Conquest and Exploration

Europeans used the concept of "primitive" or "uncivilized" to justify the conquest and destruction of Native peoples, perpetuating bias against them.
Native societies were in many ways more advanced than their European counterparts.

Columbus, an experienced mariner from Genoa, believed he could reach Asia by sailing westward across the Atlantic due to his underestimation of the Earth's size.
Vikings had previously established a settlement in Newfoundland around the year 1000, but it was short-lived and largely forgotten.
Columbus faced difficulty gaining financial support because many knew he underestimated the Earth's circumference.
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain eventually sponsored Columbus's voyage.

European expansion into America was initially driven by the search for a sea route to India, China, and the East Indies, sources of luxury goods.
Motivations included:
- Profit (Gold): Desire to control the lucrative trade.
- Piety (God): Desire to eliminate Islamic middlemen and spread Christianity.
- National Glory: Desire to be more powerful than other European nations.

On October 12, 1492, Columbus's expedition reached the Bahamas after 33 days of sailing from the Canary Islands; his landing site was likely San Salvador.
He encountered Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and Cuba; he left 38 men behind on Hispaniola after one of his ships ran aground.
Columbus brought ten inhabitants back to Spain for conversion to Christianity.
Columbus died believing he had found a westward route to Asia.
Amerigo Vespucci's explorations revealed that Columbus had encountered a continent unknown to Europeans.
The New World was named "America" after Vespucci, rather than Columbus.
Vespucci recognized that the native inhabitants were distinct peoples, not residents of the East Indies, though they were misnamed "Indians" by Columbus.