Download Key Terms and People Section Summary

Name
Class
Date
Chapter 16 The Age of Exploration
Section 1
HSS 7.11
MAIN IDEAS
1. Europeans had a desire and opportunity
to explore.
2. Portuguese and Spanish explorations led
to discoveries of new trade routes, lands,
and people.
3. English and French explorers found land
in North America.
Students analyze political
and economic change in
the sixteenth, seventeenth,
and eighteenth centuries
(the Age of Exploration, the
Enlightenment, and the Age
of Reason).
4. A new European worldview developed
because of the discoveries.
Key Terms and People
Henry the Navigator
Portuguese prince who started a sailing school and funded many
expeditions
first explorer to sail safely around Africa to India
Christopher Columbus Italian explorer who accidentally discovered the Americas
Ferdinand Magellan Portuguese navigator who first circumnavigated the globe
circumnavigate to go all the way around
Francis Drake famous English pirate who robbed Spanish ships in the Americas
Spanish Armada huge fleet of Spanish ships defeated during an attack on England
in 1588
Vasco da Gama
Section Summary
DESIRE AND OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE
Improvements in navigational tools, cartography,
and shipbuilding spurred an interest in
discovery and exploration in Europe during
the 1400s. Explorers set off in search of new
trade routes to Asia to find rare spices, to spread
Christianity, and to discover new lands and people.
PORTUGUESE AND SPANISH EXPLORATIONS
Henry the Navigator was an influential early
figure in Portuguese exploration. Henry built an
observatory and navigation school for sailors, and
funded many sailing expeditions. With Henry’s
List four motivations that drove
European explorers during the
1400s and 1500s.
Henry the Navigator never left
Portugal. Why was he so
influential in early Portuguese
explorations?
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
Chapter 16
115
Interactive Reader and Study Guide
Name
Class
Date
Section 1, continued
help, a sailor named Vasco da Gama became the
first person to sail safely around Africa to India.
Christopher Columbus was Italian but he
offered his services to Spain. Knowing the world
was round, he set out to reach Asia by heading
west. His voyage led to the accidental discovery
of the Americas. It was Ferdinand Magellan, a
Portuguese navigator sailing for Spain, who first
circumnavigated the globe, although he was
killed before the end of the journey. Following
Columbus’s lead, the Spanish conquistadors sailed
to the Americas in the early 1500s and conquered
the Inca and Aztec civilizations.
ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN AMERICA
As Portugal and Spain secured southern trade
routes, France and England went north. Early
journeys by explorers from both countries again
confused North America with Asia, but they
secured claims to the land. The famous pirate
Francis Drake, in the service of England, raided
Spanish ships for their treasures. Spain retaliated
by sending a fleet of ships, the Spanish Armada, to
attack England in 1588. The English navy defeated
the Armada with the help of a great storm at sea.
Spanish sea power never recovered.
Where did Columbus think he was
sailing to?
Who was Francis Drake?
A NEW EUROPEAN WORLD VIEW
After the voyages of the 1400s and 1500s, Europeans
saw new and more accurate maps that showed
the entire world. This ushered in a new period of
European influence in the world.
CHALLENGE ACTIVITY
Critical Thinking: Drawing Inferences European explorers had to spend
as much time raising money as they did sailing. Pretend that you are an
explorer living in Spain, Portugal, France, or England during the 1400s.
You need to convince a rich patron to pay for a sailing expedition. Write
an argument in which you lay out the reasons and purpose for your
trip. HSS Analysis Skills CS 3, HI 5, HI 6
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
Chapter 16
116
Interactive Reader and Study Guide