Gold
Gold was a hot item that explorers were looking for– really wealth, not just literal gold.
The search for spices and profits– What country dominated trade in Europe?
Italy – Other countries paid higher prices for limited
products So, What did they do??
– They found new routes to the places where products were made
– Da Gama’s voyage to India made him a 3000% profit! Other natural resources would come to be sold for
profit as well – timber, sugar, tobacco, ivory, etc.
God
Europeans see spreading Christianity as a good thing– Many Christians felt it was their sacred duty to
convert non Christians
Especially after the Reformation, competition will spring up– Colonization will become a race to convert native peoples to a
particular brand of Christianity– Jesuits (Catholics) are some of the most active
Just like Gold, Glory was a relatively new idea in Europe– Renaissance focus of individual
achievement– Printing press = fame for one’s actions was
more possible– Individual kings wanted glory for their
kingdoms competition spreads
Questions
How did the Renaissance influence exploration?
What are the 3 main factors G? – Hint: GoGoGlo
Besides gold, what other natural resources were the explorers searching for?
How did the Reformation lead to the Age of Exploration?
Technological Advances…
Ability to use new technologyPeople were inspired by new
inventions and ideas.
The Caravel– The caravel was a new, faster, more
maneuverable ship– This ship had a newly designed hull– triangular sails that helped it maintain
it’s course in storms (easier to change direction)
Explorations
Prince Henry “The Navigator”– Not a navigator…a patron– Henry paid for many sea
voyages– He also opened a school of
navigation in Portugal– What did he expect to get
out of all this?
Effects of Exploration
Good:
Doors to the Americas were opened
A ‘New World’ was discovered
Bad:
Natives got diseases that killed them
Natives lost their freedom, customs and pride
Voyages of DiscoveryYear Explorer Sponsor Area Explored1418-1460 Various Portugal Madeira, Azores, west-
African coast to cape Verde1487-1488 Dias Portugal African coast to Cape of Good Hope1492 Columbus Spain Bahamas, Santo Domingo1493 Columbus Spain West Indian Islands1497-1498 Cabot England Newfoundland, Nova Scotia1497-1499 da Gama Portugal Cape of Good Hope, Indian Ocean1498 Columbus Spain Trinidad, Venezuela1499 Vespucci Spain Northeastern coast of S. America1500 Cabral Portugal Brazil, Indian Ocean to W. India1502-1504 Columbus Spain Central American Coast1519-1522 Magellan Spain First circumnavigation of globe,
Cape Horn, Pacific Ocean1524 Verrazano FranceAmerican coast from Virginia to
Newfoundland1533, 1534 Cartier FranceQuebec, St. Lawrence River1577-1580 Drake England Circumnavigation of globe, W. coast-
of N. and S. America
Explorer Country/year
Bart Dias Portugal 1488
VascoDa Gama Portugal 1497
Columbus Spain 1492 (1st of 4)
Amerigo Vespucci Italy 1499 & 1501
Vasco Balboa Spain 1513
Pedro Cabral Portugal 1500
Ferdinand Magellan
Spain 1519-1522
Cape of Good Hope
water route around Africa to India and back
thought Asia actually the Americas
The Americas
Panama
Brazil / Amazon River
All water route around the world
What is the significance of these explorations?
Treaty of Tordesillas
• Portugal & Spain were arguing over new land
• Pope drew a line to divide the “Indies”– To keep peace– Line through the Atlantic
Ocean
• East = Portugal• West = Spain
Effects of Exploration
Good:
• Doors to the Americas were opened
• A ‘New World’ was discovered
Bad:
• Natives got diseases that killed them
• Natives lost freedom, customs & pride
Positive Effects of Exploration
• A “New World” was discovered• Columbian Exchange: exchange of
goods b/w Europe & Americas– America never knew of horses, cows,
chickens, pigs, sheep, goats, donkeys or oxen
– New plants such as wheat, barley, rye, oats, oranges, apples, bananas, coffee
– Europe never knew of corn, tomatoes, squash, tobacco, cacao, potatoes
Negative Effects of Exploration
• Natives got diseases from explorers– Epidemics: smallpox, measles, influenza
• were foreign to native Americans– 75 years after Columbus—population on
Hispaniola went from 250,000 to 500– Helped destroy entire empires—ie: Aztec Empire
• Natives lost their freedom, customs & pride• Slave Trade
– Discovery of areas in Africa led to importation of African slaves
– Europeans started plantations in America for cultivation...forced natives to be slaves
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