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The Treaty of Tordesillas was to split up the new found land between the countries that wanted it. Spain got the best deal out of it, as the country was given the rest of the Americas, since Portugal was given Brazil.
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England's first voyage of exploration was in 1497. John Cabot, an Italian navigator, was the captain.
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The Spanish Conquistadors were explorers from Spain who set out to spread Christianity, find wealth, and win fame. They pioneered the exploration of the New World.
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Juan Ponce de Leon was the first European to begin exploring in America in 1513. He first stepped onto present day Florida, searching for good and the fountain of youth.
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In 1540, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and his men split up on their mission. One of his men became the first European to see the Grand Canyon.
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Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer who traveled from Florida, to where the present day Carolina's and Tennessee are. He was the first European to see the Mississippi River.
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In 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed north exploring the coast of California. He sailed into what is now San Diego and and Monterey bays.
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In 1565, Pedro Menendez de Aviles founded St. Augustine in Florida. It was strategically placed so that they could defend the treasure the Spanish fleets were bringing back to Spain.
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The Spanish Armada was a fleet of ships that was supposedly invincible. They set out for England, since the two countries were in a war over religion. England's navy was superior to the Spanish Armada, which caused them to defeat Spain.
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In 1598, Juan de Onate founded the first Spanish settlements. They were in present day New Mexico.
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In 1607 the Jamestown colonists arrived in Virginia. They were the first European colony in America.
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The explorers found that New France was rich in fish and furs. In 1608 Samuel de Champlain founded a fur trading post at Quebec, which was France's first permanent settlement.
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Sieur de la Salle was a French noble who explored The Great Lakes region and followed the Mississippi Valley to the bottom. He found territory for France and named is Louisiana, after France's king, Louis XIV.
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Spanish missionaries wanted to replace the native religion with Christianity. In 1680, the Pueblo Indians revolted against the missionaries to take back their traditional way of life.
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In 1733 the Georgia colony was founded. It was the last of the original 13 British colonies.
