Despite the fact that Columbus never found Asia, Ferdinand Magellan still thought he could reach Asia by sailing West Magellan became the first explorer to circumnavigate the Earth (go all the way around)

Cortez conquered the Aztecs Spain sent explorers called conquistadors to the New World to find gold, claim land, & spread Christianity Cortez conquered the Aztecs Pizarro conquered the Inca Spain sent explorers to the New World to find gold, claim land, & spread Christianity Cortez conquered Mexico & destroyed the Aztec civilization Pizarro conquered Peru & destroyed the Incan civilization The influx of gold from America made Spain the most powerful country in Europe during the early years of the Age of Exploration

England, France, & the Netherlands became involved in overseas exploration & colonization as well

Like England, the Netherlands (the Dutch) allowed private companies to fund exploration The Dutch had colonies in America & Africa, but the Dutch East India Company dominated trade in Asia

Columbian Exchange Corn, tomatoes, potatoes, and chocolate Turkey From Europe From The Americas Sugar, wheat, oranges, grapes, and onions Horses, sheep, goats, cows, cats, and rats Diseases: smallpox, typhus, cholera, and measles Corn, tomatoes, potatoes, and chocolate Turkey Gold, Silver, Tobacco, Quinine Columbian Exchange

Triangular Trade Triangular Trade- trading network lasting from the 1600’s to the 1800’s that carried goods and enslaved people between Europe, the Americas, and Africa.

The Atlantic Slave Trade

Origins of the Slave Trade High demand for labor Plantations- estates where cash crops such as sugar or tobacco were grown on large scale. Shortage of Labor Planter had first used Native Americans as workers, but European diseases had killed millions of them Indentured servants were too expensive Diseases kill of local Native American tribes 9,395,000 Origins of the Slave Trade

Middle Passage- the name for voyages that brought enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to North America and the West Indies.

Middle Passage Ship

Statistics on Slave Ships Journey: Lasts 3-6 weeks 10-20% of Africans died on voyage Families broken at auctions Adolescent Males between the ages of 18 – 25 were the most expensive Women were prized because they could reproduce and add to their master’s wealth Statistics on Slave Ships

Effects of the Slave Trade Atlantic Slave trade continues for 400 years 15 to 20 Million Africans shipped to Americas The labor of African slaves helped build the economies of the American colonies African Diaspora- the dispersal of people of African descent throughout the Americas and Western Europe due to the slave trade Effects of the Slave Trade

As a result of the Age of Exploration, European knowledge & influence of the world increased greatly