Unit 4

Age of Exploration

Period from c. 1450-1750 characterized by European global exploration driven by motivations like God, Glory, and Gold.

3 Gs

Motivations for exploration: God (spread of Christianity), Glory (national prestige), Gold (wealth and resources).

Maritime Technology

Innovations such as the compass, caravel, and astrolabe that facilitated long-distance sea travel during the Age of Exploration.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, cultures, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World.

Impact on Europe from Columbian Exchange

Introduction of new crops like potatoes and corn that led to changes in European diets and population growth.

Impact on the Americas from Columbian Exchange

Arrival of European diseases, such as smallpox, which devastated Indigenous populations.

Triangular Trade

System of trade in which Europe sent goods to Africa, Africa sent slaves to the Americas, and the Americas sent agricultural products back to Europe.

Middle Passage

The horrific transatlantic journey enslaved Africans endured, characterized by overcrowding and brutal conditions.

Consequences of Atlantic Slave Trade

Demographic shifts in Africa caused by depopulation and the rise of powerful slave-trading kingdoms.

Maritime Empires

Empires established by European powers like Spain and Portugal during the Age of Exploration, focused on overseas expansion.

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

Agreement that divided the New World between Spain and Portugal along a meridian in the Atlantic Ocean.

Casta System

Social hierarchy in Spanish colonies that classified individuals based on race, privileging Peninsulares over Mestizos and Indigenous people.

Commercial Revolution

A period of European economic expansion, colonialism, and mercantilism that accompanied the Age of Exploration.

Capitalism

An economic system characterized by private ownership of capital goods and the investment of resources for profit.

Political Impact of Exploration

Creation of new empires, shift from land-based to maritime empires, and establishment of colonial systems.

Cultural Impact of Exploration

Spread of Christianity, influences on Indigenous cultures, and exchange of goods and ideas due to increased interactions.