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Christopher Columbus, an explorer in service of the Spanish, thought he could find a sea route to Asia by sailing west. Instead, he found America.
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Since colonizers in the Americas needed cheap labor for their plantations, they took Africans slaves from their homes to work. Africans were good slaves instead of Native Americans because (1) They did not know the area, making it hard for them to escape, (2) They were immune to most European diseases, and (3), Their dark skin color was easy to tell apart.
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Hernan Cortez, a Spanish Conquistador, conquered the Aztec empire in 1521. He was able to win with only 600 men because he had better weapons and enlisted the help of native Aztec enemies.
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Francisco Pizzarro was a Spanish Conquistador who conquered the Incan Empire. He was able to do this with only 200 men by killing their leader Atahualpa and driving the rest of the Incans out of the capital
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In 1607, 3 ships carrying about 100 people discovered the colony of Jamestown, Virginia. Even though it was considered a succesfull colony, over 70% of the people died within the first few years.
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In 1620, a group of British who sought Religious freedom founded the colony of Plymouth. It was located in Massachusetts bay.
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The French and Indian war was a dispute over land in the Americas between the French and British. It ended in 1763 with England winning.
