EXPLORATION FOUNDATIONS OF EXPLORATION The Renaissance had inspired

EXPLORATION

FOUNDATIONS OF EXPLORATION The Renaissance had inspired a spirit of discovery and innovation in Europe They were motivated by three things God, Gold, and Glory. Some explorers were inspired by their faith and sought new lands to spread their faith. The Reformation and Counter. Reformation had left Christians with a new desire to spread their faith as far as possible. Many explorers had heard stories of treasures of far off lands. Some experienced some of them for themselves when other traders brought back luxury goods such as silk, perfume, and other precious metals. Some explorers sought to become famous through their travels by finding a new route to a long sought after location or being the first to discover new lands.

ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY • Some of the advances in technology occurred during the Renaissance and others were brought to Europe through trade with other nations such as the Chinese or the Muslims. • Trade with Muslims brought the astrolabe to Europe to allow sailors to navigate using the stars as their guide. – In addition, sailors also could tell the general direction that they were headed based upon the compass. • Advances in ship making also allowed for sailors to travel farther and quicker. – Larger ships with a deeper hull, called deep-draft ships, allowed for ships to withstand higher waves that made them safer during storms out on the high seas. They also had larger cargo holds to carry more supplies. • The caravel, a new lighter sailing ship, was also essential to exploration because it was highly maneuverable.

PORTUGUESE EXPLORERS • Portugal was the first country to launch large-scale voyages for exploration largely due to Prince Henry, often known as Henry the Navigator. – He was not an explorer himself but rather a supporter of exploration. • Henry sent explorers to the islands in the Atlantic and Africa seeking treasures from those areas. – Ultimately, he wanted to find a water route around Africa to India – Batolomeu Dias was the first to accomplish that goal by sailing around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. • Vasco de Gama set out for India stopping along the African coast to trade. – He was successful and after him many wanted to make the voyage to Africa. – Through their travels to India the explorers were able to set up trading centers there.

SPANISH EXPLORERS • Spain was also eager to seek new routes to the riches of the East – India, China, and the island nations. – King Ferdinand Queen Isabella agreed to pay for the voyage of Christopher Columbus. • Christopher Columbus set out to sail west to get to India instead of the traditional eastward route around Africa. – When he reached the islands off the coast of the Americas he called the people there Indians because he believed he had reached the East Indies. – He returned with exotic items such as gold, parrots, and jewels. – It wasn’t until Amerigo Vespucci sailed along the coast of South America that he realized it was a new land not India. • The Spanish did not realize until Ferdinand Magellan circumnavigated the globe that they would need to cross the America’s in order to get to India.

ENGLISH, FRENCH, AND DUTCH EXPLORERS John Cabot led the first major English exploration to Canada. • He believed he had reached Asia, but later the English realized he had discovered new land. The English led a follow up voyage led by Sir Francis Drake around the tip of South America. • He crossed pass South America before landing in California. • He was the second man to circumnavig ate the globe since he continued to head west to return to Henry Hudson set sail for England to try to discover a passage that could connect England to India without having to travel around South America. • He ended up in the Hudson River in NY and there was nothing but ice so he returned to Britain. Jacques Cartier sailed the first French voyage deep into Canada that he claimed as New France for the French.

THE SPANISH EMPIRE After the new world was discovered the conquering nations scrambled to colonize their claimed lands for economic gain. One way in which the Spanish established the New World was through the encomienda system, or a system in which a colonist was given a certain amount of land a number of Native Americans to work the land for him. The colonist was required to teach the Native Americans about Christianity. The colonists overworked the Native Americans and treated them horribly. Natives were also exposed to serious diseases such as small pox, tuberculosis, and measles. Parts of the New World were established as colonies in which a conquistador, or military leader that fought against the native peoples, to conquer the area and then use it for the economic purposes of their home country. The colonies economy was largely based The most famous on mining gold and silver and were built Conquistadors had conquistadors were by using Native American workers. several advantages Hernan Cortes who over the natives conquered the Aztecs • Bartolome de la Casas sought such as metal protection for the Native Americans and Francisco Pizarro weapons, guns, and suggested using African slaves who conquered the horses. instead which led to the African slave Incas. trade.

THE PORTUGUESE EMPIRE • Early on during exploration the Spanish and the Portuguese signed the Treaty of Tordesillas that drew an imaginary line through the Atlantic dividing up the area in which the Spanish and Portuguese were to be allowed to explore. – The land west of the line (most of the undiscovered land) would go to the Spanish and everything east would go to the Portuguese. • Brazil was the only Portuguese colony but it was hard to maneuver due to the large jungles.

THE FRENCH EMPIRE THE DUTCH EMPIRE • Explorers settled in an area that became known as New France, or Canada. • While there was not any gold or silver in Canada there was a large supply of fur that sold for high prices such as fox, lynx, or beaver. • The French only sent small numbers of traders to New France instead of developing colonies. • Explorers tried to push farther west to see how large the area they conquered actually was. • Dutch colonists were also more interested in trade than establishing populations in their conquered lands. • The only large Dutch colony was New Netherlands in modern day New York. – The French were the first to discover the Mississippi River and use it for trade. – They established Manhattan Island the city of New Amsterdam, which is modern day New York City. • The Dutch were more focused on developing their colonies in other parts of the world that were more profitable for them.

THE ENGLISH EMPIRE • The English set out to establish new colonies in the New World in Jamestown which failed due to the cold and inadequate water and food supplies. • The second group of colonists were the Pilgrims who wanted to establish a new colony because they had been discriminated against in England. • Unlike other exploring nations the English did not trust the Natives and generally kept their distance. BRITISH-FRENCH CONFLICT • The English and the French got into conflict over boundaries between the two colonies. – The English attempted to colonize in the Upper Ohio River Valley that had been previously claimed by the French. • The French, along with their Native American allies, fought for their right for this land – thus it became called the French and Indian War. – It is called the Seven Years War in the rest of the world • The French surrendered and gave the English Canada and all land east of the Mississippi River.

THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE Contact with the two groups – colonists and natives – led to the wide-spread exchange of plants, animals, and disease that became known as the Columbian Exchange. Overtime, the impact of the exchange of foods allowed people in Europe to live longer through cheaper and more plentiful foods such as potatoes and corn. The spread of disease was the most disastrous for the Native Americans did not have natural resistance to many European diseases such as small poxs, measles, influenza, and malaria. Millions of Native Americans died due to exposure to these diseases and the number grew with each new expedition that arrived.

MERCANTILISM AND CAPITALISM • The founding of colonies in the Americas and the introduction of new goods to Europe led to significant changes in the European economy. – Mercantilism: economic principle that a nation’s strength is dependent upon it’s wealth which was measured by the amount of gold and silver that a nation possessed. • Mercantilists believed that wealth could be built in two ways: from extracting gold and silver from their mines, or exporting more goods than it imported from other countries which became known as a favorable balance of trade. – Countries achieved a favorable balance of trade through tariffs that reduced imports, encouraging exports that would sell for higher prices, or control overseas resources of raw materials and precious metals. – Colonies allowed countries access to raw materials and existed only to benefit the home country. • During this time capitalism expanded, or the economic system in which private individuals or organizations seek a profit. – As demand for new goods increased, the prices increased and so did the opportunity for wealth. • Travel to the new world was very expensive and so investors began to pool their money together into joint-stock companies in which investors would buy shares of stock in a company and the stock holders would receive their “share” of the profits earned. – One of the first joint-stock companies was the East India Company to import spices from Asia and eventually the Virginia Company that established colonies in modern day Virginia.

THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE • The shortage of labor in the Americas led to the beginning of the Atlantic Slave Trade. – Europeans needed workers for their plantations, estates where cash crops such as sugar or tobacco were grown. – Europeans used Native Americans at first but they died due to disease, then they used indentured servants but they were expensive and temporary. • Most of the African slaves came from Western African countries and were the results of trade with African tribes for guns and other goods or were kidnapped. – Captured Africans became a part of the triangular trade, or the exchange of goods between Europe, Africa, and the New World. – The Middle Passage, or the route between Africa and the New World, brought Africans to the Americas to be sold as slaves.

• The Middle Passage was a terrifying ordeal where captive Africans were chained together and forced into dark, cramped quarters. – Africans were crowded into such small spaces that they could not sit or stand. – The journey lasted three to six weeks. – As many as 10 -20% of the captive Africans on each ship THE MIDDLE PASSAGE

SLAVERY IN THE COLONIES • Most African slaves in the colonies lived and worked on plantations. – Skilled craftsmen continued their trade under direct supervision of their masters. – Women worked as domestic helpers in the home as servants or cooks. • Owners often inflicted mental as well as physical damage upon the slaves. • Laws were enacted that relegated slaves as property. – Slaves had no rights, no freedom, and were completely controlled by their master. • Slaves turned to religion or focused on their home countries cultural traditions in order to stay hopeful. • Some slaves revolted through slowing down their work or purposefully damaging equipment. – Some slaves were able to flee and establish runaway communities away from the plantations. • The Atlantic Slave trade continued for 400 years and affected as many as 20 million Africans. – Millions of slaves died at the hands of the trade or of brutal ownership. – Slave traders captured the youngest generations of Africans effecting the future leadership of their communities. – The slave trade divided many African communities since capturing fellow Africans for European traders became profitable. • African slaves did contribute to the growth of mercantilism and agriculture in the colonies.