Unit 2 History: Age of Exploration

Age of Exploration

• began in the 1400's

• this time period laid the groundwork for

  • eventual settlement of North America by Europeans

  • the political and cultural formation of the USA

Why were the Portuguese struggling in the 1400s?

• they were poor

• Ottoman Empire blocked their access to land-based trade routes

Henry the Navigator (Portuguese)

• a Portuguese prince

• funded and encouraged exploration along the African coast

Where did the Portuguese first explore?

• southern shore of the Mediterranean,

  • moving toward Africa in search of wealth

What did early Portuguese explorers do along the African coast?

• kidnapped people to sell into slavery in Europe.

What role did African women have in trade?

• any were traders who controlled local markets

Why did African women work with Portuguese traders?

• to gain access to new goods

  • trade connections

  • new markets

Bartolomeu Dias (1488)

•  first Portuguese explorer to round the Cape of Good Hope and enter the Indian Ocean.

Vasco da Gama (1498)

Portuguese explorer who reached India, opening a direct sea route for trade.

Why were spices so valuable?

They added flavor but were mainly used to preserve food.

What were the Spanish mainly looking to do in the Americas?

• Colonize—control land and people (not just trade routes)

• Bring wealth back to Europe

God, Gold, and Glory

The three main motives for Spanish exploration and colonization

What happened when Columbus reached the Caribbean?

• Found very little gold

• but enslaved the Indigenous people he encountered.

Encomienda System

• A formal system used by the Spanish in South America

• Enslaved and forced labor from Indigenous people

How did European explorers view the lands they encountered?

Saw them as new, valuable, and full of profitable opportunities.

What did Europeans believe colonies were supposed to do?

Exist for the benefit and enrichment of the colonizers.

Religious Goal of Colonizers

Convert the inhabitants of new lands to Christianity.

Where did most of the wealth gained by Europeans come from?

Forcing Indigenous people to work as slaves.

What long-term effect is connected to colonization?

a strong link between colonization and the impoverishment of colonized regions.

Magellan’s Impact (Positive)

Opened the world to global transportation, exchange, and settlement.

Magellan’s Impact (Negative)

Helped expand slavery, warfare, pandemics, and conquest across the world.

Hernán Cortés — Arrival

• landed in present-day Mexico

• first interacted with the Mayans on the east coast

Hernán Cortés — Goal

Traveled across land to try to conquer the Aztec Empire.

What was the Aztec Empire like when Cortés arrived?

• huge

• flourishing

• sophisticated

• successful

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish conqueror who targeted the Inca Empire in present-day South America.

What did Cortés and Pizarro both rely on to succeed?

Help from rival Indigenous communities.

How did Cortés and Pizarro interact socially with Indigenous people?

They intermarried with native women.

New Racial Group

Intermarriage between Spanish men and Indigenous women led to a new mixed-race population.

What was one major disadvantage Europeans had?

They lacked manufacturing skills.

What were key advantages Europeans had during exploration?

• strong sailing abilities

• advanced weapons

What role did local, non-European traders play?

They acted as intermediaries between European traders and local craft makers.

Why were translators important during the Age of Exploration?

They helped different groups interact because their cultures and customs were so different.

Treaty of Tordesillas (1484)

• Settled land disputes between Spain and Portugal

  • by dividing the newly discovered lands.

Why were Indigenous populations devastated after European arrival?

They had no resistance to European diseases.

What three factors caused massive Indigenous deaths?

• violence

• enslavement

• disease

What percentage of Indigenous Americans died due to European contact?

about 90%

How did colonization change Spain and Portugal?

• Extremely profitable

• Turned them from poor nations into rich, powerful empires.