Transcript Explorers

Exploration of the New
World
Economic Factors
• Europeans wanted to explore the New
World so they could make money and own
more land.
• New World: North America & South
America
• European Countries: Portugal, Spain, &
England
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Age of Exploration
(1400s – 1600s)
• It was a time when people from different continents and
countries began exploring and trading with each other.
• Merchants from Asia (far east) introduced spices to
people in Europe. They traded spices for a profit.
• Europeans wanted more goods from the East (Asia), but
didn’t want to pay the “middle man.”
• Portugal was the first country to seek a water route to
Asia so they wouldn’t have to pay to have the goods
delivered.
-they were the first to seek a water route to Asia because of
their location on the Atlantic Ocean and their great
leader, Prince Henry
“Prince Henry the Navigator”
• Prince Henry’s goal was to sail around the tip of Africa to
Asia.
-he never went on the voyages
-it never happened during his lifetime
-Portuguese sailor Vasco da Gama reached Asia in 1498,
30 years after Prince Henry died
• Even though his ships never reached Asia, they profited
from things found in Africa.
-they brought home African gold
-participated in the slave trade, the buying and selling of
human beings
• Eventually, the Portuguese also explored the New
World.
Political Factors
“competition between nation-states”
• Spain becomes jealous of Portugal’s new wealth.
• King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella decide to send
Christopher Columbus to explore the New World.
-the Spanish found gold and silver which made them the
most powerful nation in Europe
• England become interested in the New World because of
the gold & silver found by Spain.
• English monarchs decide to send explorers to the New
World.
-over next few centuries, England becomes dominant
country in the settlement of North America
Technological Factors
• Advancements in shipbuilding:
-caravel – a smaller, faster ship with
triangular sails that could sail into the wind
• Improvements in navigational skills
allowed sailors to venture further out to
sea:
-astrolabe – measures the height of the sun
above the horizon
Technology cont.
-compass – tells direction you are heading and
always finds true North
• The reading of stars/constellations helped
sailors navigate at night.
-they were able to plot their location and course
• cartography – the art of map making
-it allowed them to share their knowledge of
the world with others
-it was taught at the Portuguese School of
Navigation
-cartographer – person who makes maps
What were the three reasons a
man might decide to volunteer to
become an explorer?
God, gold, and glory
PART II: Explorers
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VIKINGS
• Leif Eriksson – a Viking from Greenland
-he sailed the northern Atlantic Ocean & settled in
North America for a short time
-he called North America “Vinland”
-the Vikings didn’t have a good relationship with
other Europeans, so they didn’t share their
discovery
-because of this, North America remained
unknown to most Europeans
Eriksson’s Route
Viking Ship
Spanish Explorers
1). Christopher Columbus
• sailed for Spain looking for a new & faster route to the
Far East
• he sailed west because the Portuguese controlled the
eastern route around Africa & because he thought the
world was small enough to do so
• he was NOT 1st person to believe world was round –
most educated people of the time thought this, too
• he did NOT reach his goal to bring back riches from the
far east
-INSTEAD, he discovered the lands and wealth of North
and South America
In 1492, Columbus
sailed the ocean blue.
(He sailed the oceans 4 times.)
Columbus’ 3 Ships
Nina, Pinta, & Santa Maria
2). Ferdinand Magellan
• 1st expedition to sail around the world
(1519-1522)
• he was killed before the journey was
complete, but his expedition claimed more
lands for Spain
• his crew proved sailing around world was
possible, but at great costs
3). Hernando de Soto
• Spanish Conquistador – a Spanish
conqueror who came to the Americas in
the 1500s
• He explored the southeastern United
States & claimed its land for Spain
English Explorers
1). John Cabot
-sailed for England
-was looking for a quicker route to the Far
East known as the Northwest Passage (he
never found it because it doesn’t exist)
-he claimed all land he found for England
John Cabot’s Voyages
2). Henry Hudson
-he sailed for both the Netherlands and
England
-while searching for the NW Passage, he
claimed & mapped New York and Canada
-New York: claimed for the Dutch
(Hudson River & Hudson Bay named for
him)
-Canada: claimed for the English
French Explorer
1). Robert LaSalle
-explored for France
-he explored the Mississippi River to its
mouth in the Gulf of Mexico
-he named the area Louisiana, claiming it for
France
LaSalle’s Routes
The motivation of most explorers was
“GOD, GOLD, and GLORY”
for themselves & their countries.