Early Exploration in the Americas

• Need for resources

• Find gold

• More land

• Find faster route to

India & China

• Spread Christianity

Remember the 3 G's

1. Gold

2. Glory

3. God

• Sailors & warriors from

Scandinavia

• 1st Europeans in North

America

• Reached Newfoundland,

Canada, 932 C.E.

• Found grapes, timber, furs

• Quit coming around 1010

• Italian sent by Spain

• Tried to reach Asia

• Landed in the

Caribbean islands in
1492

• Made 4 total voyages

• Claimed land for Spain

• Italian sent by England

• Looked for route to Asia

• Explored the coast of New

Foundland, Canada in 1497

• Claimed land for England

• Made 3 voyages

across the
Atlantic

• Italian navigator on

Spanish ship

• Wrote a popular

book about travels

• North & South

America were
named for him

• Spanish explorer

• Crossed the Isthmus

of Panama to the
Pacific Ocean in 1513

• 1st European to reach

the Pacific through
the New World

• French explorer

• Sailed up St.

Lawrence River
looking for a NW
Passage

• Named & claimed

Canada for France

• Made 3 voyages to

explore Canada

• Spanish explorer &

governor of Puerto
Rico

• Searched for a

mythical “Fountain
of Youth”

• Claimed Florida

for Spain in 1513

•Spanish
conquistador

•Conquered the
Aztecs in 1519-1521

•Claimed Mexico for
Spain

• Spanish explorer &

conquistador

• Searched for the mythical

“7 Cities of Gold”

• 1st European to see the

Grand Canyon & American
southwest

• Claimed land north of

Mexico for Spain

• Englishman who

sailed for the
English and
Dutch, 1609-1611

• Claimed Hudson

River and
modern NY for
Dutch

– Claimed

Hudson Bay
area for
England

• French explorer

• Explored &

established forts
from the Great
Lakes down the
Mississippi River

• Claimed Louisiana

for France