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Contributor: Meghan Vestal. Lesson ID: 10856
Ever wonder how American Indians got that name? How did Spanish become a dominant language? With videos and online articles, learn about early explorers and create profiles and scrapbooks about them!
Many years ago, North America was populated by those we now call the Native Americans.
Now, North America is occupied by the people of Canada, the United States, and Mexico, who represent many diverse heritages.
In this lesson, you will investigate some of the first European settlers who came to the Americas and discover what happened to the Native Americans during their exploration.
Before you begin, watch the video below to learn more about the history of human exploration.
The Spanish were not the first Europeans to arrive in the Americas. The Vikings from Norway had settled North America around the year 1000 A.D.
However, the Spanish started a wave of European colonization and settlement in North and South America. Looking to expand their wealth and power, Spain's monarchy sent several explorers to seek out what was referred to as the New World, beginning with Christopher Columbus in 1492.
Exploration led to colonization. While Spanish colonization had positive results for Spain, it had devastating consequences for the Native Americans, who had inhabited the Americas for hundreds of years.
The Spanish settlers enslaved many natives, forcing them to help search for gold. The settlers also exposed the Native Americans to diseases that their immune systems had never encountered, causing many to become very ill and die.
In 1492, the Spanish began colonizing parts of North and South America. They named their territory New Spain. New Spain covered the southern half of what is now the United States, the Caribbean, Central America, and the northern portion of South America.
Take a closer look at some Spanish explorers who visited the Americas from 1492–1550.
Continue to the Got It? section to compare and contrast these explorers.
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