Consequences of Exploration.

1. Consequences of Exploration. Created by Thomas Doyle and Thomas O’Reilly.

2. The creation of empires in discovered lands. • when a land was discovered, European countries sent soldiers to conquer it. • Portugal founded a colony in Brazil and an empire in Asia. • Spain gained Central America, South America, The Caribbean and a large part of North America.

3. New goods exchanged between Europe and The New World. • Europeans found that crops such as wheat, coffee, cotton and sugar cane grew very well in the new world. • Columbus introduces horses, cattle, pigs and sheep on his second voyage to the new world. • Explorers brought back to Europe coca beans, turkeys, tobacco, corn, vanilla, chilli peppers and the potato from America.

4. The native are forced into Christianity. • The arrival of the Europeans was not good news for the native Indians. Their native religion and customs were forbidden. Spreading Christianity was very important for the Spanish and other European countries. The Aztecs and the Incas were forced to become Christians.

5. How exploration changed the European view of the world. • The coastline of Africa was known and the tip of the continent was reached. • A new sea route was found to the East and the Spice Islands. • The world was much larger than previously thought. • A new continent called America existed. • A vast ocean called the Pacific separated Asia and America. • It had been proved beyond doubt that the world was round.

6. Diseases. • However, the most dramatic impact on the natives was the arrival of new diseases. When the Europeans came into contact with the native Indians they spread new diseases such as smallpox, the flu, measles, typhoid and the bubonic plague. The Indians had no immunity to them and as a result millions died. • The native population of the Caribbean that Columbus first encountered was wiped out by European diseases.

7. The Slave Trade. • The Portuguese began the slave trade with Africa in 1441. • Slaves were needed to work in silver and gold mines and on plantations where crops such as sugar, tobacco and cotton were grown. • At first, the native Indians were used. However millions of them died of disease. • The Spanish and the Portuguese were the first to introduce African slaves to their colonies in the new world.

8. The Slave Trade. • European ships sailed to West Africa where they swapped goods for slaves. Most of these slaves had been captured in war and then sold to the Euroeans. • The slaves were transported to the Americas- a journey that lasted six to eight weeks. This was called the ‘’middle passage’’. • Those who survived were then sold in markets in the Americas. • The ships then returned to Europe with goods such as tobacco, sugar and cotton that were produced using slave labour.

9. When Slavery was Abolished. • The trade lasted 300 years. • 10 million Africans were moved. • 4 to 6 million Africans died on the crossing. • Ended in the British empire in 1807 • Ended in most countries in South America in the 1820’s • Ended in the USA IN 1865

10. Conflict between European powers. • It is not surprising that, with the great wealth and land available as a result of exploration, countries would disagree with each other. Rivalry and wars were bound to happen. • Spain and Portugal were the first to come into dispute over their discoveries. The Treaty of Tordesillas divided the unknown world between them. • The Portuguese guarded the route to the Spice Islands and imprisoned one of Magellan’s ships when they captured it there.

11. Conflict between European powers. • Other countries such as England and France did not recognise the Treaty of Tordesillas. They wanted some of the wealth of the New World for themselves. • The English attacked Spanish colonies. The ships bringing gold and silver back to Spain were particular targets. • The Dutch conquered many Portuguese colonies, including some of the Spice Islands. • Wars later broke out between the Dutch and the English over colonies. • The French and the English were rivals in America, the Caribbean and India.

12. Where we got the information. • We amassed all of this information on our Edco book Timeline!