3. Who was first?
• Asians and the Bering Strait land bridge 10-15,000 (or
more) years ago, duh!
• depends...
• what is America?
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5. The candidates
China 1421
Leif 900s
“Amteric” Cristobol Colon
Portuguese 1460s
Polynesians 1000
Giovanni Caboto 1497
Africa 1311
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7. How will we know?
• DNA testing
• ocean currents
• archeology
• sunken ships
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8. Why did they come?
The Portuguese
• initial leaders of exploration
• trade outposts in Africa
• route to the “Indies”
• slaves and sugar--Brazil
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9. Why did they come? Spain
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10. Why did they come? Spain
• trade route and resources
• encounter with the indigenous people
• different value systems
• encomienda system
• Cortes (1524) and divide and conquer
• Bartolomé de las Casas
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11. Why did they come? England
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12. Why did they come? England
• prolific in the NE of North America
• pause: Reformation
• resume: industrial revolution!
• competition with Spain and France
• religious fundamentalists
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13. Why did they come? France
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14. Why did they come? France
• busy in the 15th c. with religious wars
• vampire effect
• compete with Spain and England
• highest amount of toleration
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16. Consequences of Euro Contact
• Americas estimated population total before
Euro contact = 20 to 40,000,000
• 90% of the population perishes from
disease, warfare and suicide
• New ethnic groups: mestizos and zambos
• shift in land usage
• slave trade
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