Introduction to the New Voyages
of Discovery
Statement 1
• 1. Christopher Columbus was the first explorer
to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
TRUE or FALSE?
FALSE!
980- 1010 A.D Vikings crossed the
Atlantic
Statement 2
• 2. The Spanish conquered the Aztec and Inca
Empires (modern day Mexico and South
America).
TRUE or FALSE?
TRUE!
• The Spanish Conquistadors conquered the
great civilizations of the Aztecs and Incas.
Statement 3
• 3. Europeans invented the compass and
astrolabe.
• TRUE OR FALSE???
FALSE!
• The Chinese Invented the Compass
• The Arabs invented the Astrolabe
Statement 4
• 4. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to
explore the world in ships.
• TRUE OR FALSE???
TRUE!
• Civilizations such as the Vikings and Chinese
had maritime technology long before the
Europeans.
• However, the Portuguese were the first
“Europeans” to do so.
Statement 5
• 5. Columbus discovered America.
• TRUE OF FALSE????
FALSE!!!!
• Columbus never set foot on American Soil.
• Also, Native Americans had been in America
for thousands of years before him!!
Statement 6
• 6. “America” is named after an Italian
merchant and navigator “Amerigo Vespucci.”
• TRUE OR FALSE???
TRUE!!! Amerigo Vespucci
Statement 7
• 7. Ferdinand Magellan was the first person to
“circumnavigate” the world, or sail around the
world.
• TRUE OR FALSE????
TRUE!!
• Ferdinand Magellan was the first person to
“circumnavigate” the world, or sail around the
world.
Statement 8
• 8. Christopher Columbus died believing he
had discovered trade routes to China (he
never knew he discovered the “new world”).
• TRUE OR FALSE????
TRUE!!!!
• Christopher Columbus believed he found
China and Japan!!!
Statement 9
• 9. Christopher Columbus enslaved thousands
of natives in the Bahamas, Cuba, and modern
day Haiti and Dominican Republic.
• TRUE OR FALSE
TRUE!
• Christopher Columbus enslaved most of the
natives in the countries he discovered. He
often treated these people violently and
brutally.
Statement 10
• 10. Sailors often died of Scurvy, which is a
disease caused by lack of Vitamin C (from
fruits).
• TRUE OR FALSE???
TRUE!
• Your body needs vitamin C to live. Fruit could
not last very long at sea and and sailors went
months without fresh fruit, which led to
Scurvy!
Statement 11
• 11. Sailors often ate food infested with
maggots (baby flies) and other insects.
• TRUE OR FALSE????
TRUE!!!
• They didn’t have refrigeration back then, and
poor storage of food. Rats and insects got into
their food and they had to eat it or they would
starve!
Statement 12
• 12. Most Native Americans were violently
killed by the Spanish Conquistadors.
• TRUE OR FALSE???
FALSE!!!
• Although thousands were brutally killed by
the Spanish Conquistadors most native
Americans died from Smallpox. A disease the
conquistadors didn’t know they carried with
them.
Statement 13
• 13. The Gold from the Aztec and Inca empires
made Spain extremely rich.
• TRUE OR FALSE!!!
TRUE!!!
• The Conquistadors brought back tons of gold
from Mexico and south America.
Europe Enters the Modern Age
Objective: Students
will analyze the
motives and
technology that
allowed the age of
exploration come to
pass.
The Age of Exploration
Age of
Exploration: a
period of
European
exploration and
discovery that
lasted from
about 1418 to
1620
Think, Pair, Share
A period of European exploration and discovery that lasted
from about 1418 to 1620 is referred to as…
The Age of Exploration.
Terms to know
Motives: something that causes a person or people to act.
Cartography: the science and art of making maps.
Circumnavigate: to sail all the way around the world.
At the same time that Europe was swept up in the Renaissance,
Scientific Revolution and the Reformation, other major changes
were taking place in the world. These changes originated in Europe,
but soon involved other continents. The changes began with a
series of voyages during the 1400s, 1500s, and early 1600s when
European explorers ventured into the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
With today’s global positioning satellites, Internet maps, cell
phones, and superfast travel, it is hard to imagine exactly how it
might have felt to embark on a voyage across an unknown ocean.
Think/Pair/Share: Would you be willing to undertake such a
voyage? Only those most adventurous, most daring, and most
confident in their abilities to sail in any weather, manage any crew,
and meet any circumstance dared do so; for not having those
qualities meant certain death.
Whiteboards
To sail all the way around the world is referred to as…
Circumnavigation
Something that causes a person or people to act is...
Motives
The science and art of making maps.
Cartography
European explorers changed the world in many dramatic ways.
Because of them, cultures divided by 3,000 miles or more of water
began interacting. European countries claimed large parts of the
world. As nations competed for territory, Europe had an enormous
impact on people living in distant lands.
The Americas, in turn, made important contributions to Europe
and the rest of the world. For example, from the Americas came
crops such as corn and potatoes, which grew well in Europe. By
increasing Europe’s food supply, these crops helped create
population growth.
Whiteboards
From where did the Age of Exploration begin?
From Europe
Name 2 items that came from the New world to Europe?.
1. Corn. 2. Potatoes
Which oceans were involved and were they underestimated by the
navigators?
1. The Atlantic
The Pacific
3. They were woefully underestimated.
The Causes of European Exploration
Two main reasons stand out. First, Europeans of this time had
several motives for exploring the world. Second, advances in
knowledge and technology helped to make the Age of Exploration
possible.
• For early explorers, one of the main motives for exploration was
the desire to find new trade routes to Asia. Europeans were
especially interested in spices from Asia.
• Trade with the East, however, was difficult and very expensive.
Muslims and Italians controlled the flow of goods. European
monarchs and merchants wanted to break the hold that Muslims
and Italians had on trade. A final motive for exploration was the
desire to spread Christianity beyond Europe.
Advances in Knowledge and
Technology
A number of advances during the Renaissance made it easier for
explorers to venture into the unknown. One key advance was in
cartography, or mapmaking.
Discoveries by explorers gave mapmakers new information with
which to work. In 1507, a German cartographer made the first map
that clearly showed North and South America as separate from
Asia. In turn, better maps made navigation easier.
Whiteboards
What was a main motive for European exploration?
A. Finding spices from the Americas.
B. Finding new trade routes to Asia.
C. Finding people who could make better ships.
D. Finding foods that would not spoil on long voyages.
B. Finding new trade routes to Asia.
Whiteboards
Caravels
• An improved ship design also helped explorers. By the 1400s,
Portuguese and Spanish shipbuilders were making a new type
of ship called a caravel.
• These ships were small, fast, and easy to maneuver. Their
special bottoms made it easier for explorers to travel along
coastlines where the water was not deep.
• Caravels also used lateen sails, a triangular style adapted from
Muslim ships. These sails could be positioned to take
advantage of the wind no matter which way it blew.
The Caravel
Along with better ships, new navigational tools helped
sailors travel more safely on the open seas. Sailors used
compasses to find their bearing, or direction of travel. The
astrolabe helped sailors determine their distance north or
south from the equator.
Finally, improved weapons gave Europeans a huge
advantage over the people they met in their explorations.
Sailors could fire their cannons at targets near the shore
without leaving their ships. On land, the weapons of native
peoples often were no match for European guns, armor, and
horses.
Whiteboards
Which of these is an advance in knowledge and technology that
led to European exploration?
A. A desire to spread Christianity.
B. A chance to earn wealth from new lands.
C. Improved ship design
D. Merchants who wanted to increase trade.
C. Improved ship design
End of Part I