THE AGE OF
DISCOVERY
VOYAGES OF EXPLORATION
INTRODUCTION
• The writings of Marco Polo had increased
European interest in trade with Asia
• Spices and silks were carried overland to Constantinople and
shipped across the Mediterranean to Italy
• The conquest of the Byzantine Empire temporarily cut off
overland trade
• Europeans began seeking alternate trade routes
• At the same time, the spirit of inquiry of the
Renaissance was leading Europeans to explore
the oceans
• They adapted technology from other cultures to improve
navigation
• Compass, lateen (triangular) sails, astrolabe
THE BIG QUESTION
• How did the voyages of Columbus
forever change the world?
SPAIN AND PORTUGAL LEAD
THE WAY
• Located at the western end of Europe
with coasts on the Mediterranean Sea
and Atlantic Ocean
• Wanted their fair share of trade with Asia
• Had economic resources to finance
exploration
• Developed new navigational tools and
used new technology
KEY PEOPLE IN THE START OF
EXPLORATION
• Prince Henry of Portugal (Henry the Navigator)
• developed a new, lighter sailing ship and
sponsored expedition along the African coast
• Started a school for sailors
• Ferdinand and Isabella
• Had just completed the Reconquista (took Spain back
from the Muslims) to reunite the country under
Christian rule (1492)
• Expelled Spain’s Jewish community
• Hoped to further the spread of the Christian faith
and glorify their country
THE VOYAGES OF CHRISTOPHER
COLUMBUS (1451-1506)
• From Genoa, Italy
• Convinced that he could reach Asia by
sailing west
• Persuaded Spanish rulers to support his
voyage (provided 3 ships) in 1492
• Accidentally landed in the Americas
• Provided a new source of wealth and raw
materials that forever changed the
economy of Europe
THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE
• The exchange of products and ideas
between Europe and the Americas
• Improved the European diet with the
introduction of new foods (tomatoes, corn,
potatoes, peppers, squash, chocolate and
turkey and other animal products)
• Tobacco was also brought to Europe
• From Europe, new products were introduced
to the Americas (wheat and other grains, sugar,
cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, chickens)
LEFT SIDE ACTIVITY
• CREATE A CHART OF THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE
EUROPE
THE AMERICAS
HOMEWORK:
• MAKE SURE TO COMPLETE YOUR
“IDENTIFY” CHART FOR UNIT 5
EXPLORERS (check your chart)
• Vasco da Gama (1460-1524): Portuguese –
• Discovered an all-water route from Europe to
India by sailing around the southern tip of Africa
in 1497
• Made it possible for Europeans to obtain Asian
goods without relying on overland routes
• Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521): Portuguese
• Led the first expedition of ships to circumnavigate
(circle) the world (around S. America and across the
Pacific)
• Proved conclusively that the world was round
Magellan’s route
EXPLORERS CONTINUED…
• England:
• John Cabot – claimed territories in North America
• France:
• Jacques Cartier, Samuel Champlain, and Robert de
la Salle - explored the St. Lawrence River, the
Great Lakes, and the Mississippi River
• Dutch:
• Henry Hudson – tried to find a shortcut from
Europe to the Far East (Northwest Passage). He
explored Hudson Bay in Canada, and the Hudson
River in America.
Colonial America in 1600s
CONQUEST OF THE AMERICAS
• Spanish conquistadors (conquerors) and priests
arrived soon after the first explorers
• Came to conquer native peoples, seize gold and
silver, obtain natural resources, and convert the
natives to Christianity (Gold, Glory, and God)
• Soon after Columbus’ first voyage, the Spanish
conquered the main Caribbean island
• Small numbers of Spanish soldiers, using horses
and firearms, and acting with local allies, were
able to quickly overcome large numbers of Native
Americans
MEXICO (put in your notes)
• Hernando Cortez
• Sailed from Cuba to Mexico in search of gold and
silver (1519)
• Met the Aztec Emperor Montezuma (believed the
Spanish were gods and showered them with gifts)
• Cortez returned in 1521 and attacked Tenochtitlan
• Spaniard had superior weapons
• Had allied themselves with enemies of the Aztecs
(increased their numbers)
• Aztecs were worn down by smallpox (accidentally
introduced by the Europeans and the Native
Americans had no immunity to the disease)
PERU (Check your chart)
• Francisco Pizarro
• Set sail from Panama to conquer the Inca of Peru
(1530)
• Inca had just recovered from a brutal civil war
• Again, Spaniards had superior technology
• Pizarro invited Inca emperor to visit him, then
ambushed the Inca and murdered the emperor
• Conquest was complete by 1533
• Spanish treated the conquered Indians harshly,
they were forced to accept Christianity and
became slaves
COLONIAL LATIN AMERICA
• COLONIAL GOVERNMENT
• Viceroys (royal governors) were sent to rule the
colonies that had been established in the Spanish
king’s name
• Spanish officials filled the most important
positions in colonial government and Church
leaders shared political power
• Gold and silver were shipped to Spain making it
the strongest country in Europe (16th century)
• Land was divided among soldiers who used Native
Americans to work the land and mines (the
encomienda system) – This system was ruled by
the central government (not local)
COLONIAL SOCIETY
• Priests and the Jesuit missionaries sought to
convert Native Americans to Catholicism and built
schools, hospitals, etc.
• Social classes
• Peninsulares – officials and landowners born in
Spain
• Creoles – people with a Spanish background but
were born in the Americas
• Mestizos – mixed Spanish and Native American
ancestry
• Native Americans – performed most of the hard
labor
OTHER EUROPEAN COLONIAL
EMPIRES
• FRANCE:
• Canada, Great Lakes, and Mississippi River
• Never as populous as Spanish or English (even
though it covered almost ¾ of trading N. America)
• Mainly trappers for fur
• NEW NETHERLAND
• Controlled region around New York
• Controlled by the merchants of the Dutch West
India Company
• Colony of New Amsterdam (New York) became a
leading center for trade
COLONIES CONTINUE…
• ENGLAND
• First permanent settlement was Jamestown
(1607)
• First came looking for gold, but became
profitable by growing tobacco to sell in Europe
• Second colony was Plymouth Rock (Mass.),
established by the Pilgrims
• Eventually established 13 colonies along the
Atlantic coast of North America
IMPACT OF COLONIZATION
• Native American populations declined,
because they had no immunity to diseases
from the Eastern Hemisphere (smallpox,
typhus, and measles)
• Because of the sharp decline, Spanish
landowners needed a source of labor able
to survive harsh working conditions
• Began importing African slaves
ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE
• Had existed long before European intervention
• Expanded on a scale unparalleled in human history
• Usually captured by African tribes in raids on villages
• Brought to the West Coast to trade/sell to European and
American slave traders for guns and other goods
• As many as 15 million Africans were taken over a 300 year
period (more than 11 million to Spanish colonies)
• Many died during the “Middle Passage” because of
horrible conditions on board the ships
• Most worked in sugar fields (Caribbean and Brazil) or
raising cotton or tobacco (N. America)
• The population of many African communities declined
greatly.
The Atlantic Slave Trade
The Middle Passage
THE COMMERCIAL REVOLUTION
• Aspects of the Commercial Revolution
• Global Trade
• Production of more goods for sale rather than own
use
• Mercantilism (economic theory of the time)
• Wealth and power based on amassing gold and
silver
• Total wealth of the world is limited, so had to be
gained through war or trade
• Promoted the removal of trade barriers
GLOBAL TRADE
MERCANTILISM
MERCANTILISM
Americas
• Americas
Sugar,
rice,
tobacco,
precious metals
Ming China and India
Silks, porcelain
Tea
EUROPEAN TRADE WITH
THEIR COLONIES
Europe
Woolen
cloth,
lumber,
finished
goods
Gold, Silver,
Fur, Lumber,
Foodstuffs
Mother
Country
Colonies
East Indies and Africa
Manufactured
goods
Spices
Slaves
HIGH
PRICES
LOW
PRICES
Continued…
• Free Enterprise or Capitalism
• Business owners risk capital (money) in
business in order to make a profit
• Joint-stock companies were formed
(privately owned companies that sold stock
to investors)
• Financial revolution and rise of banking
• Impact – more products from which to
choose, more books and new forms of
learning and entertainment, more choices in
occupations, and a higher standard of living