1. The Age of Exploration

2. Causes of Exploration
Renaissance ideas of humanism and intellectual progress
God: Reformation and Counter-Reformation create desires to convert people to religions
Gold: Desire for Luxury Goods and Wealth
Glory: Stood to become famous (and rich!) off of exploration
Advances in Technology
Better navigation devices (compass)
Shipbuilding improved (larger, faster ships)

3. Who Started the Age of Exploration?
Portugal: Prince Henry the Navigator funded many expeditions to the Atlantic Ocean and Africa
Main Goal: Find a water route around Africa to India
Spain: Supported by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
Main Goal: Wanted to seek new routes to the East (India and China)
Other European Countries will eventually start exploration
England
The Netherlands
France

4. Consequences of the Age of Exploration
Colonialism
one country taking over and settling in land in another region
Starts a larger trend of Europeans moving to the Americas
Columbian Exchange
Global exchange of goods, plants, animals and diseases between the Americas and Europe

5. The Columbian Exchange
From Europe, Africa, and Asia to the Americas
From the Americas to Europe
Cattle
Chickens
Donkeys
Horses
Pigs
Bananas
Sugar
Coffee
Diseases: Smallpox, Influenza, Measles, Cholera
Guinea Pigs
Turkeys
Beans
Chocolate
Corn
Potatoes
Pecans
Pineapples
Rubber
Tobacco
Tomatoes
Vanilla

6. Mercantilism Theory that a state’s power depended on its wealth
Mercantilism fueled colonialism under the belief that a large empire was the key to wealth
Sought to export more than import- balance of trade
Image: Adam Smith
Mercantilism
Theory that a state’s power depended on its wealth
Bullion – measure of wealth
Balance of trade – export > imports
Mercantilism is the economic theory that a nation's prosperity depended upon its supply of gold and silver, that the total volume of trade is unchangeable. This theory suggests that the government should play an active role in the economy by encouraging exports and discouraging imports, especially through the use of tariffs. The economic policy that flourished in the early modern period is often referred to as mercantilism or as the mercantile system. These ideas stemmed from bullionism, a theory that precious metals equal wealth.
The term was coined by the political economist Adam Smith in 1776, from the Latin word mercari, which means "to run a trade", from merx, meaning "commodity". It was initially used solely by critics, such as Smith, but was quickly adopted by historians
Smith’s Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations studied the development of industry and commerce in Europe, and helped to create the academic discipline of economics.

8. 2 ways to gain wealth/power
Extract gold/silver from your (or others who you have conquered) mines
Sell more goods to other countries to get their gold
- Balance of Trade: difference in value between imports and exports over time

9. Results of the Columbian Exchange
Crops native to Americas became key parts of the European Diet (Potato in Ireland  later Potato Famine causes many to die)
Improves health of Europeans and Asians b/c of better food choices  Increase life expectancy and population growth
New economic activities in Americas (coffee plantations, cattle ranches)
Introduction of New Diseases dramatically decreases Native American population

10. Additional Consequences of the Age of Exploration
Impact on Native American Population
New diseases killed millions of Native Americans
90% of population dies
Colonization leads to need for more workers
Creation of the Atlantic Slave Trade
Caused by decline in Native American population
Needed greater work force  look to Africa
15-20 million Africans to Americas

11. CCOT Question (choose one)
1) Pick ONE of the following regions and analyze the continuities and changes in the region’s connections to the world trading systems from 1450 to Be sure to explain how alterations in framework of international trade interacted with regional factors to produce continuities & changes throughout the period.
China, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, or Middle East
2) Analyze the social and economic transformations that occurred in the Atlantic world as a result of new contacts among Western Europe, Africa, and the Americas from 1492 to 1750.