navigators early

Why Did Europeans Cross the Seas? : 

Why Did Europeans Cross the Seas? As Europe’s population recovered from the Black Death, the demand for trade goods grew. Europeans wanted spices. European merchants wanted to gain direct access to the riches of Asia. Some voyagers still wanted to crusade against the Muslims. Others were inspired by the Renaissance spirit to learn about distant lands. 1

Early Voyages of European Exploration, 1487–1609 : 

Early Voyages of European Exploration, 1487–1609 1

Portugal’s Voyages to the East : 

Portugal’s Voyages to the East By the 1400s, Portugal had expanded into Muslim North Africa. Henry the Navigator sent ships to explore the western coast of Africa. In 1497, Vasco da Gama reached the spice port of Calicut in India. In 1488, Bartholomeu Dias rounded the southern tip of Africa, later called the Cape of Good Hope. In 1502, da Gama forced a treaty on Calicut. The Portuguese seized key ports around the Indian Ocean to create a vast trading empire. 1

Columbus’s Voyages West : 

Columbus’s Voyages West Backed by Spain, Christopher Columbus tried to reach the Indies, in Southeast Asia, by sailing west across the Atlantic. Columbus believed that the land that he reached was the Indies. He had found a route to continents previously unknown to Europeans. These lands later became known as the West Indies. 1

Exploring the Americas : 

Exploring the Americas Europeans continued to seek new routes around or through the Americas. Vasco Nuñez de Balboa discovered a passage through Panama to an ocean which he called the South Sea. Spanish explorers claim Florida, Mexico and Southwest America for Spain 1

Balboa saw Pacific Ocean by crossing Panama : 

Balboa saw Pacific Ocean by crossing Panama

Ponce de Leon explored Florida : 

Ponce de Leon explored Florida

Magellan : 

Magellan Ferdinand Magellan charted a passage around the southern tip of South America and gave the Pacific Ocean its name. His crew became the first people to circumnavigate, or sail around, the world.

Francisco Coronado : 

Francisco Coronado Coronado ButteinGrandCanyon

HernandoDe Soto : 

HernandoDe Soto

Slide 14: 

Explorers for Great Britain John Cabot discovered Newfoundland in his unsuccessful quest to find a Northwest passage to Asia. Henry Hudson explored what would become known as the Hudson River. Explorers for France Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence River. Samuel de Champlain claims Quebec Marquette, Joliet, and La Salle explore the Mississippi river.

La Salle explored the Great Lakes anddiscovered mouth of the Mississippi River : 

La Salle explored the Great Lakes anddiscovered mouth of the Mississippi River

English sailor Henry Hudsonclaimed New York for the Dutch : 

English sailor Henry Hudsonclaimed New York for the Dutch

Slide 18: 

Canada