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In the early 14--s, people began to look to the seas and beyond. The age of exploration and discover had begun.
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Christopher Columbus led his first expedition westward. He landed in the Bahamas, islands he believed to be near Asia.
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In 1497-1498, Portugese explorer Vasco da Gama found such a route and sailed all the way to India.
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A great interaction between the "New World" and "Old World" took place. This interaction is sometimes referred to as the Columbian Exchange. Plants, animals, and even diseases moved between Western and Eastern Hemispheres.
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In the early 1500s, Spain was taking control of much of South and Central America and many Caribbean islands, including Cuba and Hispaniola.
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Spain was the most powerful nation in the world. Spainish explorers had claimed huge tracts of land in the New World.
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King Francis 1 of France sent italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazano westward. Verrazano first reached land at North Carolina's Outer Banks. Across those narrow islands he thought he saw the pacific ocean.
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Hernando de Soto sailed with a military expedition from Havana, Cuba, to the west coast of Florida. From there, de Soto's soldiers marched northward to a site near present-day Tallahasse, Florida.
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Other European nations were challenging Spain. In 1562 France sent a clolny under the command of Jean Ribault to North America.
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Spain sent troops to Florida. South of Fort Caroline. Menendz built a fort at St. Augustine. France planned to attack Spain. A storm wrecked his fleet, Menendz lost no time in dealing with the unlucky French. He captured most of the French defenders.
