Recap
In the last post, we discussed the effects the Europeans had on the Natives. As the Europeans came to the Americas, the entirety of the untouched continent began changing.
Regardless of the effects to either the Europeans or the Natives, the Europeans came and decided they were staying.
The Europeans and the Natives had a rocky relationship to say the least, but avenues were still opened that allowed for positive trade between the powers of the world.
This went on for about 100 years before the first permanent settlement in what we know as the continental United States, St. Augustine in 1565 (in modern day Florida)
But now, we’re going to move from what happened in “The Americas,” to how we got to “our America” with that same European colonization.
Filling in the Gaps
Here is a timeline to establish the events of the exploration throughout what we know as Continental America:
Note: Continental America is the mainland of The United States of America
Note: There are many events between these years that occurred outside of Continental America, but that is not the focus
- 1492: Christopher Columbus landed in the modern day Caribbean
- 1497-1512: Multiple explorers followed Columbus and landed within the Americas
- These include John and Sebastian Cabot, Vicente Yáñez Pinzón, and more.
- 1501: Amerigo Vespucci was within the series of explorers after Columbus, but he is credited with realizing the Americas weren’t
- America was (obviously) named after him! As just stated, it is because he is said to be the first to realize The Americas weren’t Asia
- In 1507 the Waldseemüller map (by Martin Waldseemüller) was the first to label the newly discovered (newly for Europeans) America. “America” as a word, is the feminine, Latin version of “Amerigo”
- 1513: Juan Ponce de León was the Spanish explorer credited with being the first to move on to the Continental US, and landed and named modern-day Florida
- It is widely accepted that Lief Erikson was the first European explorer to get to Continental America, but this was ~500 years before Columbus
- Remember: we are focusing on after Columbus because of Why Columbus is Credited with Discovering America
- 1519: Spanish Cartographer Alonso Alvarez de Pineda maps along the gulf coast from Florida to Texas
- 1534: Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca explores from the Louisiana to Texas along the Sabine River up to the Gulf of California
- 1539: Fray Marcos de Niza explores Arizona and New Mexico by command of the new Governor of Mexico (by this time Southern America was already being conquered – since around 1519)
- 1539: Hernando de Soto explores through Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi and is the first to cross the Mississippi River:
- 1542: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo goes up the coast of California but claims it for Spain
- 1565: The first permanent European settlement is founded by Pedra Menendez de Aviles in St. Augustine, Florida
- NOTE: This period of time and exploration was heavily dominated by Spanish Explorers for Continental America. However, the permanent settlements spark British dominance since they were among the first permanent settlements here.
- 1584: Walter Raleigh lands on Roanoke Island and names the area Virginia (in honor of the virgin Queen, Queen Elizabeth I)
- Right after this Roanoke is settled, but unfortunately, the colony disappeared. What exactly happened still remains a mystery
- 1607: Jamestown is founded by travelers with the Virginia Company of London
- The Virginia Company of London was a stock company that was sent to expand and colonize in America to bring more profits for their shareholders
We’ll stop of Jamestown because this concludes the initial breakdown and introduction to the modern inhabitance of America.
This timeline is important because it shows the process of how we are getting to the America we know today. These explorations laid the groundwork that helped understand how to create maps and routes that other European countries, specifically the British, relied upon to make it here and settle.
After Jamestown, the British are the first to take the steps to establish themselves with representative assemblies in their home continent. With the Virginia Company of London establishing themselves permanently for the gain of stockholders, there needed to be representation for them back across the Atlantic.
Stay tuned for the breakdown on the spread of the British as we get further into exploring the depths of early America.
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Resources:
https://www.thoughtco.com/timeline-of-exploration-1492-1585-104281
https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2016/07/how-did-america-get-its-name
https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-company-of-london.htm
AI assisted in editing
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