The Age of Exploration

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)

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

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

The Columbian ExchangeFrom Europe, Africa, and Asia to

the Americas

• Cattle• Chickens• Donkeys• Horses• Pigs • Bananas • Sugary• Coffee• Diseases: Smallpox,

Influenza, Measles, Cholera

From the Americas to Europe

• Guinea Pigs• Llamas• Turkeys• Beans• Chocolate• Corn• Potatoes• Rubber• Tobacco

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

Additional Consequences of the Age of Exploration• Impact on Native

American Population• New diseases killed

millions of Native Americans• 90% of population dies

• 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