Lesson 4: How and Why Europeans Came to the Americas

Key Idea

Sailing across the vast Atlantic Ocean was a huge challenge. For weeks, sailors saw nothing but water. Without landmarks, it was easy to get lost. European explorers needed special navigational tools to find their way on these long and dangerous journeys.

Two key inventions helped sailors cross the ocean. The compass had a magnetic needle that always pointed north, which showed them their direction. Sailors used the astrolabe to measure the position of the stars. This helped them figure out how far north or south they were from home.

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

Europeans discovered many new plants in the Americas. Some plants, like tobacco, were not just for food. People in Europe would pay a lot of money for them. These valuable plants were called cash crops because they were grown to be sold for money.

The desire to grow these crops gave Europeans a new reason to build settlements in the Americas. They started large farms to grow as much as they could. This created a new trade across the Atlantic Ocean and encouraged more people to settle the land.

Key Idea

When European ships returned from the Americas, they brought back amazing new plants that people in Europe had never seen before.

Foods like corn, potatoes, and cacao (the main ingredient in chocolate) were introduced to Europe. These crops were easy to grow in European soil and gave people more food to eat.