Spain and Portugal Explore Americas

Before, you learned that there were some major changes taking place in Europe. You have also learned that many different cultures existed among Native Americans in the Americas. Now, you will learn that Europeans will begin to take their knowledge and curiosity to explore the Americas.

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You might wander why did Spain and Portugal want to explore the Americas in the first place.

 

Well, there were several reasons.

1.Spread Christianity to non-Christian lands by using missionaries to convert Native Americans to Christianity. Spain was Catholic, so that is the version of Christianity they wanted to spread.
 
This attitude of ethnocentrism made the Spanish feel like they were doing no wrong by converting Native Americans.
 
§2.Increase political and economic power: imperialism
  • §Set up military bases to protect themselves from rival countries in Europe
  • §Get rich! They want gold and treasure from the “New World.”
Setting up colonies and using resources from those colonies to strengthen your own country
 
Colonies also provided a market for Europeans goods to be sold
 
 
3.Spain also needed a faster way to get to Asia rather than over land or around Africa.

 

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Spain and Portugal both agree to a compromise on who should get what land in the Americas. This agreement was called the Treaty of Tordesillas. This set up rules and a boundary line for Spain and Portugal to follow.  


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Here are some names of some of the most famous Spanish and Portuguese explorers.

 

Name

From

Date

Accomplishment

Bartolomeu   Dias

Portugal

 1488

Sailed to southern tip of Africa and back; founded Cape   of Good Hope

Vasco de Gama

Portugal

1498

Sailed east and found first sea route to Asia (India)

Christopher Columbus

Italy

(Spain   paid him)

 1492-1504

First to   sail west across Atlantic to find a faster way to Asia. He actually found   continents unknown to Europeans, North and South America.

Amerigo Vespucci

Italy

1501

Sailed   and proved that land Columbus had found was not actually Asia. A German map   maker was so impressed he named the land America after Amerigo.

Ferdinand Magellan

Portugal

1519

He and 270 men were first to sail around the world. It   took 3 years.
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