European exploration kicked off a global transformation. Portuguese and Spanish expeditions led the charge, with new tech enabling long sea voyages. Columbus's 1492 trip to the Caribbean sparked a rush to explore and conquer the Americas.
The Columbian Exchange reshaped both hemispheres. Crops, animals, and diseases moved between Old and New Worlds, altering diets and populations. European powers established colonies, setting up trade networks and labor systems that would shape the Atlantic world for centuries.
European Exploration
Age of Discovery and Key Explorers
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Amerigo Vespucci - Vikidia, l’encyclopédie des 8-13 ans View original
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Age of Exploration began in the 15th century led by Portuguese and Spanish expeditions
Technological advancements enabled long-distance sea voyages (improved ships, navigation tools)
Christopher Columbus sailed west in 1492 seeking a route to Asia for Spain
Columbus reached the Caribbean islands , believing he had found a new route to India
Subsequent voyages by Columbus explored more of the Caribbean and Central America
Other explorers followed, including Amerigo Vespucci who recognized the lands as a "New World"
Vasco da Gama successfully reached India by sailing around Africa in 1498
Conquest and Exploration of the Americas
Spanish conquistadors led military expeditions to explore and conquer the Americas
Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire in Mexico between 1519-1521
Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire in Peru between 1532-1572
Explorers claimed lands for their respective European monarchs
Indigenous populations faced devastating consequences from European contact (disease, enslavement, warfare)
Early Colonization and Trade
Columbian Exchange and Global Impact
Columbian Exchange refers to the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, technology, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds
New World crops introduced to Europe and Africa included potatoes, maize, tomatoes, and tobacco
Old World crops and livestock brought to the Americas included wheat, rice, horses, and cattle
European diseases devastated Native American populations who lacked immunity (smallpox, measles)
Exchange transformed agriculture, diets, and populations on both sides of the Atlantic
European Colonial Expansion and Economic Systems
Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 divided the New World between Spain and Portugal
Other European powers (England, France, Netherlands) later established their own colonies
Triangular Trade developed connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas
Ships carried manufactured goods from Europe to Africa, enslaved people from Africa to the Americas, and raw materials from the Americas to Europe
Mercantilism emerged as the dominant economic theory guiding colonial policies
European nations sought to maximize exports and minimize imports to accumulate wealth and power
Colonies were expected to provide raw materials and serve as markets for finished goods
Labor Systems and Social Structures
Encomienda system in Spanish colonies granted conquistadors control over indigenous labor
Native Americans were forced to work in mines and on plantations
System led to widespread abuse and exploitation of indigenous populations
Decline of native populations due to disease and harsh conditions led to increased reliance on enslaved African labor
Plantation economies developed in the Caribbean and parts of mainland Americas
Rigid social hierarchies emerged in colonial societies based on race and place of birth