THE AGE OF EXPLORATION

Motives for Exploration

Need a route by sea to Asia (India and China)The Ottoman Empire, due to its conquests, controls the

land route to Asia Motives for European exploration:

God – spread their faith to new landsGlory – want fame and adventureGold – search for wealth

Able to expand due to new technologies:Better ships and cartography (map-making)New technologies from the Arabs, such as the compass

and astrolabe

Portugal Takes the Lead

Portugal was the first country to launch large-scale voyages of exploration

In 1420 Prince Henry the Navigator sponsors expeditions to sail along the western coast of AfricaHis ultimate goal was to find a water route around

Africa to IndiaPortuguese sailors learned that both gold and slaves

were available on Africa’s west coastBartholomeu Dias was the first European to sail around

the tip of Africa looking for a route to India in 1488

Vasco da Gama set out for India in 1497 and ten months later he became the first European to reach India by sea Brings back a cargo of spice, makes a profit of several

thousand percent

The Portuguese were interested in setting up trading centers, not interested in conquering They took the spice trade from the Muslims by forceHad the advantage since they put cannons on their

ships

Spain Sails WestWhile the Portuguese sailed east to reach the source of

the spice trade, the Spanish sailed westQueen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain financed

Christopher Columbus to sail west to reach Asia in 1492Columbus thinks that the circumference of the world is

not as large as others thought it wasReaches Cuba in 1492, but thinks he is in Asia, on

islands known as the IndiesSails a total of four missions – explores many Caribbean

islands and Honduras, which he names the Indies and calls the people Indians

The Spanish call Columbus a hero since they think he has found a new route to Asia

In 1502 Amerigo Vespucci sailed along the coast of South America and he finally realized that this wasn’t Asia, but a new landIt is later named America in his honor and the Spanish

set out to explore itVasco Nunez de Balboa led an expedition across the

Isthmus of Panama and became the first European to view the Pacific Ocean

Ferdinand Magellan decided to sail west around the world in 1519 with five ships and 250 menMagellan was killed in a fight in the Philippines against

the native people but his men continued onIn 1522 18 survivors from Magellan’s expedition

arrived back in Spain, the first people to ever circumnavigate the world

Treaty of Tordesillas – signed by both Spain and Portugal in 1494 that gives a line of demarcation dividing their new territoriesThe treaty gives an imaginary north-to-south line

through the Atlantic Ocean and the easternmost part of South AmericaEverything west of this line went to Spain and

Portugal got everything east of the line

Other ExplorersHenry Hudson explored parts of eastern America and had

a river and a bay named after himJacques Cartier sailed past the island of Newfoundland

into the St. Lawrence riverHe claimed all the land along the river as the province

of New France (Canada)

Explorers and their Routes

Chapter 16, section 1, pages 472-473

The Spanish EmpireThe Spanish don’t just settle for a trading empire, they

are going to conquer and colonizeConquistadors = Spanish conquerors of the Americas

Had incredible success due to guns, horses, and diseaseHernan Cortez arrived with 600 men to take on the

Aztec empireOther Native American groups joined them since they

hated the Aztec Around 1520 Cortez defeats the Aztec empire

Ten years later Francisco Pizarro arrives with 200 men to take on the Inca empire

Pizarro took the new Inca emperor prisoner and killed him although they received lots of gold for ransom

He then conquered the Inca empireBy 1550 Spain controlled northern Mexico and the

western part of South America

Catholic missionaries convert and baptize hundreds of thousands of natives

Drop in population among the Native Americans caused by forced labor, starvation, and diseaseEuropean diseases caused much death to the native

populations who lacked immunity to such diseases, such as smallpox

Haiti went from a population of 100,000 when Columbus arrived to only 300 by 1570

Mexico’s population dropped from 25 million to 3 million

The Inca Empire decreased from 13 million in 1492 to 2 million by 1600

Other ColoniesPortugal colonized BrazilFrance established several colonies in New France or

CanadaThe French also did not enslave Native Americans, in

fact many traders married Native American womenSamuel de Champlain founded the city of QuebecRene-Robert La Salle claimed the enormous Mississippi

region for France and named it Louisiana in honor of Louis XIV

The Dutch established New Netherlands and bought the island of Manhattan from Native Americans, founding the city of New Amsterdam

The Dutch were more interested in the spice trade and they eventually lost New Netherlands to the English, who renamed it New York

The first English colony established was the settlement of Jamestown in VirginiaThe English soon established the thirteen colonies

The Columbian Exchange and Economic Concepts

The Columbian Exchange = global transfer that happened when large-scale contact between European and American societies led to the widespread exchange of plants, animals, and diseasePlants such as potatoes and tomatoes were introduced

into Europe, while animals such as horses and pigs were introduced into the Americas

Colony = a settlement of people living in a new territory, linked with the parent country by trade and direct gov’t controlPlayed a role in the theory of mercantilism

Mercantilism is an economic theory that the prosperity of a nation depends on a large supply of gold and silverA nation’s strength depended on its wealth, which was

measured by the amount of gold and silver it possessedMercantilists believed that there was a fixed amount of

wealth in the world – had to take wealth and power away from other nations

Could build wealth in two ways:Extract gold and silver from minesHave a favorable balance of trade (Goal of most

nations)Balance of trade = the difference in value between what

a nation imports and exports over timeFavorable = export more than import

Establishing colonies was also essential to the mercantilist system since colonies were useful as:Sources of raw materials for the parent countryMarkets for finished goods from the parent countryIn the mercantilist view, colonies existed only to benefit

the home country

Capitalism = economic system in which most economic activity is carried on by private individuals or organizations in order to seek a profit

Joint-stock companies = investors pooled their money to fund business ventures in which investors bought shares of stock in the companyIdea of shared riskEach shareholder receives a portion of the profit based

on the number of shares ownedIn 1607 the Virginia Company of London (a joint stock

company) established Jamestown

The Atlantic Slave TradeColonization greatly increased the slave tradePlantations = large agricultural estates

Shortage of labor in the Americas due to the death of millions of Native Americans

Triangular Trade = pattern of trade connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas

Europe

America Africa Middle Passage

Middle Passage = journey of slaves from Africa to the Americas, usually lasted three to six weeksHorrible conditions and high death rate – 20% did not

surviveNumber of slaves imported

16th century – 275,00017th century – over one million18th century – six million

Sources of slaves – AfricaPrisoners of war prior to the arrival of EuropeansLocal merchants at slave markets on coast – exchange

slaves for gold and gunsSome Europeans organized slave raids

Effects of the slave tradeSeparated familiesDepopulation in some areasStrongest men and women taken, the future leaders of

the villagesIncreased warfare