World History One DBQ: Global Exploration & Expansion What were the motivations?

Early Exploration Map

The Following task is based on the accompanying documents 1-13 . Some documents have been edited for this exercise. The task is designed to test your ability to work with historical documents. As you analyze the documents, take into account both the sources of the documents and the purpose of the document and the authors point of view.

Directions:
1. 2. 3. 4. Read the Historical Context & Answer the corresponding worksheet questions Read the Documents & Answer the corresponding worksheet questions Create a Thesis to answer the question presented in the Task Write an Essay to answer the question (The essay requires an outline, Introduction paragraph, 3 supporting body paragraphs and a Conclusion) -orCreate a project which will present an answer to the question (The Project must still integrate a thesis & three items supporting the thesis & a Conclusion)

Historical Context:
Before the 1400s most exploration and trade was conducted on land. Ships were used, but lack of technology made their use limited. Europeans still had access to goods from Africa, the Middle East, India and Asia, but the further away something was the most difficult it was to get and the more expensive it was to buy. (For example salt was worth its weight in gold) In the late 1400s the best technology for sea travel arrived in Europe. Better Sails, Boats and Navigation tools such as the Magnetic Compass and the Astrolabe helped Explorers travel further and faster. Countries with lots of money, such as Portugal and Spain, were able to pay for explorers trips. This is how explorers like Christopher Columbus, and Vasco de Gama paid for their travels. Ultimately these this led to the discovery of the Americas. As we know, despite an Explorers claim of having discovered a place there were always people already living there when the explorers arrived. This exercise is to try to understand why these Explorers went on their trips and why Kings and Queens paid for them to do so.

TASK: Explain three motives which helped start the Age of Exploration
Document 1: Writing of Sir Walter Raleigh 1509 The Discovery of the new Western World followed, as an incidental consequence, from the long struggle of the nations of Europe for commercial supremacy and control of the traffic with the East. In all these dreams of the politicians and merchants, sailors and geographers, who pushed back the limits of the unknown world, there is the same glitter of gold and precious stones, the same odour of far-fetched spices

Document Two: The Landings of Columbus and Cartier

http://ctah.binghamton.edu/student/jaku/caseyprint.html

Document Three: Letter of Christopher Columbus to Luis de Sant Angel, 1493 These lands had been imagined and talked of before they were seen, most men thought they were just an idle tale Because of this voyage their Highnesses will see how I can give them as much gold, spices, cotton, and as many Indian slaves as they choose to send for, if they will give me a little assistance. The eternal and almighty God, our Lord, gives to all who walk in His way, victory over things apparently impossible. Our God has given victory to our most illustrious King and Queen, and to their kingdoms rendered famous by this glorious event.

Document Four: Law of Burgos, 1512 Regulation of the Spanish Crown Whereas, the King, my Lord and Father, and the Queen, my Mistress and Mother (may she rest in glory!), always desired that the chiefs and Indians of the Island of Espaola be brought to a knowledge of our Holy Catholic Faith, it has become evident that nothing can be done to bring them to a knowledge of our Faith (necessary for their salvation) For these reasons and for many others, it was agreed that for their own good the chiefs and Indians should be moved to where we can watch over them. Each Indian will then be required to collect a required amount of gold for five months in the year and, at the end of these five months, the said Indians shall rest forty days we order and command that no person or persons shall dare to beat any Indians with sticks, or whip him, or call him dog, or address him by any name other than his proper name alone

Document Five: Fray Bartolome de las Casas, Bishop of Chiapas The Black Legend, 1542 New Spain [Mexico] was discovered in 1517 and, at the time, great atrocities were committed against the indigenous people of the region and some were killed by members of the expedition. In 1518 the so-called Christians set about stealing from the people and murdering them on the pretence of settling the area. And from that year until this--and it is now 1542--the great iniquities and injustices, the outrageous acts of violence and the bloody tyranny of these Christians have steadily escalated, the perpetrators having lost all fear of God, all love of their sovereign, and all sense of self-respect. Even now, in September 1542, the atrocities get worse by the day, it being the case, as we have said, that the infernal brutality and utter inhumanity of the acts committed have readily increased as time has gone on.

Document Six: "Loss of hand because gold quota not met" Commissioned by B. De Las Casas

Document Seven: European document, unknown author Circa 1580 [The Spanish] "forced the people (that were not used to labour) to stande all the daie in the hotte sunne gathering golde in the sande of the rivers. By this means a great nombre of them (not used to such paines) died, and a great number of them (seeing themselves brought from so quiet a life to such miserie and slaverie) of desperaction killed them selves. And many wolde not mary, bicause they wolde not have their children slaves to the Spaniards."

Document Eight: Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico At the request of the Aztec Prince Ixtlilxochitl, Cortes and his men ate the gifts of food that had been brought to them. They walked into the city, and all the people came to cheer and welcome them. They knelt down and adored them as sons of the Sun, their gods. Cortez was very grateful; he wished to repay their kindness by teaching them the law of God. He told them the emperor of the Christians had sent him here to teach them in the law of Christ. He explained them the mysteries of Christianity. He concluded the lesson by telling them how they were not in Gods grace, and they were here only to save their souls.
Source: Miguel Leon-Portilla, ed. The Broken Spears: Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico. Beacon Press

Document Nine: Letter from Hernando Pizarro (brother of Francisco Pizzaro) to the Royal Audience of Santo Domingo, 1533 When Atahualpa had advanced to the centre of an open space, he stopped, and a Dominican friar, who was with the Governor, told Atahualpa that he was a priest. He said he was sent there to teach the things of the faith if they should desire to be Christians. He showed Atahualpa a book which he carried in his hands, and told him that that book contained the things of God. Atahualpa asked for the book, and threw it on the ground, saying: "I will not leave this place until you have restored all that you have taken in my land. I know well who you are and what you have come for." Then he rose up in his litter and addressed his men, and there were murmurs among them and calls to those who were armed. The friar went to the Governor and reported what was being done and that no time was to be lost. The Governor sent to me; and I had arranged with the captain of the artillery that, when a sign was given, he should discharge his pieces, and that, on hearing the reports, all the troops should come forth at once. This was done, and as the Indians were unarmed they were defeated without danger to any Christian.

Document Ten: Procedures used by Friars in Converting Areas in America Idols, temples, and other material evidences of paganism destroyed Temporary churches build Permanent churches and monasteries build Christian buildings often constructed on sites of destroyed native temples in order to symbolize and emphasize the substitution of one religion by the other Indians supplied construction labor without receiving payment In a converted community, services and fiestas were regularly held in the church building
Source: Based on information from Charles Gibson, Spain in America, Harper Torchbooks.

Document Eleven: Letter written in 1559 by Michele Soriano about Spains interactions with its colonies in the Americas . . . From New Spain are obtained gold and silver, insects that can be turned into crimson dye, leather, cotton, sugar and other things; but from Peru nothing is obtained except minerals. The fifth part of all that is produced goes to the king. Great quantities of gold and silver used to be out in the open; since all of that is gone gold and silver now have to be mined. The work is hard and the Spaniards are not willing to do the work, Natives who have become Christians are not allowed to be forced to do the work because the Emperor freed them. So now it is necessary to acquire negro slaves [enslaved Africans], who are brought from the coasts of Africa. Their masters are making them work too hard and giving them too little to eat, they fall sick and the greater part of them die. . . .
Source: Merrick Whitcomb, ed., The Gold of the Indies 1559, Translations and Reprints from the Original Sources of European History, The Department of History of the University of Pennsylvania

Document Twelve: Patent given to John Cabot by Englands King Henry VII, 1492 To find, discover and investigate whatsoever islands, countries, regions or provinces of heathens and infidels, in whatsoever part of the world placed, which before this time were unknown to all Christians. John and his sons or their heirs and deputies may conquer, occupy and possess whatsoever such towns, castles, cities and islands discovered by them They *must+ pay to us, either in goods or money, the fifth part of the whole capital gained

Document Thirteen: Quote from Seeds of Change by Henry Hobhouse The starting point for the European expansion our of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic continental shelf had nothing to do with, say, religion or the rise of capitalism-but it had a great deal to do with pepper*Pepper+ compromised more than half of all the spice imports into Italy over a period of more than a century. No other single spice came within one-tenth of the value of pepper However, since about 1470 the Turks had been impeding the overland trade routes east from the Mediterranean. As a result the great Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish explorers all sailed west or south in order to reach the Orient. The Americas were discovered as a by-product in the search for pepper.