Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Chapter 14, Lesson 3: Exploring the Americas (pp. 377-381)
I. Christopher Columbus
B. Financed by Spain, Columbus sailed west hoping to reach India.
C. After two months at sea, Columbus landed on the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas and claimed it for Spain.
II. The Spanish in the Americas
B. The Treaty of Tordesillas granted Spain all land west of approximately 50 degrees W. longitude, and Portugal all lands east of approximately 50 degrees W. longitude.
C. The new territories attracted Spanish adventurers and colonists.
III. Europeans in North America
B. Balboa and Magellan proved that the Americas blocked the westward route to Asia.
C. In the late 1500s, Europeans realized that the Americas offered a vast wealth of resources.
Lesson at a Glance Outline
A. As a young man Columbus studied at Prince Henry's center for navigation.
A. The Spanish asked Pope Alexander VI to grant them control of the lands Columbus discovered.
A. The English were the first Europeans to send an expedition to North America after Columbus's voyage.
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