Coach Kuntz United States History The Age of Exploration Coach Kuntz United States History

Why Explore? The Hunt for Resources -European Kings and Queens sought to increase their power and wealth. -Muslim and Italian merchants controlled trade routes to Asia and Africa. -Asia and Africa offered abundant resources (gold, silver, ivory, spices, and silk). -European leaders needed a new way to get to Asian and African resources!

The First Europeans -In 1000CE, Vikings from Scandinavia traveled to what is present day Canada and explored the continent. -Under the command of Leif Erickkson, the Vikings established the colony of Vinland (“Land of Wine”) because of the wine making grapes that were found there. -The colony was abandoned within a decade of its founding.

Search For A New Route- Portugal -In the early 1400s, Prince Henry of Portugal began to encourage Portuguese sea captains to sail along the southern coast of Africa in an attempt to find a new trade route to Asia, to claim African slaves and gold, and to establish Portuguese colonies in western Africa. - Portuguese explorers began venturing further and further south -In 1497, Vasco da Gama managed to sail around the southern tip of Africa and on to India. The Portuguese were then able to sail to the sources of valuable Asian spices.

Search For A New Route- Portugal (Cont.)

Search For A New Route- Spain - Christopher Columbus believed he could travel west across the Atlantic Ocean and find a much quicker route to Asia. -Wanting to be able to compete in the Asian spice trade, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain agreed to fund the first expedition of Columbus. -Columbus left Spain with three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. After a two month voyage, Columbus landed in the Bahamas rather than in Asia.

Search For A New Route- Spain (Cont.) -After three months of exploring the Caribbean, Columbus returned to Spain and reported on his expedition; he reported on the many new types of food and plant life he found, as well as the gold he believed was there. He also noted that the Taino people that he met could easily be conquered. -Columbus completed three more expeditions to the Caribbean. -In 1493, he established the first Spanish Colony in the Americas, which he called Hispaniola.

The Columbian Exchange -The first voyage of Columbus kicked off a global exchange of goods and ideas. This became known as the “Columbian Exchange”. -This transfer was not always good. The exchange also included a number of diseases which destroyed a majority of the population in the Caribbean and Mexico.