Exploration Causes
What were the three main motivations for European exploration?
Gold, God, Glory
What ship was most important to European exploration?
Mayflower
Who sailed west in 1492 and landed in the Americas?
Christopher Columbus
What was the Columbian Exchange?
The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and ideas between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
Why did plantations in the Americas rely on enslaved labor?
They required large amounts of labor to be profitable.
Why did Europeans want new trade routes to Asia?
To obtain spices and luxury goods more cheaply
What tool helped sailors determine direction?
Compass
Who started the Jamestown Colony?
East Indian trading company
What was the first Cash Crop in Jamestown? What Cash crop took its place as "King"?
Tobacco, Cotton
What was the Middle Passage?
The ocean voyage that transported enslaved Africans to the Americas.
Who did the European explorers encounter when arriving at North America?
Native American.
How did triangular sails help explorers?
They allowed ships to sail against the wind
What was the route that traded materials for finished goods and slaves?
Atlantic Slave Trade.
When a company has a high demand for a product, they are low in?
Supply
What happened to Native Americans after contact with Europeans, and how did this affect labor needs?
Many died from European diseases, creating labor shortages.
Which motivation for exploration is most clearly connected to national competition, and how is this shown in European actions?
Glory — nations competed for land, power, and prestige through exploration and colonization.
Identify two technological improvements and explain how they made exploration safer.
navigation tools, such as compass/astrolabe/sextant.
Which European Country had the most influence?
England.
Which economic system encouraged countries to maintain a favorable balance of trade?
Mercantilism
Give two reasons Europeans believed Africans were better suited for forced labor than Native Americans.
Disease immunity, farming experience, unfamiliarity with the land.
Which motivation (Gold, God, or Glory) had the greatest long-term impact, and why?
Gold — it led to colonization, forced labor, slavery, and global trade networks.
Explain how advances in sailing technology helped European nations build overseas empires, not just explore.
Improved ships and navigation allowed long-distance travel, trade, colonization, and control of overseas territories.
What document was signed that limited the Power of the King?
Magna Carta.
Explain how mercantilism encouraged European exploration and colonization.
Nations sought colonies to gain raw materials and wealth, increasing exports and power.
Explain one lasting cultural effect of the Atlantic slave trade in the Americas.
African Culture mixing with European culture. (Columbus Exchange)