the age of exploration. why explore? …causes renaissance = discovery and innovation italians...
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The Age of Exploration
Why explore? …Causes Renaissance = discovery and innovation
Italians control trade with Asia (via Mediterranean)
Causes… Missionaries want to spread their
religion
Others: Fame and Glory, Curiosity
Why now? Advances in Technology Compass and Astrolabe (from
China)
TechnologyAdvances in shipbuilding:
Bigger ships withstand bad weather
The Caravel
Rudder
Lateen Sails
Portuguese:
Henry the Navigator – set up a school to teach navigation/create maps
Goal – find a route
around Africa to India
Vasco Da Gama – Sailed to India
Portugal sets up trade w/ India
Spain and Portugal – first to set sail
The SpanishColumbus – 1492 travels to
America (Hispaniola)
Amerigo Vespucci – Travels to South America, realizes it’s not Asia
Balboa – 1513 crosses Panama
first European to see Pacific
Ferdinand Magellan 1519-1522 - Lead the first
expedition around the world, died on the way
English
Cabot – 1497 sails to coast of Canada
Sir Francis Drake – Went around South America, accidentally sailed around the world
Henry Hudson 1607 -
Searched for Northwest
Passage around North
America
Found NY and Canada
Colony:
Settlement founded
by a “mother
country,” usually
for profit
Spanish Colonization Ecomienda system: Settler is given
natives as slaves to work the land, he must teach them Christianity
Conquistador – Spanish military leaders who fought natives
Hernan Cortez Conquistador who
conquered the Aztecs
Used Aztec enemies against them
Captured/killed Moctezuma II
Francisco Pizarro – Conquistador who killed the Incan Emperor and took over Incan empire
The Spanish held Americas
Colonization:conquering and
maintaining control of a territory
Viceroy – Spanish officials in charge of colonial territory
Economics of Colonialism
Mercantalism = Colonies exsist to make $$$ for mother
country
Spanish colonies mined gold and silver and sent it back to Spain
Effects of Ecomienda System
Native populations decrease by 90%
Bartolome de Las Casas – suggests using African slaves instead
Portugal Wants Colonies
Claims South American Territory
Conflict with Spain
Pope steps in (2x)
Treaty of Tordesillas
West of the line = Spanish
East of the line = Portuguese
Treaty of Tordesillas
Colony of Brazil – large plantations, worked by Native and later African Slaves
Becomes $$$-maker for Portugal
French“New France” (aka Canada )
No gold or silver
But…
Fish + Fur = $$$
So…
No large settlements,
mostly trappers/traders
Dutch Colony of New Netherland
New Amsterdam
Focused on other colonies
English Several small colonies, not money makers – at first
The Columbian Exchange
Contact between Europe and Americas leads to
plants/animals spreading to new locations
Effects of Columbian Exchange
Positive
New types of food means better nutrition
People live longer
Negative
Diseases also spread
Significant decreases in the native population
(They die, a lot)
Effects on NativesPopulation
Inca
1492 – 13 million
1600 – 2 million
Native Americans
1492 – 2 million
1900 – 500,000
So, an alternative source of Slaves is needed
MercantilismNation’s wealth = Nation’s Strength
Wealth = Gold/Silver
Strength = ability to fund Military
Nations should have complete control of their economy
Mercantilism
Fixed amount of wealth in the world
2 ways to create wealth:
Colonies
Favorable Balance of trade
Favorable Balance of Trade:
“Better in than out”
more $$$ coming into country than going out
high tariffs on imports
Colonies exist to create wealth for mother country
Colonies should not trade with other countries
Colonies should buy
from mother country
Capitalism
Private ownership of means of production in order to create wealth (profits)
Joint-Stock Companies
Investors pool money into one larger business
Buy shares, get that share of profits
Risk only money invested
The Atlantic Slave Trade
Plantations raise cash crops on a large scale
Need cheap labor
Natives die a lot
African Slaves
The Triangle Trade
The Middle Passage
Effects
15-20 Million Africans enslaved
Western Africa devastated and divided
African Diaspora – diffusion of African Culture around the world