Put the sun at the center of the universe instead
of the Earth.
3 Major Events Pushed Europe to
Think Globally.
 The Renaissance
 The Protestant Reformation
 The Scientific Revolution
The Renaissance
(1300-1500)
 “Rebirth” of European interests in learning and culture
at the end of the Middle Ages.
 Increased interest in…
 Learning
 Creative Thinking
 New Technology
 Importance of Trade
 Spirit of Curiosity and Adventure
Trade is Key
 Resumption of trade at the end of the Middle Ages
meant a resumption of cultural diffusion.
 The flow of ideas and goods in return fueled
Europeans’ curiosity about the world they lived in.
 Spirit of curiosity and adventure would push European
explorers to test the limits of the unknown world.
The Protestant Reformation
(1517)
 Causes
 Renaissance ideas caused people to question the world
around them, including the Catholic Church.
 Church Abuses
 Leaders fighting for political power.
 Popes leading lavish life styles.
 Sale of Indulgences
 Church told people they could purchase salvation.
 You could even buy salvation for your dead relatives.
 These sales financed the Popes’ lavish life styles and
building projects.
Martin Luther
 German monk and professor of theology.
 Upset by church corruption and worldliness.
 Final straw
 Priest in Luther’s hometown (Wittenberg, Germany)
offered indulgences to anyone who gave money to help
rebuild St. Peter’s cathedral in Rome.
 Luther felt this basically meant that poor peasants
couldn’t enter heaven, according to the Catholic Church
at least.
Luther’s 95 Theses (1517)
 Wrote 95 Theses (arguments) against indulgences.
 For example he felt there was no biblical basis/support
for indulgences, also said the Pope had no authority to
decide the fate of souls.
 Posted his 95 Theses on the church door for all to read.
Conflict
 Thanks to Guttenberg’s printing press, Luther’s 95
Theses spread quickly across Europe.
 A debate over the Catholic Church’s authority arose.
 The Church demanded that Luther recant his views.
 This causes Luther to press even harder, eventually
causing the Church to label him an outlaw.
Protestants
 Name given to those following Luther’s example and
“Protesting” against the Pope’s authority.
 Stressed that people needed to be able to read the
bible for themselves and interpret it themselves.
 Used the printing press to get the bible into the hands
of as many people as possible.
 Luther had begun translating it from Latin into German.
The Counter Reformation
 Also called the Catholic Reformation.
 Attempt by the Catholic Church to end corruption and
worldliness of church leaders.
 Hoped to curb the Protestant movement.
The Reformation’s Effects
 Questions over long standing Catholic Church
doctrines led to more questions about truth and the
world around us.
 Divisions and fighting during the Reformation led to a
lot of persecution. Many people began seeking new
places to live where they could freely exercise their
faith.
The Scientific Revolution
 The Renaissance and Reformation led to shifts in the
way people viewed the world around them.
 This included scientific theory and investigation.
 People now wanted to prove things true, rather than
assuming or taking someone else’s word for it.
The Heliocentric Theory
 Proposed by Copernicus.
 Proposed that the sun, and not the earth, was the
center of the universe.
 Previously, Ptolemy’s theory that the earth was the
center, had been the accepted theory.
(Hellenistic/Alexandria Ptolemy)
 Many felt that if Ptolemy’s theory was wrong, then all
current human knowledge could be questioned.
 And it would be.
Galileo
 Italian scientist
 Built, and used, a telescope to observe the movement
of the celestial bodies.
 Discoveries caused Galileo to be labeled a heretic by
the church and threatened with death unless he
retracted his theories.
 Contradicted church teaching that the heavens were
fixed in position to earth (unmoving).
The Scientific Method
 Step-by-step process used to test new theories to prove
or disprove them.
 Used to test both old and new ideas to see if they held
true.
Medical Advances
 Renaissance spirit pushed physicians to look for
explanations for sicknesses, how the body works, and
to develop new methods of treatment.
 Studied human anatomy, performing autopsies.
 Developed new surgical techniques.
 Used artificial limbs for the first time.
 Developed new medical instruments.
 Described how the circulatory system works.
 Improved the microscope, and then used it to view cells
and microorganisms.
Isaac Newton and Gravity
 Newton theorized that a force, which he called gravity,
was the explanation for how planets were held in orbit
around the sun.
 He had observed a falling apple and posed that the
same force that pulled the apple, must pull the
planets.
 Proposed that nature was governed by uniform and
measureable laws.
Effects of the Scientific Revolution
 People began to seek natural explanations for nature
and other things around them.
 Scientists and explorers disproved many beliefs that
had been supported by traditions.
 Caused people to push the boundaries of accepted
knowledge and truths.
Map maker.
To travel around the world.
Disease caused by a lack of vitamin C in the diet.
Reasons for Exploration
 High demand for trade goods in Renaissance Europe.
 Muslim and Italian merchants controlled trade between
Asia and Europe, resulting in high costs.
 Goods had to change hands many times on the overland
trade routes, increasing the cost of goods.
 The Renaissance brought a Spirit of adventure and
curiosity to many.
Spices
 Most valued trade item to Europeans.
 Used to preserve food, flavor meat, make medicines
and perfumes.
 Main source of spices = the Moluccas (a.k.a, the Spice
Islands).
 Europeans knew if they could find a direct route to
India and the Spice Islands, they could make
enormous profits when they returned to Europe.
 (cut out the middle men)
Prince Henry the Navigator
 Encouraged exploration for Portugal.
 Pushed Portuguese explorers to explore Africa.
 Believed an easier route to Asia could be found by sailing
around Africa.
 Assembled a group of scientists, cartographers, and
other experts to prepare for and accomplish this goal.
 Though Prince Henry never explored himself, his
efforts led to the success of the Portuguese explorers.
New Navigation Tools Aid
Exploration.
 More accurate maps.
 New Caravel ships.
 Lighter and faster, able to hug the coastline, could travel
farther.
 Magnetic compass.
Bartholomeu Dias
1488
 Rounded the southern tip of Africa and then returned
to Portugal.
 Named the southern tip of Africa the “Cape of Good
Hope” due to potentially having found a new route to
Asia.
Vasco Da Gama
1497
 Sailed around the “Cape of Good Hope, continued on
to Calicut, India.
 Loaded up with spices.
 Despite loosing ½ their ships and many men to hunger,
thirst, and scurvy, Da Gama returned to Portugal and
sold his cargo for an enormous profit.
 Da Gama returned to Calicut, forced its leader into a
trade treaty, and left Portuguese merchants there.

These merchants would buy spices when the price was low
and store them in warehouses for returning Portuguese trade
ships.
 Portugal’s success encouraged others to seek
new routes to Asia.
Christopher Columbus
1492
 Italian explorer
 Believed that by sailing west across the Atlantic ocean,
he could reach the East Indies (Spice Islands) in a few
weeks.
 Finally found a sponsor for his expedition.
 King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain.
 They hoped that Columbus would help bring new
wealth to Spain.
 Set sail in August, reached the Caribbean in October.
 Believing he reached the East Indies, he named the
natives Indians.
 Columbus continued to believe he had reached the
Indies for the rest of his life (despite multiple return
trips).
 Other Europeans soon realized that Columbus had
discovered a new land.
 This began interactions between the “Old World” and
the “New World”.
Europe Stakes Claims
 Spain and Portugal wanted to protect their claims to
their newly discovered territories.
 Ferdinand and Isabella (Spain), appealed to the Pope
to support their claims to the “New World”.
The “Line of Demarcation”
 Set by the Pope.
 Longitudinal line dividing the newly discovered lands
into two zones.
 Spain had the rights to the lands west of the line,
Portugal to the east of it.
 Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) – Spain and Portugal agreed
to the Pope’s “Line of Demarcation”.
 Other European nations realized they needed to build
their own empires NOW!!!
Amerigo Vespucci
1507
 Italian sea captain.
 Wrote a description of his journey to Brazil.
 German cartographer used this description to make a
new map.
 Labeled the “New World” America, after the man
who’s descriptions helped with his map.
Ferdinand Magellan
1519
 Sailed southwest from Spain, seeking a route to the
Pacific Ocean. (Another Spaniard named Balboa had
hacked his way through the jungle of Panama and
discovered the great ocean)
 Discovered the Strait of Magellan at the tip of South
America and sailed into the Pacific.
 Pressed on to the East Indies (spent 4 months on the
Pacific).
 Magellan was killed by natives on the Philippine
islands.
 1522 – Three years after leaving, 18 survivors on the last
remaining ship (out of 5) returned to Spain.
 Though he died, Magellan receives credit for being the
first to circumnavigate the globe.
Having full independent powers. (make laws,
build armies, wage war, negotiate treaties, govern
territory).
Portugal
 Wanted to build a trading empire to bypass Muslim
and Venetian middlemen.
 After the success of Dias and Da Gama, Portuguese
began building small forts along the African coast to
supply and repair their ships travelling to India and the
East Indies.
 These forts were not colonies, they only contained
enough men and firepower to defend the fort.
 These forts also acted as trade posts for African gold,
ivory, hides, and slaves.
 (This marked the beginning of the Africa -> Europe
slave trade)
Portugal
Portuguese Foothold in Asia
 India
 Southern India was not controlled by the Mughal
Empire.
 Portuguese were able to win over the southern princes,
promising to support them against other Europeans.
 Began to attack and defeat Muslim controlled coastal
cities on the east side of Africa and around the ring of
the Arabian sea.
 With their new trading empire, Portugal controlled the
Spice trade for most of the 1500’s.
Portugal
 Despite their head start on exploration and sea trade,
the Portuguese lacked the resources to maintain
control of the Spice trade.
 The Dutch (Netherlands), English, and French would
soon take their place.
The Dutch
 1581 – Netherlands gained independence from the
Holy Roman Empire after becoming Protestant during
the Reformation.
 Quickly began pursuing its own overseas trade
interests.
 Successful trips to Asia brought back valuable spices
directly to the Netherlands.
 Dutch warships and trade vessels soon made the
Dutch a powerful leader in European trade.
The Dutch East India Company
(1602)
 Formed by a group of wealthy Dutch merchants.
 Chartered Company.
 Granted full sovereign powers by the government.
 Could build armies, wage war, negotiate treaties, and
govern foreign territory.
 Allowed the Dutch to seize power throughout Asia,
using their military to enforce their monopoly over the
Spice Islands.
Cape Town
Est. 1652
 Located in modern day South Africa, on the tip of
Africa.
 First permanent European settlement in Africa.
 Established by the Dutch as a resupply stop for ships
heading to the East Indies.
 Provided fresh fruits and vegetables to ships, helping
to prevent scurvy among the crews.
The Boers
 Dutch farmers.
 Settled in Cape Town.
 Killed or enslaved many of the native Africans around
Cape Town.
 This would set up a system of racist control which
would not end until the early 1990’s.
“Apartness”, South African policies of racial
segregation.
Separation of races.
Trade and/or financial restrictions or penalties
applied by one or more countries on another country.
“Conquerors”. Spanish soldier/explorers.
The Spanish Inhabit America
 1492- Columbus, sailing for Spain, discovered the
Caribbean islands, sparking a wave of explorers to the
Americas.
 Columbus’ first encounters with natives set a pattern
for future expeditions by the Conquistadors.
 Took native prisoners back as a present for the Spanish
King.
 Claimed the natives’ land for Spain.
Conquistadors
 Spanish soldier/explorers.
 Followed after Columbus.
 Settled first on Caribbean islands. (Hispaniola, Cuba,
Puerto Rico)
 Began seizing Native American gold and forcing
natives to work mines for more gold and silver.
 Forced Natives to convert to Christianity.
 Guns, Germs, and Steel allowed the Conquistadors to
dominate the Natives.
Hernan Cortes vs. Moctezuma
Hernan Cortés
 Spanish landowner turned Conquistador from Cuba.
 1519 - Led an army of 600 men, 16 horses, and a few
canons into Mexico.
 Determined to conquer the Aztecs.
 Enlisted the help of a young Indian woman who spoke
Mayan, Aztec, and Spanish. (Malinche)
Malinche
 This young native woman worked as Cortés's
interpreter.
 Told him that the Aztecs had many enemies among
the other natives.
 Aztecs had sacrificed thousands of captives from
conquered peoples to their gods. (Possibly 20,000 a year)
 Cortes, aided by Malinche, set up alliances with the
Aztec’s enemies.
Moctezuma
 Aztec Emperor
 Feared Cortes was a pale skinned Aztec god who had
vowed to return long ago from the east.
 Sent Cortes gifts, along with warnings for him not to
continue on to the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan.
 However, Cortes had already seen samples of Aztec
gold. There was not stopping now.
The Aztecs Fall
 Cortes fought and negotiated his way to Tenochtitlan.
 Upon his arrival, Moctezuma welcomed Cortes into
the capital.
 Conflict soon led to violence.
 The Spanish worked to convert the Aztecs to
Christianity.
 Aztec gold led the Spaniards to imprison Moctezuma
so they could control the Aztecs and their gold.
 (Moctezuma is forced to sign over his lands)
 More Spanish arrived and challenged Cortés's claims.
 Soon everyone was fighting (Spanish vs. Spanish,
Spanish vs. Aztecs)
 This fighting resulted in ½ the Spanish and also
Moctezuma being killed.
 1521 – Cortes regrouped, returned with native allies,
and destroyed Tenochtitlan.
 Modern day Mexico City is built on these ruins.
 Smallpox
 This hidden weapon had spread ahead of Cortes,
dramatically reducing the Aztec population.
Pizarro vs. Atahualpa
Pizarro and the Inca (1532)
 Francisco Pizarro
 Inspired by Cortés's success.
 Invaded the Incan empire in Peru.
 Attempted to force Incans to convert to Christianity.
 When their leader, Atahualpa, refused to convert and
serve, he was captured and thousands of Incans were
slaughtered.
 A ransom was demanded for Atahualpa, which was paid,
but he was killed anyways.
The Incan Empire Falls
 Pizarro continued on, conquering all of the Incan
empire and adding much of South America to the
Spanish empire.
 As with Cortes and the Aztecs, Pizarro’s guns, germs,
and steel allowed him to conquer the mighty Incan
empire.
 Pizarro was later killed by rival Conquistadors.
Legacy of the Conquistadors
 Native American populations are decimated by
European diseases, especially smallpox.
 Spaniards forced natives to work in silver mines in
Mexico and Peru, adding great wealth to the Spanish
empire.
 The conquest of the Americas now connected a global
trade network which would dramatically increase
cultural diffusion.
Overarching Question???
 What were the Conquistador’s two main goals for their
conquests in the Americas?
 Add the wealth of the New World (gold and silver) to
their empire.
 Convert natives to Christianity.
The Encomienda System
 Spanish monarchs granted the Conquistadors
“encomiendas”.
 The right to demand labor and tribute payments from
Native Americans.
 Natives were forced to work in brutal conditions.
 Those who resisted were killed.
 Working in horrible conditions, Native Americans died
to bring gold and silver into Spain’s treasury.
The Spanish Main
 Behind the Conquistadors came Spanish Priests and
settlers to “civilize” the newly added parts of their
empire.
 Natives who resisted were met with force.
 Spain now claimed the land from California to South
America.
 The area ringing the Caribbean sea was referred to as
the Spanish Main.
Society and Government in the
Spanish Main.
 Spain divided their colonial holdings in America into
four provinces, each ruled by a representative of the
King called a Viceroy.
 The “Council of the Indies” was established to make
laws for the Spanish colonies in America.
A Multi-Leveled Society
 Colonial hierarchy
 Upper Class
 Peninsulares (Referring to the Iberian Peninsula) –
Colonists born in Spain. Held most government and
church positions.
 Creoles – Spanish descendants born in America.
 Lower Class
 Mestizos – Mixed Spanish and Native American.
 Mulattoes – Mixed Spanish and African.
 Lowest Class
 African slaves
 Native Americans
Religious Motivations
 Spain had made it an important goal to convert natives
to Christianity.
 King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain had
pushed the Muslims out of Spain and also forced
Jewish people to convert to Catholicism or suffer
torture and death in the Spanish Inquisition.
 Because of this, Ferdinand and Isabella saw themselves
as the keepers of the Catholic Church.
 Using the Mission system, the Spanish worked to
convert the American continents.
 Missions were built all across the Spanish lands in
America.
 Franciscan Monks, Jesuit Priests, and other
missionaries worked hard to baptize natives and
expose them to European culture.
 Spanish Language (which still dominates these regions
today).
 European clothing.
 Natives were taught European crafts and skills.
 Mestizos
 Native Americans
 Peninsulares
 Creoles
 African
 Mulattoes
Period in European history when an increase in
available money led to high prices (Inflation).
Economic system in which businesses are
privately owned.
People who take a financial risk in order to make
a profit.
Economic theory which states that in order to
build its wealth, a nation must export more than it
imports.
Territory settled and ruled by a foreign country.
A pirate who operates with the consent of a
government.
The New World Brings Wealth
 Silver and gold (mostly silver) made its way either to
Spain or the Spanish Philippines in large quantities.
 This influx of precious metals led to high inflation in
Europe.
 This period is known as the “Price Revolution”.
The Rise of Capitalism
 As wealth poured into Europe from the Americas, a
new business class arose in Europe.
 Individuals began accumulating wealth.
 Entrepreneurs sought to put their money to work for
them by starting businesses and investing in overseas
ventures.
 These Entrepreneurs hired workers, bought raw
materials, and paid for transportation and other
production costs.
 European monarchs also sought to increase their
wealth.
 Competed for colonies overseas.
 Monarchs who believed in the new mercantilists
philosophy, sought to exploit their colonies to benefit
the parent country.
Claiming North America
 “I should like to see Adam’s will, wherein he divided
Earth between Spain and Portugal”
 King Francis I of France
 France and England envied Spain and Portugal’s success,
pushing them to seek their own colonies and riches in
the New World.
New France
 Jacques Cartier
 1534 – Explored the eastern coast of Canada looking for
gold and a Northwest passage to Asian spices.
 Discovered the St. Lawrence River.
 Travelled deep into Canada, claiming most of its eastern
regions for France.
 As with the Spanish, missionaries followed seeking to
convert the natives of Canada.
Fur is King
 Settlers in New France found the climate to be poor for
farming.
 Many turned to fur trapping instead.
 Though the gold and spices had been their original
goal, fur soon proved to be almost equally valuable.
 During the 1600’s European demand for fur and felt
soared due to a mini ice age.
 Beaver, Otter, Deer, Buffalo, Muskrat, Mink, etc.
Courier Du Bois
 “Runners of the woods”
 French trappers/fur traders who lived in the North
American wilderness among the natives.
 Brought large quantities of fur to the French.
The English
 Also began looking for a Northwest passage to Asia
through America.
 After many attempts failed, England began to focus on
establishing colonies in the eastern part of North
America.
 13 English colonies are established.
Jamestown Virginia - 1607
 1st Chartered English Colony.
 Meant to bring wealth to England.
 Due to starvation and disease, Jamestown was almost
wiped out.
 Thanks to help from natives, they survived.
 This colony finally became profitable thanks to the
native tobacco plant.
The Pilgrims - 1620
 Sought freedom from religious persecution.
 Granted a charter from the king of England to settle in
America.
 Blown off course on their journey over the Atlantic, did
not land in their designated colony.
 Created the “Mayflower Compact” to establish rules
for governing their colony.
 All colonists had to sign before getting off the boat.
Economics of the 13 Colonies
 England’s goal for colonizing was profit.
 It soon was obvious that there was no gold to be had.
 However, England soon found other ways to make
profits from its colonies.
 Fur, tobacco, rice, indigo, sugar, etc.
The French and Indian War
(1754-1763)
 As England and France competed for lands and trade with
Indians in North America, it was inevitable that conflict would
arise.
 1754- conflict ignites into war.
 Pitted the French and their Indian allies against the English and
their Indian allies.
 England emerged victorious resulting in the “Treaty of Paris”
 This war had turned into a global war with French and English
forces clashing in North America, India, Africa, and Europe.
 Known as the 7 years war.
 France gave up its lands in Canada, and East of the Mississippi
River.
Slavery in the New World
 First African slaves were brought to Portugal around
1441 as gifts for Prince Henry the Navigator.
 As the European powers established colonies in the
New World, the slave trade became a very profitable
enterprise.
 New World colonies desired slaves to work their
plantations.
 Sugar, Coffee, Rice, Indigo, Tobacco, Cotton.
Slave Castles
 Due to the profits to be made through the slave trade,
many Europeans converted the already established
forts along the west African coast into slave castles.
From the Interior to the Coast
 Slaves would be captured from the interior of Africa by
rival African leaders as well as African middlemen
seeking profit from the sale of slaves.
 They would then be chained together and hiked to the
coast to be sold.
 Once at the coast, slaves would be held in the slave
castles until they could be sold to a slave ship captain.
The “Middle Passage”
 Once sold, slaves would be packed onto “slavers” as the
slave ships were called, also called floating coffins
because of the high death rate for slaves.
 Slaves would be left chained and stacked tightly for
months as they made the trip across the Atlantic to the
New World.
 This trip is known as the “Middle Passage”, a horrific
journey to the Americas.
 Many slaves chose to commit suicide rather than
endure the suffering.
The New World
 Most new slaves were shipped to the Caribbean sugar
plantations or Brazil, but some also went to North
America.
 Slaves who had been “seasoned” on the Caribbean
plantations sold for higher amounts then fresh slaves
in North America.
 Once they reached the New World, they were sold to
the highest bidder, often being pulled apart from their
families.
 On the plantations, slaves endured harsh working
conditions and torture.
Potatoes
 New World to Old World
Cattle
 Old World to New World
Wheat
 Old World to New World
Tomatoes
 New World to Old World
Turkeys
 New World to Old World
Small Pox
 Old World to New World
Maize (Corn)
 New World to Old World