The Age of ExplorationThe Age of Exploration

I. Europeans Set Sail

A.The Commercial Revolution1. The Black Death

a. 1347-1350b. Italian merchants arrived from Asia with rats infested with the bubonic plaguec. killed 1/3 of Europe’s population (approximately 75 million people)

A.The Commercial Revolution

A. The Commercial Revolution cont’d

2. The Commercial Revolution Begins

a. the Black Death caused a labor shortage which led to a wage increase

b. merchants and craftspeople raised and lowered prices to make a profit

c. farmers grew specialized crops and cities specialized in certain crafts

A. The Commercial Revolution cont’d

3. Banks and Bankersa. loaned money for interest (i.e. the Medici family of Florence)b. bankers became influentialc. merchants created joint-stock companies to reduce risk of business start-up

B. The Renaissance (Italy, mid-1300s to 1600s)1. Education and Ideas

a. combined the rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman

works with new ideas b. encouraged strong moral values

B. The Renaissance (Italy, mid-1300s to 1600s) 2. Science and Technology

a. aided by earlier Arab scholars whose works were translated from Arabic into Latin

b. new inventions:1. the magnetic compass and the astrolabe (both of which helped with navigation) 2. the printing press

B. The Renaissance cont’d3. The Growth of the Arts

a. influenced by ancient Greek and Roman sculpture and architectureb. famous artists:

1. Leonardo da Vinci: artist who studied architecture, astronomy, biology, geology, and machinery

2. Michelangelo: sculptor and painterc. wealthy people hired many to create works

B. The Renaissance cont’d

C. Trade with Africa and Asia1. Trade Risks and Rewards

a. Consumer goods:1. African trade included gold,

ivory, salt, and slaves2. Asian trade included silk and

spiceb. Trade routes:

1. overland by the Silk Road2. by sea through the

Mediterraneanc. Costs were high because of the many merchant who handled the goods

C. Trade with Africa and Asia cont’d2. Reasons for the Search for

a Sea Routea. to break Venice’s monopoly on the Asian trade

b. to learn more about the Asian culture, an interest created by Marco Polo’s

book Description of the Worldc. to spread the teachings of Christianity

3. Portugal Takes to the Seasa. Prince Henry the Navigator

1. improved navigational instruments and encouraged his designers as they created the caravel

2. paid for exploration of the west coast of Africa

C. Trade with Africa and Asia cont’d

3. Portugal Takes to the Seas cont’db. Bartolomeu Dias

1. discovered safe passage around the southern tip

of Africa2. named

the point the Cape of

Good Hope

C. Trade with Africa and Asia cont’d

3. Portugal Takes to the Seas cont’dc. established the European trade of African slaves

C. Trade with Africa and Asia cont’d

II. Voyages to the Americas

A. A Bold Idea1. Christopher Columbus believed in a

western route to Asia via the Atlantic Ocean

2. Problemsa. scholars claimed in was 10,000 miles from Europe to Indiab. navigation and food preservationc. Columbus erred in calculating the earth’s circumferenced. could not find investors

A. A Bold Idea cont’d3. Financial Support:

a. Reconquista: the centuries long struggle to drive the Moors from Spain ended in 1492

b. Ferdinand and Isabella agreed to fund the voyage because they

hoped to compete with Portugal

c. In exchange, it was agreed that Columbus would:

1. claim any lands for Spain2. become viceroy (Royal Governor) of any lands3. receive 1/10 of all gold

and 1/8 of any trade profits

A. A Bold Idea cont’d

B. Columbus’s Explorations1. First journey

a. Left on August 3, 1492b. carried three ships: the Santa Maria, a cargo ship; the Nina and the Pinta, both caravelsc. carried one year’s suppliesd. sighted land on October 12, 1492, thirty-three days after leaving the Canary Islands

B. Columbus’s Explorations cont’d1. First journey cont’d

e. landed on San Salvador, then Cuba and Hispaniolaf. discovered the Taino, whom he called Indiansg. spent two months exploring the areash. the Santa Maria sank

1. First journey cont’d

i. Columbus left crew members as a small colony which he called La Navidad

j. he brought back gold nuggets, exotic treasures, and six Taino

B. Columbus’s Explorations cont’d

1. First journey cont’d k. Line of Demarcation: granted to Spain by Pope Alexander; gave Spain all land found 300 miles west the Azore Islands

B. Columbus’s Explorations cont’d

1. First journey cont’d l. Treaty of Tordesillas:

between Spain and Portugal, changed the line to 800 miles

B. Columbus’s Explorations cont’d

2. Three more voyagesa. found La Navidad destroyed and the sailors deadb. discovered South Americac. colonies did not survive because the Spanish could not grow European crops in the tropicsd. enslaved the natives despite Isabella’s instructions not to do so

B. Columbus’s Explorations cont’d

B. Columbus’s Explorations cont’d

III. The Race for Trade Routes

A. Portugal Takes the Lead1. Vasco de Gama: discovered the

route around the southern tip of Africa to India

2. Pedro Alvares Cabral: tried to follow de Gama’s route but was blown off course and landed in South America in present day Brazil

B. Other Early Explorations1. John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto): 1497-

1498, claimed North America for King Henry VII of England

2. Amerigo Vespucci: 1501, sailed with a Spanish expedition and wrote exaggerated stories which were printed in a book—thus North and South America were named

B. Other Early Explorations cont’d3. Vasco Nunez de Balboa: 1513

a. overthrew the governor of the Spanish settlement in Panama, improved living conditions for the colonists, and made peace with the local tribesb. first to sight the Pacific Ocean from South Americac. executed by Spain for overthrowing the governor

4. Ferdinand Magellan: 1519-1522a. sailed around the southern tip of

South America, through the Strait of Magellan, and across the Pacific Ocean to the present day

Philippinesb. only one of the five original ships

returned, only 18 or 240 crew membersc. profit paid for the entire voyage d. circumnavigated the world (40,000 miles)

B. Other Early Explorations cont’d

B. Other Early Explorations cont’d

C.Searching for a Northwest Passage1. Giovanni da Verrazzano: 1524,

the eastern coast of North America (from Georgia to Maine)

2. Jacques Cartier: 1534, eastern coast of North America (Canada and Newfoundland)

C. Searching for a Northwest Passage cont’d

3. Henry Hudson: 1610, New York, Hudson River, Hudson Bay

4. Samuel de Champlain: 1615, explored the St. Lawrence River

D. Effects of Exploration1. Venice lost its trade monopoly and

subsequently declined2. Portugal and Spain controlled trade

and grew stronger3. The Columbian exchange: the

transfer of plants, animals, and diseases

4. Land was claimed by various European nations

Works CitedBrinkley, Alan. American History: A

Survey. Vol 1. Boston: McGraw-Hill College, 1999.

Stuckey, Sterling, and Linda Kerrigan Salvucci. Call to Freedom: Beginnings to 1914. Austin, Texas: Holt, Rinhart, and Winston,

2000.