Motivations, Obstacles, & Accomplishments - USI.4a

Motivations, Obstacles, & Accomplishments - USI.4a

Hmmm... "What's over there?" said Europe

Yesterday we learned...

1. Europe lost power and population (people) during the 1300s CE

2. They wanted to gain back the power, land, and wealth they had lost and become even more powerful

3. They lost access to easier trading after the city of Constantinople was captured and needed to find another way to trade

The Capture of Constantinople ----->

European Kingdoms must now find a new route to trade with Asia and Africa.

They can no longer use the Silk Road to become rich quickly

The Silk Road was like a highway made for traders

So what will they do?

They decide to explore and establish new trade routes

This leads us to the next part of our unit....

The First European Explorers

Other than this guy ------------------>

(but that's a story for another day)

The First European Explorers

• During the 1400s, Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal had a new ship designed called a caravel. 

• This ship made sailing and exploring much easier

• The Caravel, along with some extra money from Prince Henry gave the Portuguese an advantage.

The First European Explorers continued...

The Portuguese decided to

- explore the African coast by sailing south

- & build a new trade network to help them become wealthy

They carried goods from Europe to West African empires and sailed further and further around Africa each trip.

The First European Explorers continued...

The Portuguese traded with West Africa including Songhai who had taken over Mali's territory

The Portuguese traded metals, cloth, and other manufactured goods to coastal traders in Africa in exchange for African gold.

 

The First European Explorers continued...

Portugal turned their kingdom into an empire by building forts and trading posts around the coast of Africa. They now controlled this entire trade route!

The Kingdoms of England, France, and Spain heard of Portugal's success and decided to start financing their own trips but looked for a new direction to set sail.

These European Kingdoms thought they could reach Asia by selling West and have a faster trading route than Portugal. By the 1500s CE, what was once unknown becomes...

Poll

What will take the place of the giant Question Mark (?)

• Antarctica

• Australia

• India & China

• North America & South America

The New World

These explorers discovered land after sailing West from Europe and some thought they had landed in the area of Asia called India. (Indians)

Once they realized they had landed on these new continents instead, they began calling it the new world but it took awhile for them to get the maps right...

The Age of Exploration

In order to better understand what happened during this time period of European Exploration, we break it down into 3 parts.

1. The Motivations for Exploration

2. The Obstacles to Exploration

3. The Accomplishments of Exploration

The Motivations for Exploration

GOD = Motivated by spreading Christianity as well as their culture

GOLD = Motivated by increasing their wealth by finding GOLD or trading

GLORY = Motivated by expanding their country’s empire which brings them glory

The Obstacles to Exploration

1. Poor maps and navigation tools

2. Lack of adequate supplies

3. Disease and starvation

4. Fear of the unknown

Accomplishments of Exploration

(European Perspective)

1. The exchange of goods and ideas

between Europeans and American Indians

2. Europeans improved their maps

and navigational tools

3. Claiming new territory for

their country

Multiple Select

Put a check next to each MOTIVATION for European exploration.

• Lack of adequate supplies

• To spread Christianity and the Christian God

• Fear of the Unknown

• To find gold or become wealthy through trade

• To bring glory to their Kingdom through claiming new lands

Multiple Select

Which of the following were obstacles to European exploration?

• Finding gold or trading to become wealthy

• Fear of the unknown

• Lack of adequate supplies

• Disease and starvation

• Poor maps and navigational tools

Multiple Select

Which of the following were the accomplishments of European exploration according to the European explorers?

• Exchanging goods and ideas with Native Americans

• Looking for gold and wealth through trading

• Claiming new lands for their kingdom

• Improved maps and navigational tools

• Poor maps and navigational tools