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XIII. AGE OF EXPLORATION

*—A period of time from 1476 to 1700 when the Europeans sought an all-water
route to the East and discovered new lands. Word for word!
1) New lands = New World = North America, South America, Central America,
Caribbean Islands
2) Event in 1453 that expedited AoE = Fall of Byzantine Empire to the Ottoman
Turks
• Why? Turks raised tolls on roads.
3) Why all water route?
• Cheaper/make more profit
• Faster
• Safer in beginning
4) Why did explorers go?
• Gold (wealth), Glory (adventure & fame), God (spread Christianity)
5) Main nations in beginning: Portugal & Spain
6) Voyage financing à King & Queen supported them, and
Joint-Stock Companies (one voyage only)
• Group of investors = entrepreneurs
• Stock = certificate of ownership
• Dividend = $ divided up at end of voyage
7) New Economic Ideas of AoE:
A. Mercantilism à A country, to be powerful, should try to accumulate as
much gold and silver as possible. Two ways:
• Imperialism (country tries to take over land beyond its barriers)
Ø A.k.a. for imperialism = colonization
Ø Colonies existed to benefit mother country
• Tariffs: taxes on imported goods
B. Capitalism à Based on: “law of supply and demand”
and individual profit
+ A.k.a.: free enterprise system
• Principles of Capitalism:
1. Individual profit
2. Freedom from gov’t interference
3. Private ownership
4. Competition à ?—Is good for consumer
• Have choice, variety
• Lower prices
• Quality
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8) Three advanced civilizations in the Americas

Mayans Aztecs Incas

+ Mexico/Central A. + Yucatan Peninsula + Andes Mts.
+ System of writing: + Irrigation system + System of social order
pictographs + Warriors + Aqueducts, roads
+ Mathematicians + Human sacrifices + Terracing (farming)
+ Astronomers + Tenochtitlan + Main city—Cusco
+ Divided into city-states + Great Speaker: + INCA—Atalwalpa
+ Ended—diseases—crop Montezuma II + Conquered by Pizarro
failure? + Conquered by Cortez
+ Calendar
+ Built pyramids
+ Main city—Tikal

Montezuma’s Revenge—Mexican water that makes light-skinned people sick

9) Exploration
• Bartholomeu Diaz—Portuguese—Explored SE coast of Africa +
reached Cape of Good Hope
• Christopher Colombus—Spain—Found New World but was trying to
find Asia. 4 voyages. First voyage:
• Bahamas—San Salvador—West Indies
• Ships:
1) Nina
2) Pinta
3) Santa Maria
• Leif Erikson—Viking—Established colony in America
Established Vinland—First European to reach New World
• Vasco da Gama—Portuguese—Found 1st water route to East.
Reached India.
• Amerigo Vespucci—Portuguese—Explored S.A., figured out it wasn’t
Asia. “Americas” named in his honor.
• Ferdinand Magellan—Spain—His expedition was first to
circumnavigate the globe.
• Hernando Cortez—Spanish conquistador. Conquered Aztecs.
• Francisco Pizarro—Spanish conquistador. Conquered Incas.

10) Terms
• New World
• West Indies
• San Salvador
• Vinland
• Conquistadors
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• Latin America—Countries of America where the main language is a

Romance language
• St. Augustine, Florida—oldest city in US founded by Spanish in early
1500’s. Founded by Ponce de Leon.
• Jamestown, VA—1st English settlement in New World
• Mestizos—Spanish/Portuguese & Indian descendents. (Mixed-race)
• Plaza—Center of life and community in a mestizo civilization.

11) Results
1. Increase in trade b/c of new goods from New World.
2. Italy began to decline b/c no longer center of trade. (Atlantic Ocean)
3. Atlantic is new highway of trade
4. New economic ideas—Mercantilism & Capitalism
5. New types of businesses—joint-stock companies
6. Wealthy middle class created
7. Money economy (instead of barter)

12) Problems
1. Atlantic Slave Trade à Ashantis (Also known as poor treatment of
natives, according to Williams)
2. News causes for war: land
3. Diseases—Smallpox
4. Inflation—Prices go up but salaries stay same. Due to influx of new
wealth from the New World.