The Age of

Exploration Chapter 17

European

Exploration and

Expansion 17-1

How it Starts…….

Around 1400 large increases in overseas

travel.

Beginning with Portugal and Spain,

Europeans begin to travel through the use

of advanced ships. (ex. Caravel)

They want to advance their trading

economies.

This was possible due to technological

advances, and increased government

wealth.

Motives Europeans were searching for better

routes to Asia.

1. The expansion of the Ottoman Empire made travel to the East difficult by land.

2. The East was a source of spices, and teas that were in large demand.

3. Europeans also hoped to find precious metals on their travels.

The overall goal was economic gains!

Non- Economic Missions Those who were traveling the world

in the 16th century were said to be

serving Gold, Glory, and God

missions.

1. Some traveled to spread the word

of God (Many Jesuits traveled the

world on these missions) The

Catholic Church

2. Others traveled for the glory of

conquering new lands.

The Race For Riches

Includes many European nations.

Most notably Spain, Portugal, England, France and the Dutch.

These countries colonized many parts of the world in search of riches, and expansion of trade.

Colonies are created in Asia, North America, and Africa.

Europe 16th Century

The Spanish Empire

Ruled by Spanish

Conquistadors

Was the first true overseas

empire.

Ruled over much of South, and

Central America.

The power of disease aided the

expansion of the empire

without their knowledge.

The First Global

Economic

Systems 17-2

European Expansion

In fewer than 300 years of exploration

Europeans had changed the world.

Many native cultures in the Americas, and

other parts of the world have been

destroyed by colonialism.

European trade has expanded greatly.

Trade designed to extract wealth was

rapidly changing the world economy.

Mercantilism

The prosperity of a nation depends on a large

supply of gold and silver.

This theory dominated world economic

thought in the 17th century.

Nations tried to create this by excelling in the

trade market in hopes of creating a positive

trade balance.

To encourage exports governments would

use subsidies to create industrial growth.

Taxation

To maintain favorable trade balances,

nations used high tariffs to discourage

importing.

Colonies were viewed as a way around

importing raw materials, and were used to

import without importing.

The Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants and animals

between Europe, and the Americas.

Had very good, and very bad effects on

people around the globe.

Some things that were exchanged

include: Horses, Corn, Tobacco, and the

Small Pox virus.

European Rivals in the East

The Dutch, English, and French.

These three nations competed over

territories in the Americas, Asia, and

Africa.

This competition was done through the

use of trading companies, rather than

involving the actual government of the

countries involved.

The Slave Trade

European Slave Trade

Begins to increase heavily in the early

1500s.

Plantation agriculture created a heavy

need for labor. This need was filled

through the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

Over 10 million slaves were transported

from Africa to the Americas between the

16th and 19th centuries.

The Middle Passage

Refers to the journey from Africa to the

Americas in slave trading ships.

At least 2 million Africans died on this trip.

This accounts for around 15-20% of those

being transported.

Many Africans also died within weeks of

arriving in the Americas as a result of

diseases contracted during the voyage.

Sources of Slaves

The slave trade in Africa dated back to

ancient times.

At the beginning of the slave trade, most

slaves were prisoners of war.

However, with an increase of demand,

and profit from the sale of slaves, many

slave traders began raiding defenseless

villages, and stealing people in the night.

The Abolition Movement

Sadly this movement doesn’t start until the

1770s.

Slavery is abolished by one nation at a

time for the next 100 years following the

start of the movement.

The United States doesn’t abolish slavery

until the 1860s.

Colonial Latin

America 17-3

Social Classes

European colonies imitated the culture and social patterns of their parent countries.

In Latin America classes were based on status.

The top two classes in Latin America were peninsulares, and creoles.

Racism in Colonial Latin

America Colonists viewed connection to

Europe as the key to social class.

The further a person was from

European, the lower their class was.

People of mixed backgrounds were

considered lower members of

society.

Despite this intermarriage was

permitted in order to grow the

population.

Economic Foundations

The main source of wealth from

Latin America was the extraction of

gold and silver.

Farming was a secondary source of

wealth that was growing rapidly.

With increased demand for labor,

slave like systems known as

encomienda and mita were used

to force Native Americans into

labor positions.

The Catholic Church in Latin

America

The Catholic Church gained control over

many parts of colonial Latin America

due to the determination to Christianize

the native population

Jesuits formed missions in Latin America.

These Missions acted as both Christian

missions and profitable businesses

The church also built Cathedrals,

hospitals, and schools in Latin America.