Chapter 19 The Age of Exploration
Dec 17, 2015
Chapter 19The Age of Exploration
History BackgroundFactors leading to the Age of
Exploration◦The Crusades – Europeans wanted
Asian goods◦Marco Polo’s visit to China – made
people curious about the East.◦Navigation easier and more
accurate.◦Renaissance cartographers improved
map making.◦Improvements to wind driven ships
made transoceanic voyages possible.
Countries sought own routes to EastItalian city-states monopolized
trade routes to AsiaPortugal explored the African
coast.Vasco da Gama (Portugese)
sailed around Africa and on to India.
Spain (Christopher Columbus) tried to reach India by going west. Americas came first!
Consequences of Reaching AmericasSpain and Portugal gained
wealth.Aztecs and Incas fell to superior
technology and disease.Soon English, French, and Dutch
laid claim to the “New Worlds”Native American cultures fell.
Europe profitsDevelop industriesBuild armies and naviesBirth of capitalismCapitalism led to greater wealth
among individuals and nations.
RevolutionaryGeographic knowledge of the
worldNative American and African
cultures exposedEconomic and political power to
western European nations◦Sets the stage for more revolutionary
changes.
Section 1: The Voyages of DiscoveryCartography – the science of
making maps and globesCaravel – a small, narrow ship
with two or three masts and triangular sails
Galleon – a large, fast ship with three masts and both square and triangular sails that carried trade goods and treasures.
Circumnavigate – sail completely around
Shipbuilding RevolutionCaravel: fast and easy
to maneuver in various wind and sea conditions
Galleon: for long-distance trips needing more room for supplies and a large crew
Successful VoyagesAdvances in Technology
◦More accurate maps and globes◦Magnetic compass◦Astrolabe◦Faster, lighter sailing ships instead of
heavy, slow rowing ships
Voyages – PortugueseBartolomeu Dias: 1488; first
Europeans to sail past Cape of Good Hope. Now known you could reach Indian Ocean by sea.
Vasco da Gama: 1497; round Cape of Good Hope on to India and returned to Portugal. Charted a round-trip route from Europe to Asia
Voyages - Columbus1492; set sail (with backing from
Spain) west Landed in what is now the
BahamasThought that the distance from
Europe west to Asia was thousands of miles less than it really was.
Made three return voyages
Voyages – The “New World”1500, Pedro Cabral, sailed to
South America (thought he was going to the Indian Ocean)
1501, Amerigo Vespucci concluded that Columbus had discovered a “New World”
A German cartographer named the new world “America”, a Latin version of Vespucci’s first name.
Voyages - Magellan1519, Ferdinand Magellan sailed
from Spain with 5 ships and a crew of over 250
Eventually landed in the Philippine Islands.
Magellan died in a battle with the islanders.
1522, one of Magellan’s ships (along with 18 surviving crew members) made it back to Spain.
They circumnavigated the world!
New View of the World“The hidden half of the globe is
brought to light”Revealed the extent of Africa and
the existence of the AmericasEuropeans wanted to know about
world geographyPrinters made portable atlasesGerardus Mercator published a
new world map.
Gerardus MercatorPublished a new world mapSpherical Earth shown on a flat
gridCame to be known as Mercator
projectionsStill used by sailors today.
Section 2: The Conquest of the AmericasBullion – precious metals melted
into bars
Immunity – the ability of the body to fight a disease
Colonization – the process of taking over territory, creating new government, and settling towns
The Spanish Conquer Two EmpiresCortes defeats Moctezuma
◦Had two interpreters that gave Cortes vital information about the Aztecs.
◦Formed alliances with Aztec enemies◦Took Moctezuma prisoner while being an
honored guest◦Moctezuma killed in the battle between the
Spanish and the Aztecs◦Spanish forced to retreat. Cortes returned for
another try.◦Smallpox epidemic killed many Aztecs.◦The survivors surrendered in August 1521
Aztec Poem
“Nothing but flowers and songs of sorrow
Are left in Mexico and Tlatelolco…
We are crushed to the ground;
We lie in ruins.”
Francisco PizarroPizarro took advantage of chaos
caused by smallpox, civil war, and a divided Inca Empire.
Invited Atahualpa to a friendly meeting and threw him in prison.
Pizarro rejected the Inca ransom and had Atahualpa killed.
Without a leader, the Incas fell to the Spaniards in Cuzco 1533.
The Impact of ConquestEnriched Spain but devastated
the Aztecs and IncasSpanish colonies brought great
wealth to Spain; millions of Aztecs/Incas wiped out from disease and their cultural treasures destroyed
The wealth of the Spanish colonies in the Americas led to other Europeans’ desire for colonies in the Americas.
The Impact of ConquestConquistadors melted down
carved gold ornaments, statues, and wall decorations.
These masterpieces of Aztec and Inca art were lost forever.
Conquistadors also ruined cities and built their own.◦Tore down Templo Mayor; built
Mexico city over the ruins
The Impact of ConquestConquistadors destroyed
temples, statues of Gods, and books
Killed native priestsCalled the quipus “books of the
devil” and burned them.All Inca history was lost; Aztec
history books were burned.Millions of Aztecs/Incas died from
smallpox, but the Spanish were immune.
Section 3 – The Planting of ColoniesColumbian Exchange: the
exchange of people, other living things, and ideas between the Eastern and Western hemispheres
Missionaries: church members who try to convert people to a particular religion.
Mission: a religious settlement or base where missionaries work
Global EmpiresEuropean nations founded global
empires.◦Trading Posts helped people to trade freely◦Colonies were established around the world◦Missions were built so church members
could live there and preach their beliefs to others.
◦Europeans established three types of settlements: trading posts, colonies, and missions.
Missionaries’ SuccessMost Successful: China, Japan,
Philippine Islands
Least Successful: New France and English colonies
The Columbian ExchangeThe great voyages of discovery
started a global exchange or people, plants, animals, diseases, and ideas.
Plants:◦Maize (or corn), sugar cane, and
many morePeople:
◦Enslaved Africans, European and Asian immigrants
The Columbian ExchangeAnimals:
◦Horses, cows, pigs, goats, chickens
Other goods:◦Diseases, ideas, and beliefs
The Columbian ExchangeFrom the Americas to Europe, Africa, and Asia:MaizePotatoBeansPeanutSquashPeppersTomatoCocoa
From Europe, Africa, and Asia to the Americas:WheatSugarBananaRiceHorsePigCowChickensmallpox
Section 4: The Origins of Modern CapitalismCottage industry: the use of
workers at home with their own equipment
Traditional economy: an economy in which the exchange of goods is based on custom
Market economy: an economy in which prices and the distribution of goods are based on competition in a market
The Beginnings of CapitalismCapitalism is an economy based
on the private ownership of property and the use of property to compete for profits, or gains, in a market.
Main goal: to make the largest possible profit!
Key Parts of CapitalismFree market (sellers compete to
supply goods). Supply and demand – the price revolution
Using money to make even more profits
Landownership◦English landowners forced peasants
off the land so they could use it to produce wool for sale. Wool was more profitable than farming.
MercantilismAn economic policy that
promotes building a nation’s strength by expanding its trade.
Goal: bring as much wealth as possible into the country.
Believed the main goal of trade was to make a nation more powerful.
Money from trade paid for strong powerful armies and navies.
Impact of MercantilismSellers’ countries got richerBuyers’ countries got poorer
Trading patterns increasedRaw materials often found in
faraway lands