SS 7 – Unit 1-1



SS 8 - Colonization 03 – Colonization of North America

Colonization of North America

The Vikings were the first Europeans to explore and settle in North America in the late 10th or early 11th Centuries, and although they stayed for about 400 years, they eventually abandoned their settlements in what is now known as Newfoundland. The reasons as to why the Vikings left Newfoundland is still a mystery, but most historians and archeologists believe that the harsh weather and soil conditions did not allow for good farming, and there was more money to be made by raiding closer settlements in Europe.

English and French Interests in the North of North America

North America and what was to become Canada in particular would remain in the hands of indigenous peoples, free of European interference until 1497 when a British sponsored Italian explorer by the name of John Cobot, who like Columbus in 1492, was searching for a western route to Asia when he “bumped into” Newfoundland. Cabot carried with him Letters of Patent which were official documents provided to him by King Henry VII of England. These letters gave Cabot the right to “seek out, discover, and find whatsoever isles, countries, regions or provinces” with the intent to “subdue, occupy and possess all such towns, cities, castles and isles of them found”. Essentially, an English King was giving an Italian explorer the right to colonize and take control of any foreign land or settlements he came across for Britain, regardless of who was already living there.

Like Columbus, Cabot did not find Asia, but instead of silks and spices, he found other riches. The Grand Banks is a huge underwater shelf that extends out into the Atlantic and this shelf was home to countless numbers of fish. The land, although inhabited by indigenous peoples also had a seemingly endless supply of lumber and fur. When Cabot landed he laid claim to this “New Found Land” for England.

Spanish explorers like Juan Ponce de Leon and Vasco de Balboa would continue to explore much of the southern half of North America, while English explorers like John Cabot and Henry Hudson along with French explorers like Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain, would focus on the northern half. The exploration of the New World was quickly becoming a competition between the great exploring nations of Europe.

France Becomes Interested in the New World

By the 16th Century, the French and other European countries began to realize that to get to Asia by going west was going to be difficult if there was a continent in their way. Many people believed that if there was a Southern route around the Americas via the Cape Horn, then there must be a route to the north. Rumors of a fabled Northwest Passage to the Pacific spread throughout Europe and would become an obsession for many. France quickly hired an Italian explorer by the name of Giovanni de Verrazano to find this fabled passage. Verrazano mapped much of the eastern side of North America but never found the fabled passage. The French then sent another explorer, this time a Frenchman called Jacques Cartier to explore further some of the inland rivers or passages that Verrazano had found during his voyage. Cartier was the perfect choice because he had served under Verrazano during his exploration of North America and was already familiar with the East coast of what is now Canada.

Cartier was assigned to the task of finding the fabled Northwest Passage and would do a number of voyages to the New World. During his first in 1534, he would kidnap two Iroquois brothers, who would later on help him explore and navigate what is now known as the St. Lawrence River. The St. Lawrence River would eventually become one of the most important seaways in the world. It would eventually become the route through to the Great Lakes and into the interior of North America. During the 16th Century though, the St. Lawrence would become the centre of European settlement in North America. The St. Lawrence provided access to the interior of North America, access to potential farmland, timber and would eventually become the main route that would service what would become known as the “fur trade”.

Cartier, after several expeditions to the New World, soon realized that the St. Lawrence was not the fabled Northwest Passage to Asia, but it did provide great opportunities for new French settlements. In the beginning, the French explorers relied heavily on the support of the indigenous people like Iroquois who helped them survived the harsh Canadian winters, but eventually the indigenous people would begin to die off in large numbers due to diseases imported from Europe (much like those indigenous people of Central America) and as they retreated, the French expanded.

Fur Becomes the “Gold” of North America

Spain and Portugal took a lot of wealth from Central and South America in the form of gold and silver. The French, with their colonization of North America around the St. Lawrence did not find gold or silver, but instead found wealth in the form of furs. The abundance of wild animal fur like beaver, wolf, marten and lynx would set forth a new co-operation between indigenous peoples and Europeans. What would become the “fur trade” would fuel further European expansion into the interior of what would become Canada and would eventually lead to a greater effort on both Britain and France to colonize this New World.

The importance of the fur trade in the exploration of Canada by France and Britain cannot be underestimated; the profit that could be made by taking furs from Canada and selling them in Europe would create the settlements and colonies that became the foundation for a new nation. Today, the national symbol for Canada around the world is still the beaver; this is because the fur of the beaver (as well as other animals) was so valuable. Europeans would invest vast amounts of people and capital to colonize what would become one of the greatest nations on earth; Canada, and in the process, make huge profits.

SS 8 - Colonization 03 – Colonization of North America

Colonization of North America

Directions: READ the handout entitled; “The Colonization of North America” and then answer the following questions;

1. Use your handout, the internet or a dictionary to provide definitions for the following terms; (1 mk each)

Letters of Patent Grand Banks Northwest Passage

Fur Trade Capital

2. On a separate piece of paper, answer the following questions using COMPLETE

SENTENCES;

a. In your own words, describe who were the first Europeans to settle in North America? Who was John Cabot and what was his mission? (2 mks for quality of response and inclusion of details)

b. In your own words, identify who the French sent to find the fabled Northwest Passage. What indigenous group first helped the French settlements in the St. Lawrence region? (2 mks for the quality of your response and evidence of thought and effort)

c. In your own words, describe what resources would be extracted from the northern half of North America and sold in Europe for a huge profit. Provide at least two specific examples. (2 mks for quality of response and evidence of insight)

3. Graphing Exercise – Mapping Great North American Explorers

Use the directions provided on the next page to identify the major locations explored by the great European Explorers of North America.

You will be marked out of 5 for correct labelling, quality of work,

and evidence of effort.

Total: ____ /16

Directions: Use following grid map of North America to identify the major locations explored by some of the most famous European explorers of North America during the 15t-17th Centuries. Once complete color the map. The first one has been done for you.

You will be marked out of 5 for your correct labelling and quality of work and evidence of effort.

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John Cabot Landing on the Shores of Newfoundland/Labrador

Letters of Patent – official documents that outline and describe specific terms and conditions, in this example the terms granted to Cabot to lay claim to lands that he “discovers”.

Grand Banks – a very large underwater shelf that extends out from Newfoundland. The Grand Banks are one of the most productive fishing grounds in the world.

Northwest Passage – the fabled route through or over the top of North America that would link the Atlantic to the Pacific and allow for a western route to Asia from Europe.

Fur Trade – The term used to describe the trade in furs that lead to the exploration, exploitation and settlement of North America by Europeans.

Capital – an economic term used to describe money that is raised and then used to invest in a particular project or business.

San Salvador

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