The Renaissance & Exploration

The color of the day is: Yellow

Origin of Exploration  By the 1400’s the new monarchs of France, Spain, England, and Portugal were seeking new trade routes to Asia. They envied the riches of the Italian cities but could not break the monopoly of the Mediterranean trade with Asia.  Although they did not know much about the geography of India, China and SE Asia they looked for new direct sea routes to them.

Sea Travel New Ideas helped promote sea travel –CARAVEL- newly designed ships capable of sea travel. –New inventions of the compass from India –Newly created maps by through the use study of Greek writings –Spirit of the Renaissance allowed for more risks to be taken by individuals.

Portugal Explorers  Portugal's Prince Henry the Navigator took the lead in European sea exploration beginning in the 1400’s. Began a school for sailing. His explorers navigated down the west coast of Africa.

Portugal Explorers  Bartholomeu Dias & Vasco De Gama- Charted the way around Africa to India

Portugal  Portugal quickly claimed the lands for their own in Africa and Brazil in South America.  In large part because of Prince Henry the Navigator Portugal led the way in Exploration.

Spain  Spain entered the quest for trade. Isabella and Ferdinand were convinced by an Italian sailor that he could Asia by sailing west from Spain.  They funded first expeditions to “America”

Columbus  In 1492 Christopher Columbus become the 1 st European to land in the Bahamas or North America. Believing he had reached the India, he called the people of the land “Indians”

Exploration  He sailed on the three famous ships: –Nina –Pinta –Santa Maria

Exploration

Spanish Explorers  1513 Spaniard Vasco Nunez de Balboa reached the Pacific Ocean crossing central America to get there.

Spanish Explorers  1519 –1522 – Spanish ships under the command of Ferdinand Magellan sailed around South America and across the pacific to the Philippines to complete the first trip around the world.  Magellan was killed in the Philippines.

Exploration

French Explorers  French Explorers sailed up and down the Saint Lawrence River and the eastern coast of North America French sailor Samuel de Champlain established a colony in Quebec in Canada. Eh

French Explorers French sailor La Salle navigated down the Mississippi River to establish New Orleans in 1718.

Colonization  England- In 1607 established the first permanent settlement for England in the “new world”. It was Jamestown in modern day Virginia.  Later founded 13 other colonies which will become the first states of the United State.

Other Explorers  Other explorers claimed land for their countries:  De Soto- Claimed areas in Florida and Cuba  Cortez- Conquered Aztecs in Mexico for Spain  Pizarro- Conquered Incas in Mexico for Spain  Amerigo Vespuchi- Our country named after this famous explorer.  Henry Hudson- claimed areas in Canada and N. America

What were the effects of all of this exploration?

 Led to the establishment of new and powerful societies.  Exchange of new items that greatly influenced the lives of people throughout the world.  Wealth from the Americas resulted in new business and trade practices in Europe.  Europe: –Brought Gold, silver, sugar, potatoes, corn.  Americas: –Cattle, horses, wheat, and sugarcane. The Good

The Bad  Diseases such as smallpox, killed millions of Native Americans.  Slavery was expanded into the Americas. (The stable life based on tradition and family in Africa will be gone)

Atlantic Slave Trade  Around 1500, European colonists in the Americas needed cheap labor and began using enslaved Africans on plantations and farms.  Slavery had existed in Africa for centuries but it was a relatively minor institution. –It wouldn’t be until the colonization of the Americas when that would change.  Europeans saw advantages in using Africans in the Americas. –Many had been exposed to European diseases –Many had experiences in farming and could be taught plantation work. –Less likely to escape b/c they didn’t know the new land.

 Atlantic Slave Trade - the buying and selling of Africans for work in the Americas. – nearly 300,000 Africans were transported to the Americas. –Next century – it climbed to almost 1.3 million –By the time it ended (1870) Europeans had imported about 9.5 million Africans to the Americas.  Many African rulers played a willing role in the Atlantic Slave Trade. –They captured Africans to be enslaved then delivered them to the Europeans in exchange for gold, guns and other goods.

 Africans transported to the Americas were part of a transatlantic trading network known as the Triangular Trade. –Slaves and other goods were carried between Africa, Europe and the colonies in the Americas.  Upon arriving in the Americas, captured Africans were auctioned off to the highest bidder.  Consequences: –Numerous African cultures lost generations of their fittest members –Countless families were torn apart

Europe Rules  The Age of Exploration marks the beginning of a period when Europe dominated much of the world. That period lasted more than 400 years, from the 1500’s to the 1900’s.  The people of Europe had gained political mastery over two huge continents, North & South America.  Europe was also the undisputed masters of the ocean!!!