Exploration Causes
What were the three main motivations for European exploration?
Gold, God, Glory
What ship was most important to European exploration?
Caravel
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 completed the first circumnavigation of the globe?
Ferdinand Magellan
Name two crops from the Americas that increased Europe’s population.
Corn and potatoes
What was the Middle Passage?
The ocean voyage that transported enslaved Africans to the Americas.
Which groups controlled land trade routes Europeans wanted to bypass?
Italian and Ottoman merchants
How did triangular sails help explorers?
They allowed ships to sail against the wind
Who discovered a sea route to India for Portugal?
Vasco da Gama
What does it mean when a country has a favorable balance of trade?
It exports more goods than it imports.
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.
Caravel (maneuverability, shallow draft) and navigation tools like compass/astrolabe/sextant.
How did Portugal’s early exploration give it an advantage over other European nations?
It established trade routes and outposts first, gaining direct access to Asian goods.
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.
Explain how rivalry between Spain and Portugal led to the Treaty of Tordesillas.
Competition over land claims caused conflict, leading the pope to divide territories.
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 traditions mixed with European and Indigenous cultures, influencing music, food, religion, language, and art.