Download Age of Exploration - Mr. Silva / FrontPage

Age of Exploration
A Changing World…
Stop, Think & Review!
What are some push and
pull factors causing
individuals to migrate
from one place to
another?
Stop, Think & Review!
 Need
for Food
 Religious Beliefs/Persecution
 Desire for
Conquest/Expansion
 Establish Trade Routes
 Hunger for Gold
The Middle Ages


During the Middle Ages –a period
from about 500 to 1350 A.D. – many
Europeans thought of the world as a
disk floating on a great ocean.
The disk was made up of three
continents: Europe, Africa and
Asia.
Europe
Asia
Africa
The Middle Ages
 During
the Middle Ages
Europeans knew little about
the lands beyond their small
villages.
But
that was all about
to change…
 Toward
the end of the Middle
Ages, Europeans would begin
to look beyond their borders.
 Religious
Wars and the lure of
new products from far away
lands would bring major
changes in the way Europeans
lived…
The Middle Ages
 But
until then… Back to the
Middle Ages…
 During the Middle Ages weak
European kings and queens divided
their lands among powerful nobles.

These nobles, or lords, had their own
armies (made up of knights) and
courts but still owed loyalty to their
king.
King
Lords/Nobles
Knights
Serfs/Peasants
The Middle Ages
This
system of rule by
lords who owe loyalty to
a king is called
feudalism.
The Feudal System: Manors
 Most
of life in Europe revolved
around manors of these powerful
lords.
manor included the lord’s
castle, peasants’ huts, and
surrounding villages or
fields.
 The
The Feudal System: Serfs


Most of the people on the manor
were serfs, or peasants bound to the
land for life.
Serfs worked for the lord and could not
leave the manor without the lord’s
permission – they gave their lord part of
their harvest (taxes) in return for the use
of land and other services they needed.
In exchange the lord protected the serfs
from attacks by outsiders.
The Feudal System: Serfs



Under feudalism there were few
merchants and traders and few roads or
towns existed.
Almost everything made was used to pay
taxes.
To pay the crop tax, some crops went to the
lord, and some they kept. To pay the bread tax,
some bread they made went to the lord, and
some they kept. To pay the coat tax, some of
the warm coats they made went to the lord, and
some they kept.
The Church – A Powerful Force
 Most
manors provided a place of
worship.
 During the Middle Ages, the
Catholic Church remained the
single most powerful organization
of Western Europe.
 Why?
The Church – A Powerful Force
The
Role of Faith
Power and Wealth
Learning
The Church – A Powerful Force
In
time, Church
teachings would lead
Europeans to look
beyond their manors…
The Crusades
As Christianity was spreading
throughout Europe, Islam spread
throughout the Middle East and
Africa.
 European Christians feared losing
access to the Holy Land – the birth
place of Christianity.
 Palestine was also sacred to the
Muslims since Muhammad, their
prophet, had also lived there.

The Crusades
 In
1095 the Europeans launched
the first of nine expeditions,
known as the Crusades, to
regain control of the Holy Land
from the Ottoman Turks.
 The Europeans were not
victorious in regaining the Holy
Land.
Search for New Trade Routes
The
Crusades did have
lasting effects, however.
For the first time, large
numbers of Europeans
traveled beyond their
small towns.
Search for New Trade Routes
New rulers of England, France,
Portugal and Spain knew they
could make huge profits by trading
with China and other lands in Asia.
 However, Arab and Italian merchants
controlled the trade routes across the
Mediterranean Sea.
 If they wanted to share trade,
European rulers had to find another
route to Asia.

“Rebirth” of Knowledge
 European
citizens wanted to improve
their knowledge of past civilizations in
order to understand their trading
partners.
 Europeans started to use reason and
science to create new technologies
that would enable them to explore
Asia.

Scientific Revolution & the Renaissance
Map Improvements
 Using
reports of explorers and
information from Arab geographers,
European cartographers were able to
create accurate land and sea maps.
 They also created maps that showed
exact location.
 Better instruments were also
developed for navigation.
New Navigation Technologies
Magnetic Compass –
determined direction when far from
land.
Astrolabe – measured position
of the stars (determined latitude)
Caravel – sailed faster than
earlier ships and carried more cargo
and food supplies - floated in shallow
water.
The Printing Press
Invented during mid 1400s by
Johannes Gutenberg of Germany.
 Before the printing press monks
wrote down books by hand.
 As a result, only a few copies were
available.
 Now large numbers of books could be
printed at a low cost.
 More individuals had the opportunity
to read about the world.

Spain vs. Portugal
Why did Spain and
Portugal want to
find a sea route to
Asia?
Spain vs. Portugal
Both countries wanted to get
in on trading in Asia and
Africa.
 They wanted to bypass (avoid)
Arab & Italian merchants.

Portugal’s Interests
Portugal was the first European
power to explore the boundaries
of the “known” world.
 Portugal lacked a Mediterranean
port so they had to find a new
route to China & India.

Henry the Navigator

Prince Henry of Portugal
(Henry the Navigator) set
up a center for exploration or
“school of navigation” where
astronomers, geographers and
mathematicians shared their
knowledge with Portuguese
sailors and shipbuilders.
Portugal’s Interests
In order to trade directly with
India and China Portuguese ships
moved south along the coast of
West Africa.
 There they traded for gold and
ivory, established trading posts
and began buying enslaved
people there as well.

Bartholomeu Dias
 1487
– King John sent Dias to
explore the southernmost part of
Africa and from there to sail
northeast into the Indian Ocean.
 Around the southern tip of Africa
(Cape of Good Hope) Dias ran
into a storm and was forced to
turn back to Portugal.
Spain Joins the Race
 Queen Isabella, a devout Catholic,
was finally persuaded by her
husband’s minister to finance to
support the expedition for two
reasons.
Columbus promised to bring
Christianity to the lands he found.
 If he found a way to Asia – he bring
wealth to Spain and trade would
open up.

Spain Joins the Race
December 1503 - Queen Isabella
decreed that because “Indians…run
away from the Christians…I order
you…to compel the Indians to have
dealings with the Christian
settlers…to work on their buildings,
to mine and collect gold…and to
work on their farms and crop fields.”
John Cabot follows Columbus
Another Italian sailor Giovanni Cabata,
had ideas much like Columbus’. He too
thought he could reach Asia by sailing
west.
 He went to England – dropped his Italian
name and became John Cabot.
 Landed somewhere on the coast of
Canada in 1497 giving the English the
right to settle in North America.

Vasco da Gama
 1497
set out to India with four
ships.
 His ships made a huge
semicircular sweep through the
Atlantic Ocean and rounded Cape
of Good Hope safely.
 He reached India in May 1498.
Pedro Alvares Cabral
 Cabral
followed da Gama’s route
6 months later and swung so far
west that he reached Brazil.
 Cabral claimed Brazil for his king
and sent one of his ships back to
Portugal to spread the good news
while he continued on to India.
Portuguese Trading Empire
 Cabral
not only gave Portugal a stake
in the Americas but he returned
home from India with cargoes of
spices, porcelain and other goods.
 Portuguese fleets repeated Cabral’s
success, and established its first
permanent forts in India.
 The Portuguese capital of Lisbon
became the marketplace of Europe.
Columbus’ “Discoveries”
He
explored the
Caribbean islands of
Hispaniola (present-day
Haiti and the Dominican
Republic), Cuba and
Jamaica.
Exploring America

After Columbus, other voyagers
explored the Americas.
1502 Amerigo Vespucci
sailed along South America’s
coast. Vespucci concluded that
South America was a continent,
not part of Asia.
 In
Sailing Around the World
In 1520 Ferdinand Magellan, a
Portuguese seaman sailing for
Spain, reached the
southernmost tip of South
America. He began in 1519.
 He sailed into what he later
named the Pacific Ocean.

Sailing Around the World
 After
he died in the Philippine
Islands, his crew continued
west arriving in Spain in 1522.
 They became the first known
people to circumnavigate the
world.
Analyzing the Columbian
Exchange
Was Columbus a Hero or Villain?
Columbus: Hero or Villain?
The 1492 encounter between Native
Americans and Europeans started an
exchange of goods and ideas that
transformed people’s lives around
the globe.
 The meeting between two old, very
different worlds – the Americas and
Europe (and even Africa and Asia) – led to
the creation of one new world.

Columbus: Hero or Villain?
Christopher Columbus’ visit
began this exchange of goods.
 Because it began with him,
scholars refer to this transfer
as the Columbian

Exchange.
Columbian Exchange




Food & Farming: Taught
Europeans to eat corn, squash,
beans and potatoes.
Language: Europeans adopted
Native American words for
animals, clothing and inventions
they had not known before.
Technology: Helped European
settlers survive in North America –
agricultural, medicinal, & hunting
skills.
Other Influences: pottery,
leatherwork, lacrosse, Iroquois
Political Structure – League of the
Iroquois (model of democracy).




Food & Livestock: Introduced
livestock (chickens, goats,
horses), wheat, bananas, citrus
fruit and sugar cane.
Technology: Europeans taught
them how to use metals to make
copper pots and iron knives.
Diseases: Native Americans had
no such resistance to “European”
diseases such as measles,
smallpox or even influenza.
Scholars estimate that between
50 percent and 90 percent of
Native Americans died of
diseases introduced from
Europe.
How does Columbus describe the
islands he discovered?




Many havens on the seacoast – incomparable to
any other known in Christendom.
Plenty of rivers, honey, many kinds of birds &
fruits.
Many mines of metals, great mountains, hills,
plains and fields.
Rich land for planting and sowing, for breeding
cattle and for building towns and villages.
How does Columbus describe the
Taino Indians?




The people of the island all go naked, men
and women.
They are artless and generous with what
they have.
No knowledge of arms and artillery
They are the most timorous creatures in
the world – weak.
According to Columbus, why did he
give the Indians gifts?
“I gave gratuitously a thousand useful
things that I carried, in order that
they may conceive affection, and
furthermore may be made
Christians.”
 Columbus thought by bribing them –
they would want to convert to
Christianity.

What was Columbus’ goal?



Columbus cared most about converting
“those who go naked” to Christianity no
matter the cost.
Aware of his audience, Columbus made
the Caribbean sound like a paradise – he
desired praise and did everything he could
to portray himself as a just and strong
leader.
He portrayed himself as a crusader willing
to bring profit and honor to Spain.
Stop & Think:
 How
should Columbus’
journey be evaluated in the
year 2008? Should
Columbus be remembered
as a hero or villain? Explain
your answer…
Columbus: Hero or Villain…
For
years, Columbus
has been remembered
as the bold sea
captain who
“discovered America.”
Columbus: Hero or Villain?
 True,
Europeans knew nothing of
the Americas before Columbus
brought them news of this “new
world.”
 His journey brought the peoples
of Europe into lasting contact for
the first time in history.




Native Americans paid heavily.
Columbus and the Europeans who came after
him forced native peoples to work in mines or
on farms raising sugar cane and cotton.
Over the next 50 years, hundreds of thousands
of Caribbean Indians died from harsh working
conditions and European diseases.
Starting with Columbus, Europeans justified
seizing Indian lands – they believed they had
the right because Indians were not Christians.
Curious Europeans wanted to know
more about the lands across the
Atlantic.
 They saw the Americas as a place
where they could trade and grow
rich.
 Once Columbus reached the
Americas, nothing could stop the
flood of explorers and settlers who
followed him.

Spanish Conquistadors
“Lords of the Spanish Main”
The Spanish Main
Consisted of the Mexican
mainland and Central America,
most of South America and much
of Southwestern U.S.
 It included important waterways
such as : The Gulf of Mexico, the
Caribbean Sea and the Florida
Straits.

Who were the Conquistadors?
Throughout most of the 16th, 17th
and 18th centuries Spanish
conquistadors – (conquerors),
explorers, traders, and sea
captains were “lords of the
Spanish Main.”
 Spain gained this empire at a
terrible cost: the destruction of
other peoples and civilizations.

What
are the
characteristics of a
civilization?
Should the Aztecs be
considered one? Explain
your answer.
Characteristics of a civilization

civilization: a highly
developed society that
developed a complex, or
highly detailed system for
writing, counting and/or
tracking time.
Characteristics of a civilization
Usually includes:
 Cities
 Well
organized government
 Complex religion
 Social classes
 Specialized skills and jobs
 Some method of keeping records.
Why
were the
first Europeans
amazed by
Tenochtitlan?
The Marvels of the Aztecs
 Tenochtitlan
– construction was
a miracle of engineering and
human labor.
 Created causeways or bridges of
earth linking the island and shore.
They filled parts of the lake with
earth so they could grow crops.
The Marvels of the Aztecs
Tenochtitlan
was
also a center of trade,
attracting thousands
of merchants to its
outdoor markets.
Predict their fate!
Why
do you think
the Spanish were
able to defeat the
Aztec warriors?
Why Spain Succeeded





Spanish arrived with weapons – guns and
cannons.
Spanish rode horses and had huge,
ferocious dogs.
To the natives, the Spanish seemed like
gods.
Some Aztecs in the region turned against
the Aztec overlords and assisted the
conquistadors.
Disease – With no immunity, their
resistance to their invaders was weakened
Pizarro Conquers the Inca
 Having
heard tales of the
incredibly wealthy Inca Empire
in what is now Peru, Francisco
Pizarro sailed down the Pacific
coast of South America with
about 180 Spanish soldiers.
Pizarro Conquers the Inca
In 1532 Pizarro captured the Inca
ruler, Atahualpa, and destroyed
much of the Inca army.
 The next year, the Spanish falsely
accused Atahualpa of crimes and
executed him – the Inca were not
able to fight effectively without him.
 Pizarro gained control of the
Inca Empire.

Spain in North America
 Mexico
and Peru were rich in
silver and gold.
 Hoping to find similar wealth to
the north, conquistadors explored
the southeastern and
southwestern parts of North
America.
Who’s Who?
The Who’s Who of our
remaining conquistadors!
Who Am I?


In 1513 – I landed on
the coast of
present-day Florida,
leading to the first
Spanish settlements
in what is now the
U.S.
I was looking for a
fountain of youth!
Juan Ponce de
Leon
Who Am I?
 In
1521 I
destroyed the
Aztec capital
of
Tenoctitlan
in Mexico.
Hernan Cortes
Who Am I?
 In
1532 I
captured the
Inca ruler in
present-day
Peru – gained
control of Inca
Empire.
Francisco
Pizarro
Who Am I?


I was shipwrecked while
trying to colonize
Florida in 1528.
Landing on an island
off the coast of Texas,
we were prisoners of
the Indians foe several
years.
In about 1536 I arrived
in Mexico and related
tales about 7 cities of
gold.
Cabeza de Vaca
Who Am I?



I was one of the many
explorers who tried to
find the “Seven Cities
of Cibola.”
I didn’t find them but I
became the first white
man to explore what is
now Arizona and New
Mexico in about 1540.
I opened the way for
Spanish settlement.
Francisco Vasquez
de Coronado
Who Am I?

In 1541 I crossed
the Mississippi
River as part of 3
year exploration
of the present day
southeastern U.S.
Hernando de
Soto
Do Now:
 Which
do you think is more
important to Queen
Isabella: converting the
natives to Christianity or
getting them to work?
Explain your answer.
New Spain as a “blending of cultures”
By the mid 1500s a new way of life
took place in New Spain.
 Spanish settlers brought their own
customs to the colonies – their
language, laws, religion, and learning.
 In 1539 – first European book in
Americas.
 1551 – Spanish founded University of
Mexico.

New Spain as a “blending of cultures”



Native Americans also influenced the
culture of New Spain.
Colonists adopted Indian clothing, new
foods – potatoes, corn, tomatoes and
chocolate – forever changing people’s
diets in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Indian labor made it possible for the
Spanish to build libraries, theaters and
churches (used adobe brick & decorated
the church walls).
A difficult life for the Natives
 The
Spanish treated the
Indians as a conquered
people.
 Under Spain’s strict social
system, Indians were kept in
poverty for hundreds of years.
A difficult life for the Natives
 The
colonists needed workers for
their ranches and farms.
 The Spanish government helped
by giving settlers encomiendas
– the right to demand labor or
taxes from Native Americans
living on the land.
The Mines and Plantation Life



The Spanish forced native laborers to
work in the mines – rickety ladders,
narrow tunnels where they hacked out
rich ore – many died.
Spanish settlers also made large profits by
exporting crops and raw materials – West
Indies – main exports were tobacco and
sugarcane.
To raise these crops the Spanish
developed the plantation system – a
large farm.
Bartholome de Las Casas




A Spanish priest Las Casas condemned
this cruel treatment of the natives and
pleaded for laws to protect them.
Las Casas suggested replacing the natives
with enslaved Africans (he regretted it
later)
He thought the Africans could endure the
labor better than the Natives could.
RESULT: Thousands of Africans from
West Africa brought to the Americas.
By late 1500s plantation slave labor
essential to colonial economy.
1540 – Las Casas reports to King
Charles I

“The Spaniards entered…like wolves,
tigers, and lions which had been starving
for many days, and since forty years they
have done nothing else…than outrage,
slay, afflict, torment, and destroy. In this
way they have cared for [Indian] lives –
and for their souls…the reason why the
Christians have killed and destroyed such
an infinite number of souls is that they
have been moved by their wish for gold
and their desire to enrich themselves.”
1540 – Las Casas reports to King
Charles I
How does Las Casas describe the
arrival of the Spainards in the New
World?
 How does Las Casas describe the way
that the Spaniards “cared for Indian
lives?”
 According to Las Casas why did the
Spaniards treat the Indians the way
they did?
