What were some of the major African empires we studied, and why is studying them important?
Empires:
- Mali
- Ghana
- Songhai
Importance of Studying these Empires:
- Helps us better understand African culture
- Helps us learn how African culture developed
What were the goals of European explorers? Explain how they tried to achieve each of these goals.
Goals:
- God: They tried to convert the Native Americans to their religion.
- Gold: They tried to find valuable items worth a lot of money
- Glory: They tried to find new passages and areas, hoping their efforts to do so would be recognized.
How did technology affect the age of exploration? (List at least three)
Printing Press: Mass produced books and documents.
- Allowed people to learn about areas outside their own, inspiring exploration.
Astrolabe: Measured the angles of a star to the horizon.
- Helped sailors find their location on the sea.
Compass: Accurately determined direction.
- Allowed sailors to better understand where they were and avoid danger.
Caravel: A smaller ship that could sail faster and could carry more cargo
- Led to the start of Spain’s and Portugal’s search for sea routes to Asia, leading to the European colonization of the Americas.
Compare and Contrast Two European Countries and their Approach to Exploration
Both:
- Catholic; attempted to convert Native Americans to Catholicism.
- Both explored in North America.
- Both established settlement in North America.
- Both tried to find the Northwest Passage
France:
- Respected Native Americans and their culture.
- Explored later.
- Explored in what is present-day Canada and the U.S.
- Knew North America was there and tried to go somewhere near it to find the Northwest Passage.
Spain:
- Attacked the Native Americans, took their land, and spread disease.
- Explored Earlier.
- Explored the Caribbean.
- Accidentally found North America while looking for Asia to find the Northwest Passage.
Discuss at least three European explorers. Identify their name, what country they explored for, and summarize how they contributed to the Age of Exploration.
Explorers:
Christopher Columbus
- Sailed for Spain.
- The first European to lead an exploration of the Americas.
- Enslaved and killed many Native Americans. (the Taino People)
Juan Ponce de León
- Sailed for Spain
- Made the first Spanish landing on the east coast of what is now Florida
- Led to the first Spanish settlement in what is now the United States.
Jacques Cartier
- Sailed for France.
- Found the site of the present-day city of Montreal.
Henry Hudson
- Sailed for England and The Netherlands.
- Found the Hudson River and the Hudson Bay.
Give one critique of the European Explorers.
They treated the Native Americans very poorly.