what events in europe affected the settlement of north america

Christopher Columbus makes four voyages to the New World; opens the way for European colonization of the Americas. 1500 Brazil is claimed for Portugal by Pedro Álvares Cabral. 1519 - 1521 Hernán Cortés of Spain conquers the Aztec nation of Mexico. 1534 - 1535 North American region of Canada claimed for France by Jacques Cartier.

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What else was happening during the settlement of the Thirteen Colonies?

Several European nations were colonizing North America and the Caribean while British colonists were settling in North America. And events in Europe often affected colonization. What else was happening during the settlement of the thirteen colonies? Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England and will reign until 1603.

How did European colonization affect the North American environment?

Perhaps European colonization’s single greatest impact on the North American environment was the introduction of disease. Microbes to which native inhabitants had no immunity led to death everywhere Europeans settled. Along the New England coast between 1616 and 1618, epidemics claimed the lives of 75 percent of the native people.

What was the first European colonization of North America?

European Colonization of North America. The invasion of the North American continent and its peoples began with the Spanish in 1565 at St. Augustine, Florida, then British in 1587 when the Plymouth Company established a settlement that they dubbed Roanoke in present-day Virginia. This first settlement failed mysteriously and in 1606, the London ...

How did European conflicts in the eighteenth century affect North America?

This week in our series we tell about the conflicts among the nations in Europe during the eighteenth century and how they affected North America. During the eighteenth century, Spain, France and Britain controlled land in North America. Spain controlled Florida. France was powerful in the northern and central areas.

What were some major events that happened with the European settlement of North America?

1492: Columbus sets sail aboard the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria. 1492: Columbus reaches the Bahamas, Cuba and Hispaniola. 1492: La Navidad is established on the island of Hispaniola; it was destroyed by the following year. 1493: The colony of La Isabela is established on the island of Hispaniola.

What did the Europeans do in North America?

The Europeans brought technologies, ideas, plants, and animals that were new to America and would transform peoples' lives: guns, iron tools, and weapons; Christianity and Roman law; sugarcane and wheat; horses and cattle. They also carried diseases against which the Indian peoples had no defenses.

What was the greatest impact of European colonization of North America?

Perhaps European colonization's single greatest impact on the North American environment was the introduction of disease. Microbes to which native inhabitants had no immunity led to death everywhere Europeans settled.

Which 3 European countries had the most significant influence in North America?

Likewise, in North America, especially in the areas along the Atlantic coast, the English, Dutch and French settlers brought their languages and traditions with them when they arrived. Over time, the English came to dominate much of North America, but evidence of the Dutch and French participation still remains.

What was the first European settlement in North America?

The invasion of the North American continent and its peoples began with the Spanish in 1565 at St. Augustine, Florida, then British in 1587 when the Plymouth Company established a settlement that they dubbed Roanoke in present-day North Carolina.

How did the European thinkers influence the settlers in America?

Answer: European philosophers like Volatire, Rousseau, John Locke and Montesquieu inspired Americans colonists to fight for liberty. The most famous of all the anti-British protests of the settlers was seen in the incident known in history as the Boston Tea party.

How did competition among European countries affect the settlement of North America?

Competition for control of territory and resources in North America led to conflicts among colonizing powers. National rivalries spurred the powerful European countries to make land claims and to exploit the resources of the Western Hemisphere.

Why did the Europeans come to North America?

European nations came to the Americas to increase their wealth and broaden their influence over world affairs. The Spanish were among the first Europeans to explore the New World and the first to settle in what is now the United States.

Why did diseases spread so rapidly in the Americas after European explorers arrived?

Diseases unknown to them spread rapidly among Native peoples, who lack immunity to viruses and bacteria carried by Europeans. As Native peoples travel waterways by canoe to trade and share news, they unknowingly take the germs to neighboring tribes.

Why did European countries compete to expand their power in North America?

Why did European countries compete to expand their power in North America? The English and French were turning profits by growing tobacco in Virginia, fishing off the North Atlantic Coast, and trading furs from New England and Canada with Europe.

What European nation had the greatest influence on the early history of the United States?

The ideas of the French Enlightenment philosophes strongly influenced the American revolutionaries.

Which European power claimed the largest territory in North America?

Great BritainGreat Britain claimed all of North America east of the Mississippi River. It had thirteen colonies.

Why did the Europeans come to North America?

European nations came to the Americas to increase their wealth and broaden their influence over world affairs. The Spanish were among the first Europeans to explore the New World and the first to settle in what is now the United States.

Which European countries explored North America?

During this period of time, several empires from Europe—primarily Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Russia, the Netherlands and Sweden—began to explore and claim the land, natural resources and human capital of the Americas, resulting in the displacement, disestablishment, enslavement, and in many cases, genocide of ...

What happened in the European exploration?

In the 15th century, Europeans began to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of new routes to China and the East, but in the process they discovered an entirely New World: North and South America, plus many other lands.

What happened in the late fifteenth century?

Late fifteenth century. 1492: Columbus sets sail aboard the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria. 1492: Columbus reaches the Bahamas, Cuba and Hispaniola. 1492: La Naviad is established on the island of Hispaniola; it was destroyed by the following year. 1493: The colony of La Isabela is established on the island of Hispaniola.

What happened in 1527?

1527: Fishermen are using the harbor at St. John's, Newfoundland and other places on the coast. 1535: Jacques Cartier reaches Quebec. 1536: Cabeza de Vaca reaches Mexico City after wandering through North America. 1538: Failed Huguenot settlement on St. Kitts in the Caribbean (destroyed by the Spanish).

What was the first site of enslavement of Africans in North America?

1525: Estêvão Gomes enters Upper New York Bay. 1526: Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón briefly establishes the failed settlement of San Miguel de Gualdape in South Carolina, the first site of enslavement of Africans in North America and of the first slave rebellion.

When did the Spanish reach New Mexico?

1598: Spanish reach Northern New Mexico. 1600: By 1600 Spain and Portugal were still the only significant colonial powers. North of Mexico the only settlements were Saint Augustine and the isolated outpost in northern New Mexico. Exploration of the interior was largely abandoned after the 1540s.

Where did Columbus sail?

1502: Columbus sails along the mainland coast south of Yucatán, and reaches present-day Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. 1503: Las Tortugas noted by Columbus in passage through the Western Caribbean present-day Cayman Islands.

What was the name of the island in 1615?

1615 – Fort Nassau – Dutch. 1615 – Renews, Newfoundland – English. 1618 – Bristol's Hope – English. Map of the northern part and parts of the southern parts of the Americas, from the mouth of the Saint Laurent River to the Island of Cayenne,with the new discoveries of the Mississippi (or Colbert) River.

How long did the wars between the European nations last?

The powerful European nations already were fighting each other for control of territory and riches all over the world. These small wars continued for more than one hundred years.

Who took control of the land that had been claimed by France?

They took control of the lands that had been claimed by France. Britain now claimed all the land from the east coast of North America to the Mississippi River. Everything west of that river belonged to Spain. France gave all its western lands to Spain to keep the British out.

Why was the French fort built?

The fort would control Lake Champlain and the area needed to reach the northern part of Lake George. The fort was designed to provide a strong defense against attack. The French built two big walls of logs, several meters apart. The area between the walls was filled with dirt.

How many men tried to force the French out of Fort Duquesne?

The French refused to leave Fort Duquesne. So Washington and one hundred fifty men attempted to force them out. They attacked a group of Frenchmen and killed ten of them. The French and Indian War had begun.

Why did France not like the fact that the British paid the Indians high prices for animal furs?

France was more interested in the fur trade than in settling the land. The British hurt the French traders' business when they bought fur from the Indians.

What are the two lakes that surround the Forts?

The area surrounding both forts is very beautiful, including the two lakes, Lake George and Lake Champlain. Many people travel to this area to enjoy the outdoors. The area includes one of America's national historical parks, Saratoga. It also includes the Lake George Beach State Park.

What were the French people called in the British colonies?

Life there was different from life in the British colonies to the south. For example, there was no religious freedom. All settlers in French territories had to be French and belong to the Roman Catholic Church. So, many French people who belonged to Protestant groups settled in the British colonies. These French Protestants were known as Huguenots.

When was the first European settlement in North America?

The first European community in North America was established c. 980 - c. 1030 by the Norse Viking Leif Erikson (b. c. 970 - c. 980) in Newfoundland at the site known today as L'Anse aux Meadows. This settlement was temporary, however, and the Norse left to return to Greenland after a little over a year, inspiring no further expeditions to the site. Although Norse artifacts have been found along the east coast of North America – suggesting further explorations – this has not been established as evidence of a widespread Norse presence in the Americas.

What was the process of European colonization of the Americas?

The European colonization of the Americas was the process by which European settlers populated the regions of North, Central, South America, and the islands of the Caribbean. It is also recognized as the direct cause for the cultures of the various indigenous people of those regions being replaced and often eradicated.

How did Jamestown survive?

The Jamestown colony barely survived the first few years, losing 80% of its population in only a few months, primarily because those who made up the expedition were either upper-class aristocrats who refused to work for their food or lower-class laborers who had no skill in farming. The colony was saved first by Captain John Smith (l. 1580-1631), a soldier, sailor, and adventurer who famously pronounced “he who does not work, shall not eat” and managed to organize the survivors to fend for themselves while also establishing a cordial relationship with the indigenous people of the Powhatan tribe, without whose help the colonists would have starved to death.

What were the most important plants that the indigenous people introduced to the colonists of North America?

Among the most significant plants introduced by the indigenous people to the colonists of North America was tobacco. The wealth Spain acquired from their colonies and the enslavement and sale of indigenous people encouraged England to establish their own presence in the New World. The first two colonies – Popham and Roanoke Colony – failed but ...

Why did the first colonists settle on Roanoke Island?

The first settlement was established in 1585 on Roanoke Island, because the ships could not reach the mainland owing to a storm, under the leadership of Ralph Lane (d. 1603). The indigenous people were, at first, friendly, but when the colonists' supplies grew low and the natives had tired of helping them for nothing in return, Lane attacked and killed their chief. Afterwards, low on food and outnumbered by the natives, the colonists accepted a ride back home with Francis Drake who was passing by after another raid on the Spanish.

What is the Columbian exchange?

of the University of Texas at Austin, referring to the cross-cultural transmission of animals, crops, disease, technology, cultural values, and human populations between the Americas, West Africa, and Europe.

When did the colonization process begin?

The process of colonization developed fairly quickly between 1492-1620, with others arriving in larger numbers between c. 1620 - c. 1720, and still others afterwards up through the early 20th century. As more Europeans arrived, more land was required by them, steadily forcing Native Americans onto reservations as the immigrants enlarged their settlements.

Which country gained all of France's important North American possessions?

By the Treaty of Paris England gained all France's important North American possessions; Spain was toô. .

What led to the American Revolution?

But it was the unwillingness of these colonies, now 13 in number, to submit to taxation without representation In parliament that led to the American Revolution and Declaration of Independence in 1776.

How did the pattern of migration change over the years?

The pattern of migration changed over the years. From 1580 to 1619 England settled the eastern seaboard while France established settlements in Canada and down the Mississippi. The next 30 years saw the increase of African slave migration as well as the establishment of New England and the Scandinavian and Dutch colonies. Then England consolidated her hold and the Irish, Scots and Germans led the March westwards.

What was the purpose of the Jamestown settlement?

The next attempt to establish an English colony in the area, the Jamestown settlement – established by the Virginia Company in 1607 – was basically a commercial venture, although the aims of the company included helping to build a strong merchant fleet, training mariners for England's protection, spreading the gospel and planting a Protestant colony in a land still threatened by Catholic Spain.

How many people crossed the Atlantic to the New World?

Six and a half million people had crossed the Atlantic to the New World by the 1770s. One million whites came from Europe – mostly from England, France, Germany and Spain; the other five and a half million were black slaves from West Africa, who were transported in appallingly cramped conditions in the slave ships. Chained flat to the decks they could cause little trouble and needed less food, thereby maximising the profits of the traders.

What were the main reasons for the establishment of North American colonies?

Trade and religion were the two principal motives for the founding of North American settlements. Religious enthusiasts, hampered at home by the inquisition in Spain and the Court of High Commission in England, were sometimes willing to venture into the unknown, but without the prospect of trade with Europe they could survive only in subsistence conditions. During the 50 years following the foundation of Jamestown, further colonies were established, mostly by the English. Plymouth was established in 1620 by the Pilgrim Fathers, who sought religious and civil autonomy from the English Government, and Maryland by Lord Baltimore, for Roman Catholics, in 1632. In 1625 the Dutch founded New Amsterdam, later renamed New York, as a trading post, to be followed by the Swedes and Finns.

What were the Indian villages in Chesapeake Bay?

Fig 7. Indian villages, the home of semi-nomadic hunters, bordered the rivers that flow into Chesapeake Bay and the creeks and inlets of New England. The early settlers bartered beads and trinkets for large tracts of land, much of it already cleared for cultivation, thus beginning the relentless process of Indian dispossession. Ports such as Baltimore and Fredericksburg were established around Chesapeake Bay by the 18th century. .

Who was the first European to settle in North America?

St. Augustine, Florida, founded by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, becomes the first permanent European settlement in North America, after an attack on Fort Carolina, a French Huguenot settlement, results in the deaths of all male inhabitants. Florida tobacco is introduced into England by John Hawkins.

What was the first permanent English settlement in North America?

Jamestown Founded. Captain Christopher Newport sails into the Chesapeake Bay and up a river he names for King James I. On May 13, he founds the colony of Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in North America.

What happened to the Roanoke colony?

Roanoke Colony Lost. When John White returns to Roanoke Island, after having been delayed by war with Spain, he discovers the entire colony has disappeared without a trace, including members of his own family, among them his young granddaughter, Virginia Dare.

How many people lived in the colonies in 1700?

1700. Colonial Population Reaches 260,000 . The three largest cities in the British North American colonies are Boston and Philadelphia with about 12,000 residents each, followed by New York, with 5,000 residents. The total colonial population, not counting Indians and slaves, is 260,000.

Why was Anne Hutchinson banned from Massachusetts Bay?

Religious dissident Anne Hutchinson, who had been banned from Massachusetts Bay in 1637 for objecting to its harsh theocratic rule , is killed by Indians in a settlement that would later become New Rochelle, New York. The Puritans of Massachusetts Bay consider her death to be the result of divine intervention.

When did the pilgrims arrive on the Mayflower?

1620. Plymouth Colony. One hundred Pilgrims arrive on the Mayflower on November 11 off Cape Cod. Realizing they are outside the jurisdiction of the London Company, which had issued them a charter to settle in America, the Pilgrims establish a colony at Plymouth and draw up the Mayflower Compact to govern the colony.

Who established New France?

Champlain Establishes New France. The French explorer and geographer Samuel de Champlain sails the coast of New England from Maine to Cape Cod and establishes a colony in present-day Nova Scotia. Tobacco Condemned. King James I of England writes that smoking tobacco is a filthy and unhealthful habit.

Who were the first European explorers?

Naturally, however, the first European explorers of the northern continent were still the Spanish, and while much of the lands they claimed remained unsettled for centuries, the writ of the Viceroyalty of New Spain (which also included Mexico and the Philippines) extended throughout much of the southern half of the modern United States, from Florida to the Pacific Coast. These early Spanish explorers, called conquistadors, privately financed their expeditions after acquiring royal authorization, and their objectives were much the same as their counterparts in Mesoamerica and Peru: finding gold to loot, souls to convert, and “devil-worshippers” to kill if they refused to do so. Their identities and outlook on the world was essentially medieval, based on religious and martial traditions developed over the years back home during the Reconquista, or effort to drive the Muslim Moors from the Iberian Peninsula, such as the hidalgo (meaning “Somebody”), the ideal landless aristocrat, which many of these explorers were, who comes into prosperity with plunder taken through force of arms against the infidels. According to historian Charles Hudson in his book Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun, these conquistadors “never doubted their own superiority over the native peoples they encountered in the New World. They saw themselves as specially favored people who were carrying out a divine mission,” and this attitude certainly affected Spanish behavior towards the “Indians.” Prominent conquistadors who launched expeditions into North America include Juan Ponce de Leon, the governor of Puerto Rico who gave the name La Florida to the peninsula that bears it today, Hernando de Soto, the first European to document and cross the Mississippi River before dying along its banks in 1541, and Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, one of the few survivors of a failed expedition, who wandered for eight years throughout the Southwestern United States before finally returning to Mexico City in 1536. He later chronicled his travels and the various peoples he encountered with a surprising amount of scholarly objectivity, and he is often referred to as one of the first modern anthropologists.

What were the objectives of the Spanish explorers?

These early Spanish explorers, called conquistadors, privately financed their expeditions after acquiring royal authorization, and their objectives were much the same as their counterparts in Mesoamerica and Peru: finding gold to loot, souls to convert, and “devil-worshippers” to kill if they refused to do so.

What was the first successful colony in the New World?

The first successful English expedition to North America, which founded the tiny settlement of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, originally sought only to find precious metals and other valuable materials that could allow its main patron, the Virginia Company of London, to make a return on their investment. As such, many of the colonists consisted mostly of gentry and artisans with very few experienced farmers, and there were no women amongst them until the next year. Furthermore, relations with the neighboring Powhatan Confederacy were icy at the best of times, and the location the settlers had chosen for their new home was swampy and mosquito-ridden, making agriculture even more difficult and disease a constant threat. These combined factors did make a recipe for success, and for their first few years the settlers faced one unmitigated disaster after another. Fortunes finally turned around when settler John Rolfe convinced his fellow colonists to switch emphasis from exporting precious metals to cash crops, starting with tobacco in 1613. This success in Virginia was soon repeated by future colonies in the Chesapeake and southern Atlantic Coast but also brought the first African slaves to British North America in 1619. Far to the north, however, English colonies took on a rather different character. Starting with the famous landing of the Mayflower at Plymouth Rock, the colonies of New England characterized themselves not economic ventures but places of refuge, specifically for Separatists and Puritan dissenters who believed that the Church of England had not gone far enough in upholding the ideals of the Protestant Reformation, and so left Europe to create their vision of an ideal Christian community in the New World, formally organized as the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629. As in Jamestown, the early settlers in New England faced a myriad of challenges, with many dying off in the first few years and others later deciding that living amidst what they saw as a “savage wilderness” was simply too much of a struggle and to return home, but those who remained continued to persevere and grow and attract further immigrants from Europe, though the colony continued to struggle with civil and external instability. As in Virginia, New England settlers did not seek close connections with surrounding Native American groups. Though they adopted many of their survival techniques, Massachusetts residents made very little official overtures to their indigenous neighbors, believing that their constant displays of English civility and Christian virtue, “A City Upon a Hill” as colony founder John Winthrop put it, could naturally win them over in contrast to Spanish tyranny. This failed to materialize, however, and tensions between natives and colonists remained high before exploding into armed conflicts, such as during King Philips’ War of 1675. The colony’s theocratic government also caused a great deal of internal strife over ideas of religious liberty, as dissenters from the official Puritan theology could face exile, which sometimes led to the founding of several neighboring colonies, or even death, culminating in the infamous Witch Trials of 1692.

What did Christopher Columbus discover?

In 1493, an explorer in Spanish service named Christopher Columbus changed the course of world history when he unexpectedly discovered two entirely new continents during an expedition to reach Asia by sailing West from Europe. Over the following decades, Spanish and Portuguese discoveries in Central and South America astounded residents ...

Who said that the conquistadors never doubted their own superiority over the native peoples they?

According to historian Charles Hudson in his book Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun, these conquistadors “never doubted their own superiority over the native peoples they encountered in the New World.

Did Britain colonize North America?

Towards the end of the 17th century, there was little doubt in regards to Britain’s success in colonizing North America. Though they started much later than their imperial rivals and had claimed far less territory than either Spain or France, the settlements they did create were far more developed and populous than their neighbors, giving Britain a distinct edge in any future struggles over control of the new continent

How did European colonization affect the North American environment?

Perhaps European colonization’s single greatest impact on the North American environment was the introduction of disease. Microbes to which native inhabitants had no immunity led to death everywhere Europeans settled. Along the New England coast between 1616 and 1618, epidemics claimed the lives of 75 percent of the native people. In the 1630s, half the Huron and Iroquois around the Great Lakes died of smallpox. As is often the case with disease, the very young and the very old were the most vulnerable and had the highest mortality rates. The loss of the older generation meant the loss of knowledge and tradition, while the death of children only compounded the trauma, creating devastating implications for future generations.

What changes did the Europeans bring to the Americas?

As Europeans moved beyond exploration and into colonization of the Americas, they brought changes to virtually every aspect of the land and its people, from trade and hunting to warfare and personal property. European goods, ideas, and diseases shaped the changing continent.

How did the Europeans influence the slave trade?

The growing slave trade with Europeans had a profound impact on the people of West Africa, giving prominence to local chieftains and merchants who traded slaves for European textiles, alcohol, guns, tobacco, and food. Africans also charged Europeans for the right to trade in slaves and imposed taxes on slave purchases. Different African groups and kingdoms even staged large-scale raids on each other to meet the demand for slaves.

What were the reasons for the rise of slavery in the American colonies?

Explain the reasons for the rise of slavery in the American colonies. As Europeans moved beyond exploration and into colonization of the Americas, they brought changes to virtually every aspect of the land and its people, from trade and hunting to warfare and personal property.

What happened to Africans when they reached their destination in America?

When they reached their destination in America, Africans found themselves trapped in shockingly brutal slave societies. In the Chesapeake colonies, they faced a lifetime of harvesting and processing tobacco. Everywhere, Africans resisted slavery, and running away was common.

Why did Europeans travel to America?

Just as pharmaceutical companies today scour the natural world for new drugs, Europeans traveled to America to discover new medicines. The task of cataloging the new plants found there helped give birth to the science of botany. Early botanists included the English naturalist Sir Hans Sloane, who traveled to Jamaica in 1687 and there recorded hundreds of new plants ( [link] ). Sloane also helped popularize the drinking of chocolate, made from the cacao bean, in England.

What was the demand for labor in the colonies?

Everywhere in the American colonies, a crushing demand for labor existed to grow New World cash crops, especially sugar and tobacco. This need led Europeans to rely increasingly on Africans, and after 1600, the movement of Africans across the Atlantic accelerated.

Overview

Sixteenth century

• 1501: Corte-Real brothers explore the coast of what is today the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador
• 1502: Columbus sails along the mainland coast south of Yucatán, and reaches present-day Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama
• 1503: Las Tortugas noted by Columbus in passage through the Western Caribbean present-day Cayman Islands

Before Columbus

Late fifteenth century

Seventeenth century

Eighteenth century

See also

The First Emigrants from Europe

Principal Reasons For Settlement

Influence of European Events

• Meanwhile, the Spanish North American empire, which included the whole coastline of the Gulf of Mexico as well as Florida, blocked English expansion to the south. But it was mainly events in Europe in the shape of the Seven Years Was (1756-63) that were to weaken France and Spain and to allow the English to fill the vacuum these two nations left in...

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