European Exploration

Chapters 1 & 2

Causes of Exploration

*After the Crusades (religious war), Europeans wanted Asian goods ….which led to:

*Italy dominated trade b/c it developed a network during the Crusades….which led to:

*Other European nations want a share in Italy’s profits….which led to:

*Other nations sought water route to Asia.

Countries of Exploration Portugal Spain France England

Reasons for Exploration1. Spread Christianity beyond Europe

2. To expand empires3. To become rich(The three G’s: God, Glory, Gold)

Vasco da Gama

*Portuguese explorer who was the first to open a sea-based trade route from Europe to India in his 1497-98 voyage around the tip of South Africa.

*Portugal took control of the valuable spice trade

*Merchants became rich!

Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama’s Route

Christopher Columbus

* Italian sailor thought he knew a faster way to Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic.

* In 1492, the Spanish Monarch financed his trip (Portugal turned him down).

* He set sail on Aug. 3rd with three ships: Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria.

Christopher Columbus

•Land was spotted on October 12th. • He was in the Caribbean Sea (He believed he had reached the Indies, islands in Southeast Asia). •He named and the inhabitants “Indians”.

* He made 4 total voyages and at his death in 1506 he still believed that he had found Asia.

Christopher Columbus’ Route

Impact of Columbus

*His voyages were not a complete failure!

* Europeans had realized that Columbus had reached continents they had not discovered!

* His explorations began an era of great wealth and power for Spain.

Impact of Colonization in the Americas

1. Emergence of American Slavery (p.60-61)As more and more Native Americans died from overwork and European diseases, the Spanish and Portuguese turned to another source for labor: enslaved Africans.

The Europeans enslaved Africans for four basic reasons:

1. Africans were immune to most European diseases.

2. Had no friends or family in the Americas to help them resist or escape enslavement.

3. Provided a permanent source of cheap labor.

4. Many had worked on farms in their native lands.

*The voyage of the slave ships from Africa to the Americas was called the middle passage.

Plan showing stowage of slaves

Impact of Colonization in the Americas

2. The Columbian Exchange (p.62-63)

* The transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Western and Eastern hemispheres.

Things brought to the New World from the Old

Disease: smallpox, Influenza, Typhus, Measles, malaria

Livestock: cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, honey bees

Grains: Wheat, rice, barley, oats

Fruits and Vegetables: Peaches, pears, coffee beans, turnips, olives, onions, grapes, citrus fruits, bananas, sugar cane

Things brought to the Old World from the New

*Animals: Turkeys

*Fruits, and Vegetables: Squash, pumpkins, Sweet Potatoes, potatoes, beans, corn, tomatoes, pineapples

*Other Plants:Peppers, tobacco, vanilla, peanuts