Discovery of the Americas

In 1492 the Americas were discovered. During the following years a process of conquering and colonizing took place. Different countries from all over Europe acquired possession of different areas in the Americas. Europeans brought with them crops and animals that were alien to the newly discovered lands, and they brought back to their continent crops that they had just discovered in the Americas. This trade of crops and animals became known as the Columbian exchange. Unfortunately, Europeans also carried with them diseases to which native americans had no immunity for. Europeans and native Americans frequently came into conflict. The Europeans first tried to use the native Americans as slaves. The native americans, however were not accustomed to such harsh treatments, and quickly perished when used as slaves. As a result the Europeans engaged in the African slave trade.

The Spanish were the first to invade the Americas. Their purpose was to christianize the natives, gain wealth, and win fame or improve their status. The Spanish conquistadores nearly obliterated the culture of the indians in the Americas. They exercised their power over the natives through the encomienda system, which required Native Americans to farm, ranch, or mine for the profit of an individual Spaniard. In return the Spaniard was supposed to see their well being. By the 1550s the Spanish had established colonies in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America.

The first settlement established by the English was Jamestown in 1607. The attitude of the English toward conquered people was different from the Spanish's. For them conquest was all or nothing. Unlike the Spanish they did not practice the blending of European and Native American societies. Initially there was conflict between Native Americans, and the English settlers. Uneasy peace was eventually established. However the Native Americans ended up carrying out a surprise attack against the English, and the English too struck back.

The French established Quebec in Canada in 1608. The Dutch established New Amsterdam (now New York) in 1626. Both the French and the Dutch traded knives, beads, and guns for fur that could be sold in Europe. Because the French depended on Native American trapping, Native Americans in areas of French contact remained more powerful than those in Virginia.

In 1630 the Puritans arrived in New England. They came fled from England to the Americas because they were persecuted for their religious beliefs. Nevertheless, the
Puritans did not believe in religious toleration. They completely reformed the land in which they settled. They replaced forests with fields, cultivated wheat, barley, and corn, and raised domestic animals.

The era of conquering and colonization was of colossal change. Both the Europeans and Native Americans were introduced to new crops, animals, diseases, and cultures. Africans that were brought to the Americas to work as slaves, also introduced their culture to the Americas.The Europeans benefitted from this discovery. For the Native Americans, however, it was unfortunate more than anything. The Spanish, the English, the French, the Portuguese, all established settlements in different areas of the Americas, and they all faced some kind of conflict with the Native Americans. Some faced more conflict, others faced less. They all had different relationships with the Native Americans.


The Niña, the Pinta, And the Santamaria. The ships in which the Spanish arrived at the Americas in 1492.