Exploration and Expansion

World History I

Map of the known world - 1280

Motives for Exploration• Why did European Countries begin exploring overseas in the 15th

century?– Conquests by the Ottoman Turks reduced the ability of Europeans to

travel to Asia by land.• Motives for Exploration– Economic Wealth

• Countries wanted to expand trade.– Spices to flavor and preserve food, precious metals

– Religion• Convert natives to Christianity.

– Glory• Explorers thirsted for fame and glory.• Spirit of adventure.

“God, Glory, and Gold”

The first trading empire - Portugal

• Portugal took the lead in European exploration.– 1420 – Discovered gold on Africa’s west coast.

• This became known as “the Gold Coast”– Vasco da Gama went around the Cape of Good Hope and to

India in 1498.• He brought spices back to Portugal.• Portuguese returned to the area and took over trade by destroying

Muslim shipping.– Portugal continued East and arrived in China and the Spice

Islands.• Established a treaty with local rulers to export cloves to Europe.

– The Portuguese didn’t have the power or money to colonize Asia.

Voyages to the Americas

• Spain thought they could reach the spice islands by traveling west. – Christopher Columbus was hired to go to Asia by going west,

but reached the Americas in October, 1492.• He explored Cuba and Hispaniola, calling these islands “the Indies.”

• Spain and Portugal divided the world for exploration.– The Treaty of Tordesillas established a line running from

north to south through the Atlantic Ocean.• Unexplored territories east of the line belonged to Portugal (Africa)

and unexplored territories west belonged to Spain (the Americas).

PortugalSpain

Map of the world - 1513

Voyages to the Americas

– When European countries realized that Columbus discovered a new territory, they began sending explorers west to explore these new lands.• John Cabot (England) – Explored the New England Coastline.• Pedro Cabral (Portugal) – Arrived in South America in 1500.• Amerigo Vespucci (Italy) – Made several voyages and wrote

letters about what he saw.– The name America comes from Vespucci.

– European countries saw an immediate opportunity for conquest and expansion.

The Spanish Empire• The Spanish conquerors of America were known as

Conquistadors. – Used guns to dominate native population.– Cortes defeated the Aztec empire in only 3 years.– By 1550, Spain gained control of Northern Mexico.– Pizarro took control of the Incan Empire.

• Within 30 years, Mexico, Central America, and South America were under Spanish control.– Native Americans were forced to work on plantations by the

Spanish.• Forced labor, starvation, and disease wiped out native American

populations.

Impact on Native Americans

• Native American populations were destroyed after their encounters with the Spanish.– Smallpox, measles, and typhus killed natives rapidly.– Their immune systems had no natural resistance to these

diseases.• Hispaniola - 250,000 people to less than 500.• Mexico 25 million to one million in just over 100 years.

– Many native Americans were now forced to live under European systems of religion, government, language, and culture.

1651 World Map

•Exploration and colonization led to the beginnings of a global economy.• The Colombian Exchange, the exchange of plants and

animals between the old and new worlds transformed economic activity.

Economic Impact and Competition

– New rivals were competing for trade throughout Europe.• Spain, England, the

Netherlands, and France set up trade empires throughout the world.

– The Dutch trade empire in North America was taken over by the English, allowing them to establish the “thirteen colonies.”

Colonization and Mercantilism• European countries established colonies throughout

the Americas.– colony - a settlement of people living in a new territory,

linked with the parent country by trade and government control.

– Colonization led to mercantilism, an economic philosophy that stated that a nation’s prosperity depended on their amount of gold and silver.

– Nations tried to export more than they imported.• Balance of trade is the difference in value of what a nation

imports and exports over time.