Download Station A:Prince Henry the Navigator: During the

Station A:
Prince Henry the Navigator:
During the Crusades, the people of Europe had been introduced to spices and luxury goods from Asia. After the
Crusades ended, Europeans continues to demand these items. Because the demand for these goods was
greater than the supply, merchant could charge high prices.
The Muslims and the Italians controlled the trade of goods from East to West. Muslims sold Asian goods to
Italian merchants, who controlled trade across the land routes of the Mediterranean region. The Italian
merchants resold the items at increased prices to merchants throughout Europe. Other European traders did
not like this arrangement. Paying such high prices to the Italians severely cut into their own profits. By the
1400s, European merchants (as well as the monarchs) sought to find trade routes that would bypass the
Italians. This meant finding a sea route directly to Asia.
The leader in developing and applying sailing
innovations, such as the new ship design (the
caravel) was Portugal. Portugal took the lead in
overseas exploration in part due to strong
government support. The nation’s most
enthusiastic supporter of exploration was
Prince Henry, the son of Portugal’s king.
In 1419, Henry founded a navigation school on the southwestern
coast of Portugal. Mapmakers, instrument makers, shipbuilders,
scientist and sea captains gathered there to perfect their trade.
Although Prince Henry died in 1460, he never actually sailed on any
voyages of discovery that he sponsored.
Station B:
Bartholomeu Dias
The Portuguese wanted to find a sea route to Asia. The established trade
route was controlled by the Muslims and the Italians. The Portuguese
believed that to reach Asia by sea, they would have to sail around the
southern tip of Africa. In the mid-1400’s, the southern coast of Africa was
unknown.
In 1488, Portuguese captain Bartolomeu Dias ventured far down the coast of
Africa until he and his crew reached the Southern tip. As they arrived, a huge
storm rose and battered the fleet for days. When the storm ended, Dias
realized his ships had been blown around the tip to the other side. Dias
explored the southeast coast of Africa and then considered sailing to India.
However, his crew was exhausted and food supplies were low. As a result,
Dias returned home to Portugal.
Station C:
Vasco da Gama:
In 1497, Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama began exploring
the east African coast. In 1498, he reached the port of Calicut,
on the southwestern coast of India. Da Gama and his crew were
amazed by the spices, rare silks, and precious gems that filled
Calicut’s shops. The Portuguese sailors filled their ships with
spices (pepper and cinnamon) and returned to Portugal in 1499.
Their cargo was worth 60 times the cost of the voyage. Da
Gama’s voyage of 27,000 miles gave Portugal a direct sea route
to India.
Station D
: Amerigo Vespucci & 1507 World Map
Amerigo Vespucci
In 1501, Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian in the service
of Portugal, traveled along the eastern coast of
South America. Upon his return to Europe, he
claimed that the land was not part of Asia, but a
“new” world. In 1507, a German mapmaker
named the new continent “America” in honor of
Amerigo Vespucci.
1507 World Map
At this station, you will also assemble the map
of 1507. What do you notice about this world
map?
Station E:
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
About the time of Dias’ voyage, in 1492, another sailor,
named Christopher Columbus, met with the king of Portugal.
Columbus, an Italian, felt sure that a ship could reach Asia by
sailing west across the Atlantic. After being rejected by the
king of Portugal, Columbus took his idea to Ferdinand and
Isabella of Spain. He promised them great wealth and new
lands. He also said he would take the Catholic religion to the
people of Asia. Ferdinand and Isabella agreed to help.
On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail with three ships. A little
more than two months later, on October 12, he landed on a
small island in the Caribbean Sea, which he named San
Salvador. Columbus was sure that he had reached the Indies,
so he called the island’s people Indians.
Columbus, like other
explorers, was interested in
gold. Finding none on San
Salvador, he explored other
islands, staking his claim to
each one. “It was my wish to
bypass no island without
taking possession,” he wrote.
When he returned to Spain in
1493, he received a hero’s
welcome.
Columbus embarked on his
second voyage to the
Americas in September of
1493. He journeyed no
longer as an explorer, but as
an empire builder. Columbus made a total of four journeys to the New World, but he never realized that he
had reached a new continent.
Station F:
Treaty of Tordesilla
As the Portuguese were establishing trading posts along the west coast of Africa, Spain watched with increasing
envy. The Spanish monarchs also desired a direct sea route to Asia.
In 1492, Columbus convinced Spain to finance a bold plan: finding a route to Asia by sailing west across the
Atlantic Ocean. In October of that year, Columbus reached an island in the Caribbean. He was mistaken in his
thought that he had reached the East Indies. But his voyage would open the way for European colonization of
the Americas – a process that would forever change the world. The immediate impact of Columbus’ voyage,
however, was to increase tensions between Spain and Portugal.
The Portuguese believed that Columbus had indeed reached Asia. Portugal suspected that Columbus had
claimed for Spain lands that Portuguese sailors might have reached first. The rivalry between Spain and
Portugal grew more tense. In 1493, Pope Alexander VI stepped in to keep peace between the two nations. He
suggested an imaginary dividing line, drawn north to south, through the Atlantic Ocean. All lands to the west of
the line, known as the Line of Demarcation, would be Spain’s. These lands included most of the Americas. All
lands to the east of the line would belong to Portugal.
Portugal complained that the line gave too
much to Spain. So it was moved farther west
to include parts of modern-day Brazil for the
Portuguese. In 1494, Spain and Portugal
signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, in which they
agreed to honor the line.
Station G:
Hernán Cortés
In 1519, a Spaniard named Hernán Cortés landed on the
shores of Mexico. Cortés marched inland, looking to claim
new lands for Spain. Cortés and the many other Spainish
explorers who followed him were known as conquistadors
(conquerors). Lured by rumors of vast lands filled with gold
and silver, conquistadors carved out colonies in regions that
would become Mexico, South America and the United States.
Soon after landing in Mexico, Cortés learned of the vast and
wealthy Aztec Empire in the region’s interior. After marching
for weeks, Cortés and his men finally reached the Aztec
capital of Tenochtilán. The Aztec emperor, Montezuma II,
was convinced at first that Cortés was a god wearing armor.
He agreed to give the Spanish explorer a share of the
empire’s existing gold supply. Cortés was not satified.
In the late spring of 1520, some of Cortés’ men killed many
Aztec warriors and chiefs, then Aztecs rebelled and drove out Cortés’ forces. The Spaniards, however, struck
back. Despite being greatly outnumbered, Cortés and his men conquered the Aztecs in 1521. Several factors
played a key role in the victory. First, the Spanish had the advantage of superior weaponry. Finally, and most
important, the natives could do little to stop the
diseases. Measles, mumps, smallpox, and typhus
were just some of the diseases Europeans brought
with them to the Americas. Native Americans had
never been exposed to these diseases. They had
developed no natural immunity to them. As a result,
they died by the hundreds of thousand.
Station H:
Francisco Pizarro:
In 1526, Pizarro travelled to Peru, and then returned to Spain to get
permission to start colonies in Peru. He returned to Peru, and he and his
army of about 200 met the Incan ruler, Atahualpa, near the city of
Cajamarca. Atahualpa, who commanded a force of about 30,000,
brought several thousand mostly unarmed men for the meeting. The
Spaniards waited in ambush, crushed the Incan force, and kidnapped
Atahualpa.
Atahualpa offered to fill a room once with gold and twice with silver in
exchange for his release. However, after receiving the ransom, the
Spanish strangled the Incan king. Demoralize by their leader’s death,
the remaining Incan force retreated from Cajamarca. Pizarro then
marched on the Incan capital, Cuzco. He captured it without a struggle
in 1533.
Chasing dreams of gold, other conquistadors explored much of the Americas. Within 100 years of Columbus’
first voyage, the Spanish ruled a large empire in the Americas. They did not control all of South America,
however. In 1500 Pedro Cabral had claimed what is now the country of Brazil for Portugal.
Station I
: Magellan
In 1519, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan led the boldest
exploration yet. Several years earlier, Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de
Balboa had marched through modern-day Panama and had become the
first European to gaze upon the Pacific Ocean. Soon after, Magellan
convinced the king of Spain to fund his voyage into the newly discovered
ocean.
With about 250 men and five ships, Magellan sailed around the southern
end of South America and into the waters of the Pacific. The fleet sailed for
months without seeing land, except for some small islands. Food supplies
soon ran out.
After exploring the island of Guam, Magellan and his crew eventually
reached the Philippines. Unfortunately, Magellan became involved in a local war there and was killed. His
crew, greatly reduced by disease and starvation, continued sailing west toward home. Out of Magellan’s
original crew, only 18 men and one ship arrived back in Spain in 1522, nearly three years after they had left.
They were the first persons to circumnavigate, or sail around, the world.
Station J
: Queen Elizabeth I and the
Spanish Armada
Elizabeth became Queen of England in 1558. During the
early years of her reign, Spain was most powerful nation in
the world. Phillip II of Spain ruled huge territories of land,
and had the wealth of the New World under his control.
Relations between the two countries started off well, but
over a course of 30 years, they deteriorated
First of all, England had returned to being a Protestant
country, and Phillip believed it was his mission to return it
to Catholicism. Secondly, many Spanish believed that
Elizabeth had no right to the throne of England, since she was
illegitimate (in the view of the Catholic Church). But, probably
the most problematic was Elizabeth’s support of her privateers:
Walter Raleigh and Francis Drake. These men and others had
Elizabeth’s support to attack and rob Spanish ships as they
returned from the New World, laden with gold.
As early as 1585, Phillip was making plans to invade England.
However, two setback occurred, the first being the death of the
commander in charge of the fleet. Another commander was
placed in charge, but he believed he was not qualified for the
position. A second setback occurred when Francis Drake sailed
to the coast of Spain and destroyed many of the ships
anchored off Cadiz.
In May 1588, Phillip II sent out his fleet of 130 warships. The
English were waiting. On the cliffs of England and Wales men
watched for the first sighting of the Armada. As soon as ships
started to make their way up the English Channel, the fighting
began. No invasion of England came. The Armada was
defeated at sea, and, as it tried to return to Spain going north,
around Scotland, a storm rose up and battered the remaining
ships. Although Phillip sent other fleets to attack England,
none other were as significant as the Armada.
Elizabeth’s defeat of Spain’s navy began England’s superiority
at sea.
Station K
: The Columbian Exchange
The global transfer of foods, plants, and animals during the colonization of the Americas is known as the Columbian
Exchange. Ships from the Americas brought back a wide array of items that Europeans, Asians, and Africans had never
before seen. They included such plants as tomatoes, squash, pineapples, tobacco, and cacao beans (for chocolate).
And they included animals such as the turkey, which became a source of food in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Perhaps the most important items to travel from the Americas to the rest of the world were corn and potatoes. Both
were inexpensive to grow and nutritious. Potatoes, especially, supplied many essential vitamins and minerals. Over
time, both crops became in important and steady part of diets throughout the world. These foods helped people live
longer. They played a significant role in boosting the world’s population. The planning of the first white potato in
Ireland and the first sweet potato in China probably changed more lives that the deeds of 100 kings.
Traffic across the Atlantic did not flow in just one direction, however. Europeans introduced various livestock animals
into the Americas. These included horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs. Foods from Africa (including some that originated
in Asia) migrated west in European ships. They included banana, black-eyed peas, and yams. Grains introduced to the
Americas included wheat, rice, barley, and oats.
Some aspects of the Columbian Exchange had a tragic impact on many Native Americans. Disease was just as much a
part of the Columbian Exchange as goods and food. The diseases Europeans brought with them, which included
smallpox and measles, led to the deaths of millions of Native Americans. Another tragic consequence of the
Columbian Exchange was the slavery of Africans who were brought to the New World to work on the newly conquered
land.
Station L:
Territories:
Using the map below, color the territories established in the New World (in your map packet, naturally!). Then,
using this information, answer the question on which country had the most territory in the New World in your
packet.
European territories in the New World – 1750