1. Exploration and Expansion
Mr. White’s World History

2. Big Questions
After we study this section, we should be able to answer the following questions:
What motivated Europeans to explore and expand around the globe?
What technologies allowed them to do this?
How did European societies change because of these explorations?

3. Major Change!
The Renaissance and Reformations had created a new culture in Europe that created new ways of thinking about life, man’s place in the world, and religion.
Exploration and expansion would change the entire world by interconnecting all the different parts of the world, forever

4. God, Gold, Glory
In the early parts of exploration, countries and explorers were motivated by three things: God, gold, and glory
God – Christians desired to spread Christianity to other places around the world
Gold – Merchants desired riches from other parts of the world, gained through trade
Glory – Countries desired to grow and become stronger through exploration and empires

5. Contact Outside of Europe
Europe before the Renaissance had depended on spices, such as pepper and nutmeg, from the east
Arab and Venetian (Venice, Italy) merchants got rich from trading these spices
Many of these traders looked for quicker routes to the east

6. Spreading Christianity
Church leaders also wanted to halt the spread of Islam and spread Christianity
Renaissance thinkers, and their focus on human possibility, also encouraged people to want to expand and explore

7. New Technology Open-water sailing required:
Sailors trained in navigation
Accurate maps
Ocean-going ships
Compass (Chinese) – allowed naval vessels to determine their direction
Cartographers – accurate mapmakers helped chart the seas and coast lines

8. Shipbuilding
Late in the 1400s, ships were outfitted with the lateen sails – triangle shape, enabled ships to sail against the wind
Ships would use multiple masts of different types to make the ships more flexible in sailing
Rudder was moved to the back of the ship to make it more maneuverable
Caravel – incorporated all of these improvements, as well as cannons

9. Lateen-rigged ship

10. Countries that Explored
Portugal – first country to start to explore, looking for a sea route to Asia
Found the southern tip of Africa
Did find an all sea route to Asia
Spain – ruled by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
1492 – Columbus, wanted to sail west to try to find water route to Asia
Struck land in the western hemisphere and “discovered” the New World

11. Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan also was looking for a westward water route to Asia
Crews attempted mutinies, ships were wrecked, eventually they reached the Phillipine islands, where Magellan was killed
The last ship that survived returns to Spain – first to circumnavigate the globe

12. Overseas Empires
Portugal – mainly interested in Africa and Asia, and the spice trade, also Brazil
Spain – came to the Americas to spread Christianity, ran into the Aztecs in Mexico, conquered them
Netherlands (Dutch) – interested in Asia like the Portuguese, traded in Asia and the Pacific islands, also explored around New York for a westward route to Asia

13. France and England
France and England turned toward North America and the Caribbean sea
French – quick profits from trade
English – raw materials from colonies
French – explored much of North America, including Canada
English – some people left for religious freedom (Pilgrims), settled other parts of North America

14. Slave Trade
The slave trade sprang up as new colonies began in the Americas – the triangular trade
Europe to Africa – manufactured goods for slaves
Africa to the Americas – slaves
Americas to Europe – raw materials
The slave trade was brutal, the trip killed many of those who made it, and the conditions were inhumane, cramped, and unsanitary

15. Changing Ideas of Business
To fund these overseas explorations, rich families or companies had to provide funding for them
Joint-stock companies – companies where a person could buy stock in the venture
The goal of business began to change to one of making profits

16. Mercantilism
Mercantilism – a country’s power came from its wealth, so nations should try to become as wealthy as possible
This wealth was often measured in gold and silver that a country owned
Countries could get this by either finding it through mining, or getting it through trade

17. Changing Social Patterns
Merchants began to surpass the nobility in riches and power
Nobility often looked down on these merchants, as their wealth didn’t come from land
Peasants still lived pretty much the same as always

18. The Columbian Exchange
As new trade routes opened up, ways of life changed in the countries that interacted
Europe – sent out wheat, grapes, and livestock to the Americas
Native Americans – exposed Europeans to corn, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, and chocolate
Many of these foods fed Europe’s growing population
Asia and Africa – bananas, coffee, tea, sugarcane, ivory, perfumes, silk, gems
Movement of people and cultures accelerates