One of the important factors that first stimulated European interest in

trade and discovery was

a. The Christian crusaders who brought back a taste for the silks and
spices of Asia
b. The Arab slave traders on the east coast of Africa
c. the Scandinavian sailors who kept up continuous trade contacts
with North America
d. the division of Spain into small kingdoms competing for wealth
and power
A

Portugal begins it all

Start a sailing school, develops caravel (ship), compass, astrolabe
(latitude), rounds Africa's Cape of Good Hope

Spanish and Portuguese set up slave trades

Spanish and Portuguese traders reached West Africa and partnered with
some African groups to exploit local resources and recruit slave labor
for the Americas. Portugal sets up sugar plantations on the tropical
islands off Africa's coast.

Christopher Columbus
Arrived in the Bahamas in October 1492. Discovered the islands of
Hispaniola and Cuba. Named the people there "Indians" because he
thought he was in India.

A new system created

1. Europe would provide the market, capital and technology
2. Africa would provide the labor
3. New World would provide the raw materials (gold, soil, lumber)

Columbian Exchange (From New to Old)

corn, potatoes, tobacco, beans, peppers, pumpkin, squash, tomato, wild
rice and syphillis.

Columbian Exchange (From Old to New)

cows, pigs, horses, wheat, sugar, apples, devastating disease like
smallpox, yellow fever, measles and malaria to which the Indians had
no immunities and to which an estimated 90% of pre-Columbus Indians
died.

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

Portugal and Spain feuded over who got what land. The Pope drew this
line as he was respected by both. Portugal got everything east of the

line (Brazil and land under/around Africa) and Spain got everything
West of the line

Spanish Conquistadores
Through "God, gold and glory", they discovered different places, find
gold/silver, looks for El Dorado (city of gold), spread disease, defeated
the Aztecs and created a new race of people, mestizos, a mix of Spanish
and Indian blood. They conquered the Incas, Aztecs, and intermarried
w/ them.

Encomienda
In Spanish colonies, Indian labor in the encomienda system was where
they were "commended" or given to Spanish landlords. The ideas was
that they would work and be converted to Christianity, but it was
basically just slavery on a sugar plantation/extracting precious minerals
guised as missionary work. It was replaced with African slavery later.

Spain in Florida
Wanted to protect from intrusions of other European kingdoms,
specifically France! Also needed to defend from pirates

What was the effect of new crops in Europe?

Stimulated population growth, while new sources of mineral wealth
facilitated the European shift from feudalism to capitalism (corn and
potatoes)

Improvements in technology/organized methods for conducting

international trade
Led to changes in economies in Europe and the Americas (sextant,
astrolabe, joint-stock company)

French
Robert de LaSalle sailed down the Mississippi River for France and
named the area "Louisiana" for his King Louis. The French had
friendly relationships with Native Americans, dealing in beaver pelts.
They brought diseases, guns, and alcohol, worsening warfare between
tribes. Their settlements never saw huge populations of European
migrants.

Black Legend
The notion that Spaniards only brought bad things (murder, disease,
slavery); though true, they also brought good things such as law
systems, architecture, Christianity, language, civilization, so the Black
Legend is partly, though not completely, accurate

Why did Great Britain fail to colonize in the 1500s?

They were facing internal conflicts (Protestant Reformation, crushing

Ireland's revolt, rivalry with Spain)

At the time of the first colonization efforts, England

a. was struggling under the political domination of Spain
b. was enjoying a period of social and economic stability
c. was undergoing rapid economic and social transformations
d. was undergoing sharp political conflicts between advocates of
republicanism and the monarchy of Elizabeth I
C

T or F: Protestant England's early colonial ambitions were fueled by

its religious rivalry with Catholic Spain
T

Sir Walter Raleigh's Roanoke (1585)

Mysteriously disappears, and English attempts at colonization fail
embarassingly so

Spanish Armada's Defeat (1588)

Elizabeth had recently knighted Francis Drake for pirating Spanish
ships, which angered the Spanish. They attacked Britain, but was
defeated by smaller, more maneuverable English "sea dogs" in the
English Channel. It marks the beginning of English dominance and end
of Spanish dominance. It fueled them to new heights.

Cause: The English victory over the Spanish Armada

Effect: Enabled England to gain control of the North Atlantic sea-lanes,
led to national pride and colonization

Treaty of London (1604)

Ended the intermittent and never officially declared 19-year AngloSpanish War.

Where was England on the Eve of Empire?

Enclosure was fencing in land for farming, meaning no land for the
poor. The woolen districts fell upon hard times, and the workers lost
jobs. The tradition of primogeniture meant that the first born sons
inherit all their father's land. Thus, younger sons tried their luck
elsewhere.

Cause: The enclosing of English pastures and cropland

Effect: Forced numerous laborers off the land and sent them looking for
opportunities elsewhere

Virginia Company founds Jamestown (1607)

In 1606, they receive a charter from King James I to make a settlement

in the New World. They land April 26, 1607 in Chesapeake Bay to
found Jamestown.

Joint-Stock Company
Investors put money into the company with hopes for a good return,
being a forerunner of today's corporations. They usually did not exist
long, as stockholders invested hopes to form the company, turn a profit,
and then quickly sell.