Why Explorers Explored

Big Ideas Five Reasons for European Exploration Results of Exploration

Many different European countries paid for explorations for many different reasons. Here are just 5 of the reasons why they explored:

First Reason To find a sea route to the spices of Asia

Sea Route in Search of Spices In the 1400s, there was no refrigeration. To prevent meat from spoiling, people drowned their meat in salt to preserve and dry it (like beef jerky). They also used a lot of spices like pepper to cover up the taste of the salted or spoiled meat.

These spices did not grow anywhere in Europe. They were only found in Asian countries like China, Japan, and India (these countries were known together as "The Indies").

Trade routes too and from Europe and Asia

It was very difficult to get the spices from Asia to Europe. Spices had to be brought across thousands of miles of dangerous mountains and deserts by spice traders, with bandits waiting to rob the spice caravans.

Trade routes too and from Europe and Asia

The alternative was to bring the spices by ship. Sea voyage was dangerous due to pirates and storms. The difficulty in getting spices from Asia made spices very expensive.

Reason Two Gold, Silver, and Precious Stones

European rulers fought many wars. These wars were very expensive, they needed a large amount of gold, silver, and precious stones to pay for them. They believed that Asia was loaded with gold, silver, and precious stones, so they decided to find it and bring it back.

Reason Three Expand Knowledge

In the late 1400s, Europeans did not know much about the world. Most of them had never been outside of Europe. Many people thought the world was flat, educated Europeans knew that it was round. The problem was they had no idea how large the world was.

Reason Four Larger Empires

Some European rulers wanted to claim as much land as they could. They wanted to take all of the natural resources from the discovered land and enslave the people that lived there to do their work.

EXPAND CHRISTIANITY EVANGELISM

In the late 1400s, there was only one religion in Europe, Christianity. The European rulers were very religious. They wanted to convert everyone to Christianity.

Results of Exploration Led to increased power and wealth for European powers Christianity and the culture of Western Europe spread throughout the world. The ethnocentric attitudes of Europeans led to the mistreatment of native peoples. Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade began Columbian Exchange

Answer the following questions Name the 5 reasons explorers explored. Why did explorers need to look somewhere other than Europe for spices? Why were spices so valuable? In the late 1400’s what was the single religion in Europe?

Answers (1) For spices (2) Gold, silver and precious stones (3) To expand knowledge (4) They wanted larger empires (5) To spread Christianity

Answers Continued Because there was no refrigeration, spices were needed to preserve food as well as disguise the taste. Spices did not grow anywhere in Europe Christianity

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