1. The Age of Exploration European’s set Sail Europe experiences a Commercial Revolution as trade with Asia grew The population also grew and 1347 rats on merchant boats infected with Bubonic Plague The Black Death killed about 1/3 of Europe’s population

2. The black death created a labor shortage in Europe causing wages to increase Many major trade centers turned into large cities As the economy grew the need for banks and bankers which led people to began creating joint-stock companies

3. The Renaissance The expanding economy and growth of trade gave some European’s great wealth Money allowed many to become interested in the arts and learning As education became a priority science and technology vastly improved and the instruments created led to the beginning of the race for sea routes to Asia

4. Europe expands trade with Asia and Africa Trade via the sea involved lots of risks but the country that found the way would profit greatly Reasons Own access meant wealth Europeans became interested in the Asian cultures Spread Christianity Portugal takes an early lead when Bartholomew Dias made it around the tip of Africa in which many then followed. One of the first trade goods that the Portuguese took from Africa was Slaves

5. The Race is On

6. Christopher Columbus has a bold idea Columbus was born in Italy but after being rejected by his own country he sells his plan of sailing to Asia going west to the king and queen of Spain Columbus was given command of three ships, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria With his men on the edge of mutiny they spotted land in the Bahamas, this really was a mistake because no one was aware of the America’s

7. Columbus’s return sparks a lot of interest throughout Europe Spain is excited about the wealth of resources to be had, especially gold The rest of Europe is also excited to send it’s own people to set up their own colonies One major conflict arose between Spain and Portugal that had to be settled by the Pope, the Treaty of Tordesillas set up the Line of Demarcation

8. The Race for Trade Routes Portugal takes the lead Vasco de Gama followed Dias and successfully reached Asia by sailing around Africa Cabral lands on the coast of Brazil John Cabot is hired by the King of England set out to cross the Atlantic and landed off the north east coast of Newfoundland Amerigo Vespucci sailed for Spain and explored more of South America Balboa also for Spain was the first to reach the Pacific Ferdinand Magellan a Portuguese captain was the first to sail around South America and reach Asia sailing west(Columbus’s Dream)

9. Unfortunately for him he did not make it for the whole trip he was killed by natives in the Philippines The world now had an Idea of how big it really was

10. Now that the Atlantic was open for trading it brought about some good and some bad exchanges All of Europe now wanted to set up colonies and establish trade The Columbian Exchange introduced both Europe and America to new plants and animals but the European’s also brought diseases that the Native American’s couldn’t fight off The next objective of the European nations was to find a Northwest Passage which was a river route through North America

11. The English, Dutch, and French also joined in looking for the passage BUT IT DOES NOT EXSIST