(6th) Chapter 2: Section 2

(6th) Chapter 2: Section 2

Early Exploration

Seeking New Trade Routes

Early maps showed that three continents - Europe, Asia, and Africa - were one big landmass. In the 1400s, no one knew that another big landmass - the Americas - was missing from the map. The first European nation to explore the world in the 1400s was Portugal. It did not have a port on the Mediterranean Sea, so it did not take part in the trade between Asia and Europe. Portugal's rulers wanted to find a better way to get gold from West Africa.

Fill in the Blank

The first European nation to explore the world in the 1400s was __________________.

Prince Henry the Navigator

Around 1420, Prince Henry of Portugal set up a "school of navigation" in southwestern Portugal. At the school, astronomers, geographers, and mathematicians shared their knowledge with sailors and shipbuilders. Mapmakers updated their maps as new information came in.

Multiple Choice

Why was Prince Henry of Portugal important to exploration in the 1400s?

• He had a lot of money

• He created a school of navigation.

• He had ships that could sail around Africa.

A Route to Asia

Portuguese ships traveled south along the coast of West Africa. The Portuguese set up trading posts where they traded for gold and ivory. King John II wanted to set up a trading empire in Asia. He believed ships could get to India and China by traveling around Africa.

Multiple Select

The Portuguese set up trading posts where they traded for which TWO things?

• spices

• silk

• gold

• ivory

The Cape of Good Hope

In 1487, Bartholomeu Dias sailed around the southernmost point of Africa. King John called this point the Cape of Good Hope. He hoped that the passage around Africa might lead to a route to India.

Open Ended

How did the Cape of Good Hope get its name?

Vasco da Gama & Pedro Àlvares Cabral

In 1497, Vasco da Gama led the first Portuguese voyage around Africa, across the Indian Ocean and on to India. Several months after Pedro Àlvares Cabral returned home, he left on another voyage to the East. His ships swung so wide around Africa, that they reached what is now Brazil. Cabral claimed this land for Portugal.

Poll

What is the official language of Brazil?

• Spanish

• Italian

• Portuguese

• English

India

He went on to India and returned with spices and other goods. The Portuguese continued their voyages to India. Soon Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, became an important marketplace in Europe.

Multiple Choice

Which explorer reached Brazil while trying to travel around Africa?

• Vasco da Gama

• Bartholomeu Dias

• Pedro Àlvares Cabral

Columbus Crosses the Atlantic

Centuries before Columbus' voyage, northern Europeans called Vikings had already reached North America. In AD 800s or 900s, they visited Iceland and Greenland. Norse sagas, or traditional stories, tell of a Viking sailor named Leif Ericksson who explored a land west of Greenland around AD 1000.

Multiple Choice

What is a Norse saga?

• a video game

• a traditional story

• a Viking

Columbus

By 1492, Spain was ready to look for a way to take part in the riches of the Asian trade. Christopher Columbus had a plan for reaching Asia. He decided to get there by sailing west. He was able to get the Spanish king and queen to sponsor his voyage. They did this because Columbus promised to bring Christianity to any lands he found. They also hoped Spain would become wealthy from trade if Columbus found a way to Asia.

Open Ended

What are the two reasons the king and queen of Spain sponsored (paid for) Christopher Columbus' voyage?

The 3 Amigas

On August 3, 1492, Columbus set out from Spain with three ships - Niña, Pinta and the Santa María. Columbus underestimated the size of the world and how long it should take to reach Asia. After a month at sea, his sailors began to worry. Then, on October 12, 1492, they saw land. The land was part of the group of islands now known as the Bahamas.

Poll

How long was Christopher Columbus' first voyage?

• 2 months

• 1 year

• 12 weeks

Multiple Select

Haiti is connected to which country?

• Bermuda

• Cuba

• Dominican Republic

Oops!

Columbus did not know it, but he had reached the Americas. He believed he reached the East Indies, the islands off the coast of Asia. He called the people living in the Americas "Indians".

Open Ended

Where are the East Indies located?

Three time's a charm!

Columbus made three more voyages. He explored several Caribbean islands and the coasts of Central America and South America. Eventually, it became clear that Columbus had reached a part of the world that was unknown to Europeans, Asians, and Africans.

Poll

Would you have gone on a voyage to a place you think is out there?

• Yes

• No

• It depends. (Be prepared to explain.)