Motivational Factors

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Motivational Factors
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Economic Factors

• Motivated Europeans to explore the world.
• International trade began and increased
  throughout the Age of Exploration
• Spices came from the Far East to Europe through
  merchants
• Portugal got tired of trading through merchants
  so they decided to be the first to look for a
  water route.
• Spain then decided to sponsor Christopher
  Columbus to find this unmapped area.

3
Political Factors

• This was a competition between nation-states
  within Europe.
• The Spanish found gold and silver in the new
  world making them the most powerful nation in
  Europe. England, Portugal, and the French became
  very interested in exploration.
• The English monarchs began to send explorers to
  the New World leading them to being the most
  powerful nation in Europe through the settlement
  of North America.

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Technological Factors

• Caravel- smaller faster ships that had triangular
  sails that helped them to move faster in the
  wind.
• Astrolabe- measured the height of sun above sea
  level to better determine how long they could
  sail
• Compass-aided in finding their location on the
  map (also used stars)
• Cartography- making of maps (taught in the
  Portuguese School of Navigation)

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Explorers and Motivations

• Vikings and Spanish

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Motivations

• There were three main reasons that explorers went
  exploring around the world
• God
• Felt that through exploration it would entitle
  them to more religious freedom
• Gold
• Wanted to be the richest nation (Spain began this
  surge)
• Glory
• Wanted to be the best nation

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Leif Eriksson

• Sailed in the year of 1000
• Was a Viking from Greenland
• Sailed the Northern Atlantic Ocean and Settled
  briefly in North America
• When he landed in North America, he called the
  land Vinland
• The Vikings did not get along with many of the
  European countries, so this exploration was never
  made known to European countries, leaving the
  area being known as uncharted

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Christopher Columbus

• In 1492, Sailed for Spain looking for a faster
  route to the Far East
• Sailed west because the Portuguese owned the
  Eastern route around Africa.
• Believed the world was small enough that he could
  reach the Far East by going West
• Columbus did not reach his goal to bring back
  many riches from the Far East
• Instead he discovered the lands and wealth of
  North and South America

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Ferdinand Magellan

• In 1519, First to sail around the world
• Died before his journey was complete his crew
  finished the journey
• He claimed more lands for Spain than any other
  explorer
• His crew proved that sailing around the world
  could be completed, but had a great cost (death)

10
Hernando de Soto

• Sailed to the new world in 1514
• Spanish conquistador
• Explored throughout the Southeastern United
  States
• Claimed this land for Spain

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Motivations and Explorers

• English and French

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John Cabot

• Sailed for England in 1497
• Looking for a faster route to the Far East known
  as the Northwest Passage
• Sailed near the Arctic Circle, but had no success
• He claimed the lands that he encountered for
  England

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Henry Hudson

• In 1607, Sailed for both the Netherlands and
  England
• He was searching for the Northwest Passage
• He claimed what is now New York for the Dutch
• He claimed parts of Canada for England
• The Hudson River and Hudson Bay are named for him.

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Robert LaSalle

• In 1669, Explored for the French
• Found the Mississippi River exploring it to the
  mouth in the Gulf of Mexico
• Named the area Louisiana claiming it for the
  French

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What did they do?
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Spanish

• The conquistadors defeated the Aztecs in Central
  America and the Incas in South America.
• Explorers claimed Florida and the southwest
  region of what is today the United States.
• They called all of this land New Spain.

17
French

• Explored the St. Lawrence River.
• Explored the headwaters and the length of the
  Mississippi River to what is now New Orleans.
• Claimed this land as New France.

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Dutch

• Explorers claimed the area around the Hudson
  River
• Established New Netherlands and New Amsterdam.
• This area today is New York.

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English

• Claimed the coast of North America and parts of
  Canada.
• Based on the explorations of Cabot and Hudson.
• This land was called Virginia and New England.