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: Could become famous (and rich!) off of exploration
Advances in Technology
Better navigation devices (compass)
Shipbuilding improved (larger, faster ships)

3. The Caravel & the astrolabe

4. 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
Bartolomeu Dias
Vasco de Gama
Pedro Alvares Cabral
Portuguese empire included:
Ports in Africa
Port of Macao (China)
Port of Goa (India)
Brazil

5. Who Started the Age of Exploration?
Spain
Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)
Supported by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
Main Goal: Wanted to seek new routes to the East (India and China)
Christopher Columbus
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
Ferdinand Magellan
Spanish empire:
Philippeans, the majority of the Americas & Pacific Islands

6. Who else was exploring? Looking for northwest passage to India
Britain
The Netherlands
France
Looking for northwest passage to India
Discovers Hudson Bay (New England)
More serious in 1600s
Colonized eastern coast of USA & the Caribbean
Won independence (1648)
Dutch East India Company
Colonized much of eastern US & Brazil
Ousted Portugal from Indonesia
Crossed Atlantic in 1543
Settled in Canada & northern US

8. 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

9. 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

10. Results of the Columbian Exchange
Crops native to Americas became key parts of the European diet (i.e. Potato in Ireland)
Improved health of Europeans and Asians  Increased life expectancy and population growth
New economic activities in Americas (coffee plantations, cattle ranches)
Introduction of new diseases dramatically decreases Native American population

11. 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.

13. 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

14. Additional Consequences of the Age of Exploration
Impact on Native American Population
New diseases killed millions of Native Americans
80% of population died
Colonization leads to need for more workers
Creation of the Atlantic Slave Trade
Caused by decline in Native American population
Needed a labor force
15-20 million Africans to Americas

15. Primary Source Document
Christopher Columbus
Who was this letter written to? Why would Columbus write a letter to them?
What type of language (or word choice) did Columbus use and do you think that the language you use is important?
What types of things were discussed or highlighted in Columbus’ letter?

16. In-Class Group Exercise
In groups of four (or less), come up with a way to ask a king or queen for permission & funds to explore the New World
Be SPECIFIC
Name a specific King or Queen
Name the country you are sailing for & where you want to go
Give dates if applicable
You can…
Write a LETTER: provide the correct structures of a formal letter…remember you’re writing to a KING or QUEEN!
Write a JOURNAL/DIARY entry describing your goals, hopes, aspirations or observation about an exploration
Create a POSTER or ADVERTISEMENT about the benefits of exploration
Other ideas are welcom! Be creative (Just okay an idea with me first)