geographers began calling the new continent America in his honor. To learn more, click on the map.
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Christopher Columbus Sails for Spain
After 6 long years, Queen Isabella urges her husband, King Ferdinand, to back Columbus' westward voyage to Asia. On October 12, 1492 Columbus claimed an island in the Bahamas that he named San Salvador. Click the picture of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria to learn more.
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
In 1513, Balboa hiked through the jungles of present-day Panama in search of the "great waters". He claimed and named the Pacific Ocean for Spain. Click on the map to learn more.
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Section 3: Spain in America
Watch the video on the right after you have read p. 51-55 in your textbook. The information in the video will highlight the key ideas of the section and provide you with the notes you should take for Chapter 2, Section 3. There will not be a quiz over the information in this section, but there will be a homework assignment over this section's information.
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Hernan Cortes
Hernan Cortes traveled from Spain to the eastern coast of Mexico in 1519. Cortes formed an alliance with Montezuma and the Aztecs in November 1519, but by the spring of 1520 the Aztec people rebelled. Montezuma was killed during the fighting and eventually Cortes retook control of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. Click on the picture to learn about the Prophecy of Quexalcote.
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca was part of a Spanish expedition to Florida in 1528. Three of the five boats of the expedition were lost in a storm. Cabeza de Vaca and Estevanico survived by becoming medicine men. In 1533 they set off on the 1,000 miles across the Southwest to Mexico. He arrived in Mexico in 1536 and related tales he had heard of seven cities with walls of emerald and streets of gold. To learn more about his discoveries and adventure click on his picture.
Juan de Onate
Juan de Onate founded the providence of New Mexico in 1598. Click on his picture to more about his conquest over the Pueblo people.
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Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro sailed around the southern tip of South America following tales of the wealthy Inca Empire. In 1532, Pizarro, like other conquistadors, captured the ruler of the empire. They accused Atahualpa of crimes and executed him. Without a ruler to tell the Inca what to do, they were unable to fight effectively and Pizarro gained control of most of the Inca Empire. To watch a video about the rise and fall of the Inca Empire, click on the picture of Pizarro.
Hernando de Soto
Hernando de Soto searched Florida and most of the southeastern states for the Seven Cities of Cibola that Cabeza de Vaca described. De Soto crossed the Mississippi River and traveled as far west as present-day Oklahoma but soon after died from a fever. His men buried him in the waters of the Mississippi River. Click on de Soto's picture to learn about his death and what the remaining troops did to survive.
Bartolome de Las Casas
Bartolome de Las Casas condemned the cruel treatment of the Native Americans and worked diligently to get laws passed to protect Native Americans. He suggested that enslaved Africans would better endure the hard labor. He spent the rest of his life trying to correct this mistake. Click on Bartolome de Las Casas' picture, once you have started the video fast forward it until you get about 50 minutes into the movie. Continue watching for the next 9 minutes.
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Juan Ponce de Leon
Juan Ponce de Leon was the first Spaniard to land on the mainland of North America in present-day Florida. He hoped to find gold and the legendary fountain of youth. Because of his exploration of Florida the first Spanish settlement at St. Augustine was built. To learn more about Juan Ponce de Leon's journey click on his picture.
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado traveled through northern Mexico and present-day Arizona and New Mexico searching for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To read more about Coronado click on the picture.
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Section 4: Exploring North America
Watch the video on the right after you have read p. 58-62 in your textbook. The information in the video will highlight the key ideas of the section and provide you with the notes you should take for Chapter 2, Section 4. There will be a quiz over the information covered in this video and section. You can preview the quiz by scrolling to the bottom of this page and downloading Quiz 2-4.
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Searching for the Northwest PassageExplorers like John Cabot, Giovanni da Verrazano, Jacques Cartier, and Henry Hudson searched for a short route through the Americas called the Northwest Passage. Some explorers lost their lives in search of this sea route that doesn't exist. To learn about this mythical passage click the picture.
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Skillbuilder: Reading a Time Line
Watch the video on the right after you have read p. 63 in your textbook. The information in the video will highlight the key ideas of the section and provide you with the notes you should take for Chapter 1, Section 1. There will not be a quiz over the information in this section, but there will be a homework assignment over this section's information.
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Chapter 2 homework assignments, quizzes, and I CANs
Homework Assignments
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Quizzes
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Chapter Checklist w/Rubric &
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chapter_2_checklist.doc | |
File Size: | 25 kb |
File Type: | doc |
chapter_2_i_can_study_guide.doc | |
File Size: | 321 kb |
File Type: | doc |