SPANISH CONTACT ON AMERICAN INDIANS

Spain Arrives

•Spanish explorers and missionaries entered Georgia in the early 1500s.
•European contact made a dramatic impact on the American Indians.
•European missionaries attempted to convert the natives to their religion.
•They also brought diseases that wiped out a large portion of the native population.
 

de Soto

•In 1540, a Spanish conquistador named Heando de Soto led 600 soldiers across Georgia.
•De Soto was searching for “cities of gold”.
•De Soto’s men tortured and enslaved the natives in order to gain information about gold and silver locations.
•He never found the gold, but he did leave a lasting impact on the American Indians in Georgia.
 

Diseases

•De Soto and other Spanish explorers brought horrible diseases that devastated the American Indian population.
•Some of the diseases included smallpox, influenza, measles, and chicken pox.
•The natives had no resistance to the diseases, and entire villages were wiped out at a time.
 

Barrier Islands

•In 1565, the Spanish established St. Augustine, Florida as their first permanent settlement. 
•Then they moved north to establish a post off of Georgia’s coast on St. Catherine’s Island.
•Over time, the Spanish traveled to some of Georgia’s other barrier islands, such as St Simons, Cumberland, and Sapelo, and established more posts.
 

Missions

•The Spanish established missions (churches) in all of these places with the goal of converting American Indians to the Catholic religion.
•As the Spanish influence grew, more and more American Indians adopted the new religion.
•Many American Indians continued to practice Catholicism even after the Spanish abandoned the area.
 

American Indians

•As the Europeans competed for land in the Americas, they had little regard for American Indians living in the areas.
•Many natives were enslaved or killed from diseases.
•The Europeans were only interested in the American Indians for trading, land deals, and military alliances.

1. Name three reasons why Spain competed with Great Britain for territory in the New World?

2. What religion did Spain hope to teach to the American Indians in order to “civilize;” them?

3. What did Great Britain expect its colonies in the New World to provide?

4. Why were some religious groups in England interested in going to the New World?

5. In 1540, who led a Spanish expedition into Georgia?

6. Where was the first permanent Spanish settlement in North America?

7. What are barrier islands?

8. Why did the Spanish establish missions in the southeaste region?

9. Why were American Indians at a disadvantage against the Spanish?

10. What is one of the European diseases that killed thousands of American Indians?

11. What was Great Britain’s first colony in the New World called?

12. What were the British and the American Indians able to do once they became allies?