The Age of Exploration Chapter 13

Reasons for Exploration   War and the conquests by the Ottoman Turks reduced the ability to travel by land.   3 G’s – Gold, God, Glory

Portuguese  Portugal takes the lead in exploration.  Gold –Southern coast of West Africa = Gold Coast  Spice –Vasco da Gama (1498), found route to India; made HUGE profits

Voyages to the Americas  Spain –financed Columbus –1492, reached the Indies –Thought he had reached Asia Columbus and Queen Isabella Columbus’s Map circa 1490

Line of Demarcation  Spain & Portugal feared the other would claim the new territories  Treaty of Tordesillas – Spain gets west and Portugal gets east.

Original Treaty of Tordesillas Map

The Race is On!   John Cabot – explores New England coastline for England   Amerigo Vespucci – wrote letters and described what he saw   Hernan Cortes – conquers Aztecs   Francisco Pizarro – conquers Incas

Diseases  Forced labor, starvation, & disease devastated the Native American population –Mexico: 25 million to 1 million –Hispaniola: 250,000 to 500

Columbian Exchange  The exchange of plants and animals between Europe and the Americas

Columbian Exchange  Philippines becomes base for Spanish trade  English establish trade with India and SE Asia  Dutch form East India Company (Competed with English & Portuguese) –Formed West India Company (trade in the Americas) –Established colony of New Netherland  English established Massachusetts Bay Colony (1600’s) – becomes colonial empire

Mercantilism  a nation’s prosperity depended on a large supply of gold/silver b/c it gave a country a favorable balance of trade.

Mercantilism  Nations wanted a favorable balance of trade –Value of exported goods is greater than the value of imported goods –Colonies become very important!  Sources of raw materials and markets of parent country’s finished goods

The Slave Trade  Demand increased w/the European voyages to the Americas –Sugar cane plantations used slave labor b/c disease had killed off the native population  Trading of slaves becomes a major export in the triangular trade (route)

Triangular Trade Route

The Middle Passage  The journey to the Americas that was the middle leg of the triangular trade route –16 th c. – 275,000 –17 th c. – +1 million –18 th c. - 6 million –By the end of the slave trade (19 th c.) over 10 million slaves were shipped from Africa

The Middle Passage  Most slaves were war captives –Most were sold for gold, guns and other goods –Most Europeans never actually “captured” slaves b/c they believed it was too dangerous to go into the hinterland so, local traders actually captured the slaves  Slave trade depopulated many African communities – depriving them of their youngest and strongest men and women