Age+of+Exploration

What were the motives for exploration? To find a spice trade to India and import gold and silver from the New World

Explain the role of each of the following in the Age of Exploration:
 * Prince Henry the Navigator- Strong supporter of Portuguese exploration, he sponsored voyages across the Atlantic, around Africa, and started the first schools of Navigation in Portugal.
 * Vasco da Gama- a Portuguese explorer, most famous for being the first European to reach India by Sea.
 * Christopher Columbus- an Spanish explorer, most famous for completing 4 voyages to the New World and initiating the first Spanish colonization of the New World.
 * Hernan Cortes- a Spanish Conquistador, most famous for leading the expedition that led to the fall of the Aztec Empire, the Spanish colonization in Mexico, and importing gold from South America.
 * Ferdinand Magellan- a Portuguese explorer, most famous for being the first European to circumnavigate the globe, passing through both the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean.

What was the significance of the opening of the Atlantic in Europe? The opening of the Atlantic in Europe was significant because it created more exploration which impacted the development of European civilization socially, economically and politically. The Atlantic created exploration because it opened up new trade routes that resulted in new lands and other goods.

What goods were brought to Europe as a result of the opening? As a result of the Atlantic opening in Europe m any items, particularly food, were shipped to Europe once trade was established across the Atlantic from the Americas. Some of the more major items that were brought to Europe included chocolate, tobacco, potatoes, sugar cane, and cotton. Gold and silver were also major exports from the Americas.

What advantages did the Europeans have in their conquest of the Americas? The main advantage that the Europeans had while conquering the Americas was Europe's technology. Native American's had never heard of a gun or been used to riding horses for transportation before Europeans came. This therefore made the Native's interested in them and put them in power with their technology.

How did the Europeans' arrival in the New World impact the indigenous people of that area? The exchange of fauna and flora, of animals, plants, and disease. Columbus brought horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, and chicken. Europeans also brought many new diseases that the Amerindians had no resistance to.

What was the Commercial Revolution? A period of European economic expansion, colonialism, and mercantilism which lasted from approximately the 16th century until the early 18th century.