Unit 1 Age of exploration and Rivals + Slave Trade

Topic 5: Age of exploration

New technology:

• Cartography: map making

• Caravel

• Lateen Sail

• Compass

• Rudder

• Guns and gunpowder

Motivation for exploration: Mercantilism, wanted to create markets for trade, desire for wealth and raw material, fund wars, demand for luxury goods, spread of religion (Jesuits)

Mercantilism: idea of a balance of trade through more exports than imports

Topic 6: Rivals on world stage

Maritime Empires:

Portugal

• Prince Henry: Laid foundations for oversea empire and sponsored exploration to coast of Africa

Spain

• Columbus landed in Bahamas and went to claim a lot of land in Caribbean, NA, SA

• Conquistadors: sent to conquer these empires

• Used diseases to kill

France

• Focused more on trade and less on colonies

Dutch

• Established colonies mainly focused on trade

• Competition with Portuguese in Indian ocean

England

• Focused on colonies where people can move and settle

Tension between Maritime Empires:

• War of Spanish Succession

• 7 years War

• Treaty of Tordesillas: Tension between old pope’s order of colonies south of equator belonging to Portugal and an island in the Caribbean

• Asiento: Contract signed by Spanish crown that granted private companies right to sell African slaves in their colonies

Topic 7: Columbian exchange

Columbian Exchange: The discovery of the New world that propelled trade of goods, diseases, slaves, culture, and religion

• European Dominance

• Diseases spread: Small pox and measles

• Food

• Minerals

Encomienda System: Economic system where enslaved indigenous people will receive religious teachings in exchange for labor (basically slavery)

Topic 8: Atlantic slave trade

Slave Trade: Caused by mercantilist desires and desire for free labor in plantations.

• Realized that the Indigenous people had no immunity to European diseases and looked towards Africa

• Africans had immunity to those diseases

• Middle passage: Tight, harsh, and unsanitary conditions in the slave ships that carried slaves. Some revolted and killed their selves

• Triangle trade: A system of trade from slave trading from Africa to America, then sent goods to Europe.