1. Improving Technology- During the time of world exploration, technology was very limited. The Europeans began developing tools like the Printing Press and Caravel to make life just a little bit easier.
Cause 1. The Printing Press- The printing press was developed to make the copying of writing much much faster. Before the printing press everything had to be written by hand. Also during this time period, people who could read and write legibly, wasn't very common. To copy a 100 page book 12 times the writer would have to hand copy each individual page 12 times. With the Printing Press it could be done much faster, making books more common.
Cause 2. The Caravel- As the Europeans began exploring the ocean more and more, it was taking way too long to travel because if the wind wasn't in the right direction you were either stuck or back-tracked, which wasn't what you wanted. The Caravel was a small, fast sailing ship. The sail of the Caravel could be moved into the direction of the wind.
Cause 3. Canons- With the Europeans traveling more, they were bound to find enemy's at some point, so they developed the canon, which was extremely effective. The canons were able to fit on the bottom deck of the ships, making the Europeans superior in the ocean. They also developed a more effective compass and an Astrolabe, which was a device used to measure the altitude between the horizon and bodies of stars.
Effect 1. Gain of Knowledge- Since the Europeans were exploring and using new devices, the learned and developed better methods in navigation, learned about longitude and latitude, and eventually developed a navigation school. With this new-found knowledge, the Europeans were able to be more superior. Knowledge=Power.
Effect 2. The Triangular Trading System- The Triangular Trading system was a trading system which involved shipping goods from Britain to West Africa to be exchanged for slaves, these slaves being shipped to the American islands and exchanged for sugar, rum, and other commodities, which were in turn shipped back to Britain.
Effect 3. Major World Explorers- With all of the new technology and knowledge the Europeans could explore more, making it possible for the Italian Navigator Christopher Columbus, to discover American in 1492. (Even though he claimed it to be the Indian Islands). It was also possible for Vasco de Gama to sail completely around the world.
2. European Desire for new trade routes- The Europeans needed to seek out more fast and efficient trade routes for spices, gold, silver and much more. This had a major effect in the world as we know today.
Cause 1. Growing Power and Desire- With Europeans growing in power, their desire for spices grew, causing the Europeans to desire new trade routes that were faster and more efficient.
Cause 2. Competition for Trade- With the world's desire for spices growing, the competition for trade also grew. Since the spice traders were a monopoly (the exclusive possession or control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service), spices were very rare and very expensive.
Cause 3. The Turkish people cutting the Europeans off from trade- When the Turks cut the Europeans off from trade, the Europeans had to travel by ship to get to the Spice Islands, making it take much much longer to just get to the spice islands, let alone the duration of getting there and back without getting robber, starving, and or malnutrition.
Effect 1. World Discovery- As the Europeans had to travel by ocean, it lead to the discovery of America. The more they traveled the more the Europeans discovered about the American islands.
Effect 2. Colonization- As the Europeans discovered more about the American Islands, they began colonizing in the islands and growing crops such as sugar cane.
Effect 3. Europeans get more and more rich- As Europeans travel and discover more land and set up colonies, They begin making more and more money and becoming a higher power with more land and more money to afford weapons and war.
3. Conquering Natives- As the Europeans set up colonies in America, they began conquering the natives for slaves on the sugar plantations.
Cause 1. Desire for gold and silver- The Europeans began exploring the American Islands, they began looking for opportunities to make the most money. This is when they began building the sugar plantations.
Cause 2. Advanced Weaponry- As the Europeans explored foreign territories more and more, the need for better weapons raised. They began developing things like cannons and hand guns.
Cause 3. Desire for more land and sugar- When the Europeans discovered sugar in the American Islands they wanted to convert entire islands into sugar plantations and force the natives to grow the sugar.
Effect 1. Entire Islands conquered- After the Europeans discovered sugar in the American Islands, they began building entire islands into plantations and forced the natives to work them.
Effect 2. Spread of disease- As the Europeans began shipping slaves from Africa to the America Islands, more and more disease began spreading through out the entire world.
Effect 3. Social Divide- As the Europeans began using Africans for slaves, a social class arrived and that meant if you had white skin you were automatically superior compared to those with other skin tones. After this, people would deal with this social divide for hundreds of years to come.
Works Cited
1. Meninga, J. (2017). Colonalization. Retrieved from Colonialization .
2. Staff, H. (2009, March 24). Exploration of North America. Retrieved from History.com: http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/exploration-of-north-america
Brown, Jean. (2014, April 8). European Exploration. Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/topic/European-exploration
Thank you for watching!!!
Chelan Lane 2A