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Oct 5, 1492
Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue
When Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, it was an important event in the history of the world. Columbus's voyage started a time period of European exploration and colonization of the New World. This in turn set off globalization and the Atlantic slave trade. Columbus's voyage across the Atlantic Ocean had many negative and positive effects. -
Oct 5, 1511
First Enslaved Africans Arrive to the New World
When the first enslaved Africans arrived in the New World, it was the beginning of a slave trade that would last for centuries. African slaves were a source of cheap labor, so millions of slaves were imported to the Americas. The African slaves had experience with agriculture, had developed some immunity to European diseases, did not know the land as well as the natives, and were easy to find if they tried to live among others, so they were used as slaves over natives. -
Oct 5, 1521
Cortés conquers Aztec Empire
When Cortéz conquered the Aztec Empire, he vanquished one of the greatest empires in Central America. However, he was only able to do this because the Aztec leader Montezuma II welcomed Cortéz and gave him everything he wanted. Cortéz then took Montezuma hostage and killed him. -
Oct 5, 1533
Pizarro conquers Incan Empire
Pizarro conquered the Incan Empire with guns, germs, and steel. The reasons why the Spaniards, with their tiny force of men, beat a huge empire, were that many natives perished from European diseases that they had no immunity to, the Spanish had superior weapons that were meant to kill rather than to maim, and the Spanish had weapons made from steel, which the Incas did not have the ore to create. Horses also helped in the victory. This event led to the Spanish controlling much of South America. -
English found Jamestown
Jamestown was the first successful English settlement in the New World. It was the beginning of an English colonial era during which the thirteen colonies were founded. However seventy percent of the colonists in Jamestown died in a year, as there was no farming. Jamestown was eventually abandoned and all of its remaining colonists moved to Williamsburg. -
English found Plymouth
A group of people called the Pilgrims founded Plymouth. They seeked religious freedom, as they were persecuted by the Church of England. At first, they tried moving elsewhere in Europe, but they were still persecuted, so they decided to move to the New World. These Pilgrims were planning to land in Jamestown but missed and instead landed in what is now Massachussets on Plymouth Rock. Plymouth was the first lasting, thriving English settlement in the area of New England. -
French and Indian War ends
The French and Indian War was a war fought by the English against the French and the Indians. The French lost, as they were greatly outnumbered by the British. When the war ended, the French gave up much of their colonized land to the British, including Canada. The treaty that created these boundaries was called the Treaty of Paris. This was important because it led to Canada becoming English and it also led to the English colonies expanding in size.
