United States History Student Edition

01 Introducing Exploration and Colonization

Europeans Come to the Americas

Starting in the late 1400s, Europeans explored the oceans, hoping to find a direct sea route to Asia. Instead, they found what to them was a “New World.” Over the next few centuries, they explored and settled in the Americas.

(l)Max Zvonarev/Shutterstock,

(r)Chronicle/Alamy Stock Photo

A Day in the Life of a Sailor • Each day began with prayers and hymns. • One hot meal was served each day. • Sailors worked four-hour shifts around the clock. They pumped seawater that had leaked into the bottom of the boat, cleaned the deck, set the sails, adjusted ropes, and watched the cargo. • Sailors had one set of clothes that were rarely washed. They thought dirt and grease protected them from wind and rain. • The ships had no bunks, so crew members usually slept on deck. " H a r d

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» Christopher Columbus was the first European during the Age of Exploration to reach the Americas. He set sail on August 3, 1492, in the Santa María , one of three ships under his command. On voyages like Columbus’s, explorers carried supplies for up to one year at sea.

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