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Lesson 2 DISCOVERY OF AMERICA

The document discusses the discovery of America, highlighting the motivations of European explorers such as the search for new trade routes, riches, and the spread of Christianity. It details Christopher Columbus's voyages, emphasizing that while he is credited with discovering the New World, he never reached Asia and his expeditions opened the door for European colonization. Additionally, it mentions earlier explorers like the Vikings and controversial claims about Chinese exploration, noting that most historians reject the latter due to insufficient evidence.

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Amel BOULEMIIZ
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12 views2 pages

Lesson 2 DISCOVERY OF AMERICA

The document discusses the discovery of America, highlighting the motivations of European explorers such as the search for new trade routes, riches, and the spread of Christianity. It details Christopher Columbus's voyages, emphasizing that while he is credited with discovering the New World, he never reached Asia and his expeditions opened the door for European colonization. Additionally, it mentions earlier explorers like the Vikings and controversial claims about Chinese exploration, noting that most historians reject the latter due to insufficient evidence.

Uploaded by

Amel BOULEMIIZ
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lesson 2

1st Year LMD Prepared by / Mrs. Boulmaiz. Amel


Culture and Civilisation of the Studied Language
The Discovery of America
Introduction: the Discovery of America involves the voyages of discovery of many famous and
courageous explorers of America who undertook the 3000 mile journey from Europe to North
America across perilous, unchartered seas. These adventurous men were searching for:
- New Trade Routes: European nations, especially Portugal and Spain, sought sea routes to Asia
for valuable goods like spices and silk, bypassing Ottoman-controlled overland routes
-New Enterprises and Riches: Explorers aimed to discover gold, silver, and other resources in the
Americas, with figures like Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro seeking wealth through the
conquests of the Aztec and Inca civilizations.
-New Lands to Build an Empire: European powers, particularly Spain and France, sought to
expand their empires by establishing colonies in the New World, creating vast territories for
settlement, agriculture, and resource extraction.
- Spreading Christianity: Many explorers were motivated by the desire to convert indigenous
peoples to Christianity, with French Jesuits and Spanish missionaries establishing missions in
the Americas.

1- Christopher Columbus and the Discovery of America

Christopher Columbus, an Italian navigator, believed that he could reach Asia by sailing westward
across the Atlantic Ocean. He made several attempts to secure funding for his expedition, and it was
eventually Isabella and Ferdinand who agreed to support him, seeing potential economic and
strategic benefits for Spain. Columbus made four voyages (1492, 1493, 1498, and 1502) with the
goal of reaching China and India by sailing west. However, he never reached his intended
destination. Instead, in 1492, he accidentally landed in the Caribbean, thinking he had arrived in
the East Indies.

In August 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain with three ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa
Maria. After a long voyage across the Atlantic, on October 12, 1492, Columbus and his crew
reached what they initially thought was Asia, but it was actually an island in the Caribbean.
Columbus is often credited with "discovering" the New World, though he never realized he had
reached lands that were previously unknown to Europeans.

Although Columbus did not "discover" the New World (as millions of indigenous peoples were
already living there), his voyages marked the beginning of European exploration and
colonization of the Americas. His expeditions opened the door for centuries of European
expansion into North and South America, which led to significant cultural exchanges, the spread of
Christianity, and the establishment of colonies, drastically altering the history of the world.

Who Discovered America before Christopher Columbus?


1. The Vikings
Half a millennium before Columbus “discovered” America, Viking feet may have been the first
European ones ever to have touched North American soil. Leif Ericson was a Northman, the son of
Eric the Red who had founded a colony in Greenland. Leif Ericson was the first European to visit
the New World. He found many grapevines and called them Vinland or Wineland.
The remains of the Vikings’ houses of their settlement are evidence of their existence in America.
They included artifacts like iron nails, tools, and structures consistent with Norse architecture.
These findings confirm that Vikings reached North America centuries before Columbus.

2. Chinese

In his controversial 2003 book, 1421: The Year China Discovered America, Gavin Menzies claims
that Chinese explorer Zheng He reached the Americas in the early 15th century, decades before
Columbus. Menzies argues that Zheng He's fleet sailed to the east coast of the United States and
possibly established settlements in South America. Menzies set his theory on facts from old
shipwrecks, Chinese and European maps, and accounts written by sailors of the time. However,
Most historians reject Menzies' claims due to a lack of credible evidence. Scholars like Robert
Finlay have criticized Menzies for presenting speculative claims "without proof." There is no
definitive archaeological or historical evidence to support the idea that Zheng He or any Chinese
explorers reached the Americas.

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