Lesson 1: Early Exploration

Key Idea

European kings and queens wanted to find new sea routes to Asia to trade for valuable spices. They also competed for power and wanted to build larger empires. Explorers claimed new lands for their rulers, hoping to make their country the most powerful in Europe.

These voyages were also a search for wealth, especially gold and silver. In addition, explorers and missionaries wanted to spread their religion, Christianity, to new parts of the world. These combined goals pushed Europeans to sail into unknown waters.

Key Idea

After exploring Baja California, Spain sent an explorer to sail farther north. The Spanish hoped to find riches or a sea route to Asia.

Cabrillo led this expedition, sailing into harbors like San Diego Bay. During the journey, his crew made first contact with many Native Californian groups. He claimed the land for Spain, even though people had already lived there for thousands of years.

Key Idea

After Cabrillo, other explorers came to California. In 1579, an English explorer named Francis Drake arrived and claimed the land for England. This created a rivalry with Spain.

To protect its claim, Spain sent Sebastián Vizcaíno in 1602. He carefully mapped the coastline and gave Spanish names to important places. He named the harbors of San Diego and Monterey, and these names are still used today.

Key Idea

When European explorers arrived, they believed they could own the land. They would place a flag and say the land now belonged to their king and country. This was called claiming land.

But many groups of California Indians already lived there. They did not think of land as something one person could own. For them, the land was a shared home for everyone in their community to use and care for. These different ideas about land would lead to serious problems.