Lesson 1: The Age of Exploration

Key Idea

For centuries, Europeans craved Asian goods like spices and silks. These items were incredibly expensive because they passed through trade routes controlled by Italian and Muslim merchants. To gain wealth and power, rulers in Spain, Portugal, and England funded risky sea voyages, hoping to find a direct sea route to Asia.

These expeditions also had a major religious purpose: to spread Christianity. Missionaries often traveled with explorers to convert people in newly discovered lands. This powerful mix of economic ambition and religious duty launched the Age of Exploration.

Key Idea

European nations wanted to find their own sea routes to Asia, but sailing across the open ocean was dangerous. Sailors could easily get lost or be defeated by harsh weather. They needed better ships and new ways to navigate.

A new ship called the caravel was a major breakthrough. It was small, fast, and its special triangular sails allowed it to sail against the wind. To find their way, sailors also used new navigational instruments like the magnetic compass for direction and the astrolabe to determine their location using the stars.

Key Idea

Spanish conquistadores, or conquerors, arrived in the Caribbean in the late 1400s searching for gold. To get this wealth, they enslaved the native Taino and Arawak peoples, forcing them to mine for precious metals under brutal conditions.

This system was devastating. Overwork killed many, but European diseases like smallpox were even deadlier. Native peoples had no natural protection, or immunity, against these new illnesses, and their populations were nearly wiped out.