Age of Exploration Chapter Notes | Social Studies for Grade 6 PDF Download

Introduction

The Age of Exploration: Origins

The Age of Exploration began in the 1400s when Europeans​ wanted to find new trade routes.

• People in Europe loved spices, silk, and gold from Asia, but the land routes were long and dangerous.
• Merchants and kings wanted to find faster sea routes to Asia to make trade easier.
• New tools like the compass and astrolabe helped sailors navigate better.
• Ships called caravels were built, which were faster and could sail farther.
• Kings and queens paid for voyages because they wanted wealth and power.
• Religion was also a reason; some explorers wanted to spread Christianity.
• Stories of faraway lands and riches inspired brave people to explore.
• Countries like Portugal and Spain led the way because they had good ports and skilled sailors.
• The Renaissance, a time of learning and curiosity, encouraged people to explore the world.

Portuguese and Spanish Expeditions

Part I

Portugal was one of the first countries to start exploring by sea.

• Prince Henry the Navigator helped Portugal by starting a school for sailors.
• Portuguese explorers wanted to find a sea route to Asia by sailing around Africa.
• Bartolomeu Dias sailed to the southern tip of Africa in 1488, calling it the Cape of Good Hope.
• Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498, making Portugal rich from trade.
• Spain also wanted to find new trade routes and compete with Portugal.
• Christopher Columbus sailed for Spain in 1492, hoping to reach Asia by sailing west.
• Columbus landed in the Americas instead, calling the people he met "Indians."
• Spain sent more explorers to claim land and find gold in the Americas.
• The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 divided the world between Spain and Portugal for exploration.

Part II

Spain continued exploring the Americas after Columbus's voyages.

• Hernán Cortés explored Mexico and conquered the Aztec Empire in 1519–1521.​
• Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire in South America in the 1530s.
• Spanish explorers called conquistadors searched for gold, silver, and new lands.
• Ferdinand Magellan, sailing for Spain, led the first trip around the world from 1519 to 1522.
• Magellan died during the trip, but his crew finished the journey, proving the world was round.
• Portugal kept exploring Asia, setting up trade posts in India, China, and Japan.
• Portuguese traders brought spices, silk, and other goods back to Europe.
• Both Spain and Portugal built colonies, which were lands they controlled far from home.
• These expeditions made Spain and Portugal very wealthy and powerful.

French and English Expeditions

Part I

France and England joined the Age of Exploration later than Spain and Portugal.

• France wanted to find a northwest route to Asia through North America.
• Giovanni da Verrazzano sailed for France in 1524, exploring the east coast of North America.
• Jacques Cartier explored Canada in the 1530s, sailing up the St. Lawrence River.
• France started trading furs with Native Americans in Canada.
• England also wanted to find a shorter route to Asia and gain wealth.
• John Cabot sailed for England in 1497, exploring the coast of North America.
• Cabot thought he found Asia, but he had reached what is now Canada.
• English explorers began fishing near Newfoundland, a place rich with fish.
• Both France and England wanted to challenge Spain and Portugal’s power.

Part II

France built settlements in North America, like Quebec, founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608.

• Champlain was called the "Father of New France" because he helped build French colonies.
• French explorers traded with Native Americans for furs, especially beaver pelts.
• France explored the Great Lakes and Mississippi River, claiming large areas of land.
• England started colonies in North America,​ like Jamestown in 1607.
• Sir Francis Drake sailed for England, exploring the Pacific and raiding Spanish ships.
• Drake was a hero in England but seen as a pirate by Spain.
• England’s colonies grew as more people came to live in North America.
• French and English explorers competed for land and resources in North America.
• Both countries built strong ties with Native Americans to help with trade and survival.

The Columbian Exchange

The Columbian Exchange​ was the sharing of plants, animals, and ideas between the Americas and Europe.

• It started after Christopher Columbus’s voyages connected the two parts of the world.
• From the Americas, Europe got new foods like potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and chocolate.
• These new foods helped people in Europe grow stronger and live longer.
• Europe sent horses, cows, pigs, and wheat to the Americas.
• Horses changed how Native Americans hunted and traveled, especially on the plains.
• Unfortunately, Europeans also brought diseases like smallpox to the Americas.
• These diseases made many Native Americans very sick because they had no immunity.
• The Columbian Exchange also shared ideas, cultures, and technologies between people.
• This exchange changed how people lived, ate, and worked​ on both sides of the world.