European Exploration in the Americas (APUSH Unit 1, Topic 3)

Black Death (1347–1351)

A devastating plague that killed over 25 million Europeans; population recovery afterward fueled demand for luxury goods and exploration.

Reasons for European Exploration

Population growth, political centralization (strong monarchies), demand for Asian luxury goods, and desire to bypass Muslim-controlled land trade routes.

Prince Henry the Navigator

Portuguese prince who funded exploration along Africa’s coast to find a sea route to Asia; helped start the Age of Exploration.

Trading Post Empire (Portugal)

A system where Portugal established coastal forts and trade centers (not colonies) in Africa and the Indian Ocean to control trade routes.

Caravels

Small, fast, and highly maneuverable ships used by the Portuguese for trade and exploration; crucial to their success in long voyages.

Astrolabe & Sternpost Rudder

Navigational tools borrowed from Muslim and Chinese innovations; helped European sailors chart their course and control their ships better.

Ferdinand and Isabella

Monarchs who unified Spain under Catholicism, completed the Reconquista in 1492, and sponsored Columbus’ westward voyage.

Reconquista (1492)

The Spanish campaign to drive Muslims out of the Iberian Peninsula; ended the same year Columbus sailed west.

Christopher Columbus (1492)

Italian sailor backed by Spain; sought a westward route to Asia but landed in the Caribbean; triggered European colonization of the Americas.

San Salvador

Island in the Caribbean where Columbus first landed; he mistakenly thought it was part of the East Indies.

"Indians"

Mislabel given by Columbus to the native people he encountered in the Caribbean; reflects European misunderstandings of geography.

Columbus’ Mistake

He believed he had reached Asia by sailing west; in reality, he landed in the Americas, which were previously unknown to most Europeans.

Impact of Columbus’ Voyage

Led to the Spanish colonization of the Americas, enslavement of natives, and beginning of the Columbian Exchange.

Columbian Exchange (Intro)

Massive exchange of goods, people, diseases, and ideas between the Old World and New World starting with Columbus' voyages.