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The Crusades were a religious movement by European countries to try to convert the Middle Eastern nations to Christianity through force. While spending time in Asia, the Europeans began interested in spices and other goods native to this area. This interest in goods sparked exploration of trade routes and the world by the Europeans. The interaction between different groups of people also spread ideas across the world. This renewed interest in education and learning.
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For description see "Beginning of Christian Crusades"
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In 1492, Christopher Columbus became the first European in the Americas. His voyage to the New World was funded by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. He was originally trying to find a western route to Asia, but after "discovering" the Americas, Spain began exploring and colonizing this land.
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In 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas was established between Spain and Portugal. This was an agreement about who could explore and colonize in what part of the world. Spain agreed to explore and colonize land west of the treaty line, which passed through the eastern edge of North America and the central area of present-day Brazil. Portugal agreed to explore and colonize east of this line, which included all of Africa.
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In 1521, Hernando Cortes, a Spanish conquistador, arrived in Mexico. The inhabitants of Mexico at the time were the Aztec people. Cortes wanted this land, so he engaged the Aztecs, led by Montezuma II, in battle. The primitive Aztecs were no match for Cortes' men and their weapons. Cortes defeated the Aztecs in battle, defeating their empire.
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Ferdinand Magellan's original plan was to prove that the Spice Islands belonged to Spain, and not Portugal, because of the Treaty of Tordesillas. The Spice Islands had many valuable goods, so the owning country would be wealthy. In his attempt to prove this, Magellan was killed by a Native American during the voyage. His crew continued the voyage, and eventually returned to Spain. Even though Magellan did not finish the voyage, he was credited with being the first to circumnavigate the world.
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In 1532, Francisco Pizarro landed in present-day Peru to try to find gold and silver for the Spanish government. He had heard rumors that the Incas were a very wealthy empire. Pizarro captured the Incan leader in battle, and held him at ransom. After receiving the ransom from the Incas, he beheaded their leader anyway.
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The Iroquois Confederacy was an alliance between five Native American tribes. They lived near the New York colony. The Confederacy was founded in the late 1500's, according to Iroquois legend. The Iroquois League caused a lot of trouble for many colonies during its existence.
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In 1607, The Virginia Company got a charter from King James to settle in the New World. The main goal was to gain wealth and convert natives to Christianity. The weather and poor conditions of the settlement made early years difficult, but the colony found success after some help from the Powhatan Indians. Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.
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After fleeing to Holland to escape religion of England, the King gave the Pilgrims the right to move to Virginia. After being blown off course, they landed in America and settled at Plymouth. After a difficult start to the colony, they became the religiously free colony they wanted after help from the Native American Squanto and his tribe. Eventually, this colony would be absorbed by the Massachusetts Bay colony.
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The King gave John Mason a charter to begin a fishing colony north of Massachusetts. After sending over colonists to build towns and defenses, Mason died without ever seeing his New Hampshire colony. The colony was named a royal colony in 1679.
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In 1634, the king granted the Calvert family a large land charter. The Calvert family was lead by Lord Baltimore, who was a Catholic. He wanted a place for English Catholics to be able to worship without English Protestant persecution. Baltimore created this place in Maryland. Because of tension with Protestants in the colonies, the Maryland Act of Toleration was put into place to grant religious freedom to all Christians in the colony.
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Thomas Hooker led three groups of people from Massachusetts into three river towns. These river towns became the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. This was the colony of Connecticut. They established a representative government that was open to all property owning males, not just members of the church.
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Roger Williams was banished from Massachusetts in 1636. He was banished because he believed differently from the church. He believed state and government should be separate, and he believed that it was wrong to take advantage of the Native Americans. Williams went with his followers to settle with the Narrangasett Indians and they established Providence. This was the first settlement of the colony Rhode Island. Rhode Island became known as the "waste can" of proper society.
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Peter Minuit owned the charter for New Sweden which became part of New Netherland. When the king's brother, James, was given New Netherland to rename and control New York, Minuit demanded he get his land back. The New Sweden land was then turned into the colony of Delaware.
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In 1653, a settlement that would be North Carolina was established by some Virginians. When the king gave eight nobles a charter for the land south of Virginia, this Virginian settlement was included. After problems within the colony, the nobles' land and the Virginian land was separated, leaving North Carolina.
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In 1663, the king gave eight nobles a charter for the land south of Virginia. Some Virginians had already settled some of this land, so they included this as part of their colony. After problems between the nobles and the previously settled settlement, the two colonies split into two colonies: North Carolina and South Carolina.
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After the Duke of York took over New Netherland, he gave his two friends, Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, a portion of land. For this new colony, they promised settlers appealing things like freedom of religion and representative government. As a result, the colony of New Jersey quickly grew.
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King Charles' brother, James, was given a charter for the land that was New Netherland. James took over New Netherland and named it one of the English colonies. Since James was the Duke of York, he renamed the colony New York.
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In 1682, William Penn inherited a land grant that was owed to his father. Penn took his followers to his land that he named Pennsylvania, which means "woods of Penn". William Penn wanted to establish a colony of freedom of religion so that he and his fellow Quakers would no longer be persecuted.
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In 1732, the king gave James Olgethorpe a charter for land in between South Carolina and Florida. The colony, Georgia, was created so that England had a place to reduce the population of its prisons. The other purpose of this colony was to prevent the Spanish from expanding there territory through Florida.