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Jan 1, 1492
columbus sails the ocean blue
Because of the fierce competition between eoropean nations for wealth in asia, columbus was inspired to make a voyage across the atlantic to get to india. When he sighted land, he thought he had reached india when it was actually america, opening a whole new region for the rest of the world. -
Sep 29, 1511
first enslaved africans arrive in the americas
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Jan 1, 1521
cortes conquers aztec empire
Cortes, after landing in mexico, was seen as a god by the aztecs because of how he met their prophecy of when their god would return. Even though cortes and his men were outnumbered, they had the advantage of superior weaponry, the help of natives, and any disease they brought back from europe killed of many of the aztecs. -
Jan 1, 1533
pizarro conquers inca empire
Pizarro, another conquistador, marched a small force of 200 men near the city of cajamarca to meet the incan ruler atahualpa. After capturing the ruler, they were offered large amounts of silver and gold and when the riches were recieved, atahualpa was killed, demoralizing the incans and making them easier to conquer. -
english found jamestown
English explorers, inspired by the spanish and french, recieved a charter from king james to found a colony in north america. As the company of 3 ships and 100 settlers reached the shores of virginia, they named their first colony, jamestown in honor of their king. -
english found plymouth
A group known as the Pilgrims founded a second English colony named plymouth in Massachusetts. They left England because they were persecuted for their religous beliefs. -
french and indian war ends
The English expanded and met the French and that resulted in a conflict. A battle started when land claims in the Ohio valley were disputed over and this became part of a larger fight called seven years' war.