Exploration and Expansion

Foundations of Exploration• The ideas of the Renaissance

(humanism, scientific discovery, etc.) led Europeans to begin exploring new lands or finding new routes to places already known.

Why Explore?• 1) Increased wealth – easier access to

Asian goods like spices and silk.• 2) Fame and glory• 3) Spread religion – both Catholic and

Protestant• 4) Curiosity – many explorers wanted to

know what was out there.

New Technology• 1) The compass

and astrolabe come to Europe – allowed sailors to plot courses even when they could not see land.

New Technology• 2) Improvements in ship

building– Caravel – a ship that was

very light and fast. Guided by a rudder and used triangular sails to catch wind from any direction. Caravels could also be equipped with weapons.

The Portuguese• Portugal was the first country to launch large scale

explorations• Henry the Navigator – son of King John I of Portugal

was himself not an explorer, but he supported those who wanted to explore.

• Henry worked to improve mapmaking, sent explorers to the western coast of Africa, and encouraged the finding of a water route around Africa to India

The Portuguese• In 1488 Bartolomeu Dias became the first

European to sail around the southern tip of Africa

• In 1497 Vasco da Gama reached India. This excited the Portuguese who then sent Pedro Cabral who on his way back to Portugal saw and claimed the land that would later become Brazil

The Spanish• Spain was eager to find new trade

routes as well.• In 1492 King Ferdinand and Queen

Isabella agreed to send Italian sailor Christopher Columbus west. Columbus believed by sailing west he would reach China

The Spanish• After reaching the Caribbean (which he

mistook for Asia) Columbus returned as a hero in 1493.

• Columbus made 3 additional voyages but it was not until 1502 that explorer Amerigo Vespucci concluded that Columbus had in fact discovered a new continent.

The Spanish• In 1513 Vasco Nunez de Balboa led an

expedition across Panama becoming the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. This proved to the Spanish that to get to Asia they would need to cross yet another ocean.

The Spanish• In 1519 Ferdinand Magellan left Spain with

five ships and 250 men. After months at sea Magellan reached the Philippines where Magellan was killed in a battle with natives. The survivors sailed on and in 1522 18 survivors arrived in Spain, becoming the first explorers to circumnavigate the world.

The English• In 1497 John Cabot sailed from England to the

Atlantic coast of what is now Canada. Cabot also thought that he had reached Asia

• Sir Francis Drake was sent to round the tip of South America and explore the western coast. Drake stopped in what is now California and began to sail north to seek a route around North America. When he was unsuccessful he headed west and became the second person to circumnavigate the world.

The English• In 1607 Henry Hudson set out to find a

shorter route to Asia by sailing north. He searched for the northwest passage but found only ice. Though he was unsuccessful in finding a passage through the north he did explore parts of modern day New York and Canada

The French• In 1534 Jacques Cartier sailed past the

island of Newfoundland (Canada) into the St. Lawrence River. He too was looking for the Northwest Passage to Asia.

The Colombian Exchange• The term Colombian Exchange

describes the movement of goods, plants, animals, people, and diseases between the “New World” and the “Old World”

Effects of the Colombian Exchange• 1) Crops such as corn and potatoes

became essential to the diets of people around the world

• 2) These foods also allowed Europeans and others to live longer

• 3) Traditional cuisine changed: Italians finally had tomatoes for their pizzas

Effects of the Colombian Exchange• 4) European diseases such as malaria

and small pox wiped out huge portions of the New World population. This made it possible for European nations to conquer the Aztecs, Incas, etc.

Mercantilism• Mercantilism – the belief that a nation’s

strength depended on its wealth. In order to become wealthy many nations believed they must take wealth away from other nations.

Mercantilism• Basic Ideas of Mercantilism

– Nations need gold and silver for wealth– There is a fixed amount of wealth in the world– Must have a favorable balance of trade – sell more than you

buy by limiting imports and increasing exports– A nation needs its own sources of raw materials to avoid

dependence on others– Colonies exist so that the mother country can make a profit– A country’s colonies should not trade with any other

countries.

Mercantilism• Mercantilism led to a growth of large

cities and wealthy individuals• Colonies were needed for raw materials

and so the race was on to colonize the New World