Why Explore
Europeans explored new lands mainly to find these valuable resources.
Gold, spices, metals
This explorer is credited with voyages that led to European awareness of the Americas in 1492.
Christopher Columbus?
Why was the Silk Road important before European ocean exploration?
It was one of the only ways to get goods from other parts of the world.
Why were European expeditions into North America often dangerous and difficult?
Too many unknowns, hard weather, and hostility.
Why did Europeans want faster trade routes to Asia?
To get goods more quickly and cheaply
This English explorer searched for a northwest passage but never found it.
Henry Hudson
This exchange of plants, animals, goods, and diseases between the Americas and Europe is called this.
Columbian Exchange
Which people first settled in the Americas?
Vikings
Why did the Europeans explore the Americas??
Land, wealth, and power
This Spanish explorer is known for conquering the Aztec Empire in Mexico.
Hernán Cortés
Explorers often searched for this water route to Asia through North America.
the Northwest Passage
Who did Samuel de Champlain settle carts of Canada for?
French
Other than material goods, why were the Americas colonized?
To spread Christianity
This Spanish explorer conquered the Inca Empire in South America.
Francisco Pizarro
What is the forced capture and transport of millions of Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to work in the Americas called?
Slave trade
How were Native American said to have originally arrived to the Americas?
Bearing Strait
Which countries competed over claiming land in the Americas?
England, France, and Spain
This Spanish explorer is known for exploring Florida while searching for gold and the “Fountain of Youth.”
Ponce de Leon
How did trade routes from Europe to America affect the world?
It introduced new foods, animals, and goods to both sides, but also spread diseases.
This English explorer’s expedition led to early colonization attempts in North America.
John White