Download The Age of Exploration - Elizabeth School District

Outcome: Europeans Explore the East
1.
What innovations
allowed Europeans to
travel farther?
 New
innovations in sailing
 Portugal leads the way
 Spain joins in
 The Dutch also join in
Setting the Stage
1.
a.
b.
c.
Europeans had been exploring via the Crusades and with people like Marco Polo
For the most part, Europeans had no interest or ability to explore foreign lands
By 1400s, a desire for wealth coupled with advanced sailing techniques
sparked exploration.
2.
Europeans Seek New Trade Routes
a.
Main desire for exploration: New sources of wealth (spices & luxury
goods from Asia)
b.
Demand was higher than supply meant merchants could charge higher
prices
c.
England, Spain, Portugal, and France wanted to bypass Italian merchants
and find new sea routes for themselves
d.
Europeans also used Christianity as a means to travel: They wanted to convert
non-Christians throughout the world
Tools of Exploration
3.
European ships improved with technology
New vessel: The caravel.
a.
b.
i.
Sturdier
ii. Triangular sails stronger against the wind
iii. Large cargo area
iv. Shallow draft allowed it to explore close to the shore
v.
Sextant was an instrument used to determine latitude and longitude
New Weapons Technology
Prince Henry, the Navigator
School for Navigation, 1419
Portugal Leads the Way
4.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Portugal led the way in sailing innovations
First country to establish trading outposts on west coast of Africa
Prince Henry, son of the king, was Portugal’s most enthusiastic exploration
explorer
Prince Henry wanted to reach treasures of the east and spread Christianity
Portugal Leads the Way
4.
e.
Vasco da Gama sailed to the eastern side of Africa and reached SW India
f.
da Gama and crew were astonished by spices, silks, and gems found in India
g.
da Gama’s remarkable 27,000 mile journey was worth 60 times the
cost of the trip and provided Portugal with a direct sea route to India
Spain Also Makes Claims
5.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Spain watched Portugal with envy
1492 Christopher Columbus convinces Spain to finance a bold plan of finding a
sea route to Asia ---> Instead he is the first European to discover Americas
Portuguese suspected Columbus reached Asia and claimed land for Spain that
Portugal had already claimed.
This increased the exploration rivalry between Spain and Portugal
The pope steps in and attempts to settle who has claim ---->

The result: The Treaty of Tordesilla of 1494: Line that divided Spain and Portugal’s
claims. Spain got land west of the line, which included most of the Americas,
Portugal got lands to the east which included parts of modern-day Brazil
The Dutch (Netherlands)
6.
The people of this region declared their independence from Spain in 1581 and
established the Dutch Republic
By 1600, the Dutch had the largest fleet of ships in the world- 20,000 vessels
a.
b.
The Dutch East India Company: Company that minted money, made
treaties, and could raise an army.
c.
i.
Was richer more powerful than British East India Company
ii.
Eventually Dutch drove out the English and established dominance over
East Indies
Result: The Age of Exploration would begin a competitive and expensive pursuit that
would lead the Europeans to India, the Far East, and eventually the New World.


Portugal, Spain are first to set up colonies in
the New World
England, the Netherlands, follow suit

Control of Territory



Divided land into
provinces and appointed
nobles to control them
These nobles were called
viceroys
Viceroy system not
very successful


Poor communication
among provinces
Greedy viceroys acted
with own interests


Making money for Spain and Portugal:
The encomienda system


Farming



Forced labor of Native Americans
Sugar plantations
Ranching
Mining

Silver



Spanish colonizers, called
peninsulares, were
mostly men
Marriage was common
with Native women
Racial blending


Children born of mixed
Spanish and Native blood
were called mestizo
Society in colonies became
diverse
Peninsulares:
European born
Settlers
Creoles: Europeans
born in New World
Mestizos: mixed European
and Native decent
Mulattos: mixed European
and African decent
Native Americans
Africans



Named after Christopher Columbus
The transfer of products from continent to
continent
Brought MANY changes in ways of life around
the world
Columbian Exchange and Triangular Trade
What came from
Europe?
What came
from the
Americas?
For each of
the following
items, move
to the side of
the room you
believe it
came from!
What came
from Africa?
Outcome: The Atlantic Slave Trade
4.
What was the Atlantic
Slave Trade and what are
some of its impacts today?
1.
2.
3.
Causes of the Slave Trade
The Process of Slavery
Consequences of the Atlantic
Slave Trade
1.
Setting the Stage:
Colonies are sources of wealth for European “mother” countries
 Cash crops
a.
Sugar plantations and tobacco farms required a lot of labor to turn a
profit
b. Native Americans were cheap but millions died from disease, warfare,
and brutal treatment
The Causes of African Slavery
2.
a.
Slavery had existed in Africa for centuries but was relatively minor
b.
Muslim traders ushered in an increase of slavery in Africa in the 7th
century
Muslims transported about 17 million African slaves from 650-1600
c.
d.
In African and Muslim slavery, slaves had some legal rights and social
mobility
e.
Africans were immune to the disease that killed many natives
Many Africans had experience with farming
Africans weren’t likely to escape due to unfamiliarity with the new land
If escaped, skin color made it easier to catch
f.
g.
h.
i.
By the end of the Atlantic slave trade, Europeans had transported 9.5 million
Africans to the Americas
3.
Slavery Spreads Throughout the Americas
a.
Spain and Portugal led the way with transportation of slaves
b.
During the 17th century, more than 40% of all Africans brought to the Americas
went to sugar plantations in Brazil
As England’s presence in the Americas grew, it came to dominate the slave
trade
African society was broken up into tribes
Many African rulers and merchants captured other Africans and traded with
European traders for gold, guns, and other goods
c.
d.
e.
A Forced Journey
4.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
Transported Africans were part of the triangle trade
Europeans traveled south to Africa to capture or trade for slaves (side 1)
Europeans transported captured Africans across the ocean to the
Americas (side2)
Europeans bought sugar, coffee, and tobacco to sell back to Europe (side
3)
The voyage that brought captured Africans across the ocean was called
the middle passage
Millions died on these voyages
Africans were whipped and beaten aboard the ships
Surrounded by malnutrition, disease, and human feces on the voyages
Roughly 20% perished on the voyages
Sharks followed the slave ships across the Atlantic!
5.
Slavery in the Americas
a. Auctioned off as property upon arrival to Americas
b. Families were broken up and sold to different buyers
c. Worked in mines or fields or as domestic servants
d. Were given little food and lived in small dreary huts
e. Forced to work long hours and suffered beatings
f. Was a lifelong condition and was hereditary as well
g. Africans used music and stories of their ancestors as modes of
survival
h. Found ways to resist
i. Broke tools
ii. Worked slowly
iii. Ran away (dangerous)
iv. Uprisings and revolts did occur
6.
Consequences of the Slave Trade
a.
Numerous cultures lost generations of their fittest members
b.
African families torn apart
Introduced guns to the African continent
Labor contributed greatly to economic power of the
Americas
c.
d.
e.
Brought African culture to the Americas (art, music, religion, and
food)
f.
Large African American population in the Americas today
Mixed races due to forced population
g.
4.
What was the Atlantic
Slave Trade and what are
some of its impacts today?