Describes the first contact between Europeans and the Native Americans. Includes Jared Diamond's theory of Guns, Germs, and Steel.

1. First Contact
Europeans come to the Americas

2. Early Contact - Vikings
• According to oral history, Leif
Ericson was the first Viking
explorer to find North
America. He established a
colony in what he called
Vinland in around 1000 A.D.
• In 1960, archaeologists found
evidence of a Viking colony
(probably that of Leif Ericson)
in northern Newfoundland.

3. Early Contact - What about others?
• There are many theories about
other people arriving in the
Americas before Columbus.
Theories exist about voyages
by the Welsh, West Africans,
and Chinese.
• Most of these theories have very little actual
evidence to support the theory. Until any solid
archaeological evidence is found, these theories
can remain only speculation.

4. Europe In 1492
• Much of Western Europe
was still recovering from
the end of the Middle
Ages. The Renaissance
had begun in Italy and
spread through Western
Europe throughout the
1400s.
• Things were getting better
now, but there were still
many problems.

5. Europe In 1492
• England and France had recently finished the
100 years war and were still recovering.
• Populations
throughout Western
Europe were still
lower than they had
been in 1300, due
to the plague.

6. Europe In 1492
• Records are inexact and historians differ on the
numbers, but estimated populations in Western
Europe (according to The Encyclopedia of World
History, 2001) were:
Country Population Population
in 1300 in 1500
Italy 10 million 7.5 million
British Isles 5 million 3 million
France 17.5 million 12.5 million
Iberia (Spain & Portugal) 9 million 7 million
Germany & Scandinavia 11.5 million 7 million

7. Europe In 1492
• Spain emerged from a long war to
gain control of the Iberian Peninsula.
A series of battles against the Muslim
Moors had driven them out, leaving
behind only the remnants of their
sophisticated culture.

8. Europe In 1492
• A very important marriage between Ferdinand of Aragon
and Isabella of Castile united the country in the hands of
one Christian monarch.

9. Early European Explorers
• Now, Spain was ready to
expand its power and
looked across the ocean to
do so.
• Ferdinand and
Isabella gave
Columbus the
money and
ships to
explore. He
Christopher “discovered”
Columbus
the Americas.

10. Early European Explorers
There were many explorers involved in the exploration of the “New World”
by the Europeans. Some of the important early explorers are listed here.
Year Explorer Area Explored (with today’s names)
1492 Christopher Columbus Several islands of the Caribbean
1497 John Cabot Newfoundland
1501 Amerigo Vespucci South American Coast – Brazil
1519 Hernando Cortes Mexico – Conquered the Aztec Empire
1531 Francisco Pizarro South America – Conquered the
Inca Empire
1535 Jacques Cartier Canada – Maritime provinces

11. Early European Explorers
• These explorers represented several
different European countries. The
ones that came to dominate large
parts of the Americas were Spain,
Portugal, France, and England.
• Though there were some differences
between these countries, they
tended to follow very similar patterns
in their exploration and colonization.

12. Steps to Exploring & Colonization
• Send out explorers.
1.
• Claim land for the home country. Conquer any
Native people who inhabited the land.
Accidentally spread disease amongst those
2. Natives, to make conquest easier.
• Begin exporting the wealth of the new land (e.g.
Gold, silver, lumber, and furs) to the home
country. Steal these natural resources from the
3. Natives first.

13. Steps to Exploring & Colonization
• Send colonists to set down more permanent roots.
The settlers should steal more land from the few
remaining Natives and engage in activities like
4. farming, mining, lumber, and the fur trade.
• Import slaves (usually from Africa) to provide
cheap labour on farms and in mines.
5.
• Fight with other European nations when
necessary to defend or expand colonies.
6.

14. Why did the Europeans defeat the Natives?
• A Case Study of the
Aztec and Inca
• Despite the strength of
the Aztec Empire, it was
conquered in 1521 by
Hernando Cortes.
• Cortes had an army of
600 soldiers (plus some
native allies), 20 horses
and 10 cannons.

15. Why did the Europeans defeat the Natives?
• Despite the
strength of the
Incan Empire, it
was conquered by
Francisco Pizarro
in 1532. Pizarro’s
army of 168
soldiers defeated
80, 000 Incan
soldiers.

16. Why did the Europeans defeat the Natives?
• Why were Europeans so successful
in defeating the Natives, in both of
these cases and in many more?
Guns Germs Steel
Conquest

17. Guns, Germs, and Steel
Weapons (Guns)
• The Spanish had steel swords against the blunt
clubs and bronze knives of the Aztec and Inca.
• They also had guns (harquebuses) – though
these were not yet very advanced

18. Guns, Germs, and Steel
Disease (Germs)
• Europeans
brought diseases
they had
developed from
contact with farm
animals
– examples:
Smallpox,
Influenza,
Measles

19. Guns, Germs, and Steel
Technology (Steel)
• Europeans had steel armour vs. the quilted
armour of the Aztec and Inca
• Europeans had horses, and the equipment to
ride them into battle

20. Guns, Germs, and Steel
Technology
• Europeans had
written language and
learned through
writing of other
battles against
Natives. The Incans
had none and didn’t
learn about the Aztec
Codex Zouche-Nuttall
experiences Aztec Writing

21. End Result = Conquest
• These same three things (Guns,
Germs, and Steel), gave Europeans
an advantage over the Natives in
every part of the two continents.
• The battle was not always so easy.
Sometimes the Natives fought on for
a long time. Inevitably though, the
Europeans won the battles and
established colonies, while the
Native populations were almost
wiped out.

22. European Land Claims
by 1750