Backgrounds and Beginnings
I. Europeans explored parts of the New World as early as the 800`s.
E.g. - Vikings - Denmark, Sweden, Norway.
Explored Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland.
Leif Ericsson - Greenland ----> North America
Others??????
A) Why did it fail?
1)Poor navigation skills -- too far, too soon.
2)Indian attacks - few remains - Ax in Wisconsin,
church ruins in New England.
B) Not considered the real discovery because knowledge of the
New World was limited, forgotten and the settlements failed.
The world was not changed as a result of these discoveries.
II. European events that eventually lead to the discovery of America
A) Fall of Rome - This was a period of chaos and a decline in
civilization in the western world. (476 A.D.)
There were many causes for the fall of the
Roman Empire:
1)External-Barbarian invasions - Huns
2)Internal - Poor government - both emperors and the Senate.
High taxes on the lower classes to support the
upper class.
Loss of values and respect - immorality in
behavior, loss of patriotism, Refusal to
sacrifice for good of nation.
Poor move to the cities and revolt against the
government.
Lead poisoning from water system and eating
materials.
*****The Roman Empire became rotten from within and when the barbarians attacked it collapsed.
B) Dark Ages - Poor communications (roads fell into
disrepair), trade comes to an end, people were
isolated into small groups.
Rule was by violence and force - control by
robbers and thieves.
A vacuum in leadership and government existed
and the Church becomes the center of
authority and the Pope the symbol of unity.
C) Middle Ages - About the year 800 Europe is united into a
loose political and religious organization
known as the Holy Roman Empire. This
happened when the Pope crowned
Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Emperor.
(Christmas Day - 800 A.D.)
The barbarian invasions had ended and a new
social, economic, and political way
of life was developing in large areas of
Europe.
1) Feudalism -economic, social and
political way of life during the Middle
Ages.
Characteristics:
a)Two social classes: Upper - Nobility
and Clergy
Lower - Serfs and
Peasants, priests
and monks.
b) A God-centered world (can you explain
this in an essay?)
c) Strict social order where those lower on
the social scale became vassals to
those higher on the social scale. The
knight protected the serfs and the serfs
worked the land and supported the
knight. The knight in turn was a vassal
to a prince or lord.
d) No social mobility
e) Little trade - people lived on manors
that were largely self-sufficient.
f) Rule and unity came form the Catholic
Church
D) Changes in Europe that lead to the discovery of America
1) Crusades (1100 - 1250) Series of holy wars in the Near East whose
purpose was to regain the holy land from the Moslem
Turks. The first crusade did succeed in the capture
of the Holy Land, however, it soon fell back into
the hands of the Moslem Turks and was never held
again for any length of time. The crusades are
considered a military failure, but a religious
success because the Turks finally allowed the
Christians to return to the practices of pilgrimages
to the Holy Land and no longer attacked them.
2) Effect of the Crusades: They acted as a catalyst in causing
change to take place in Europe at a more rapid pace.
These changes in turn would lead to the discovery of
America.
a) Reawakened interest in learning - art, science,
math, etc. (Renaissance)
b) Created a new market for goods as a result of
the goods the crusaders brought back with
them from the Crusades. (spices, silks,
cottons, tapestries, jewelry) (souvenir)
c) Because of the desire for goods trade developed
between Europe and the Moslem Turks who had a
monopoly on trade with the Orient.
The Italians were the first to take advantage
of this trade and as a result were the first to
experience the Renaissance and also developed
the European side of the monopoly.
(First Renaissance cities - Venice, Genoa)
3) Other Changes in Europe
a) End of feudalism --> serfs and peasants moved to towns -->
growth of cities and the development of a new middle or
merchant class ---> would become the new merchants who
would trade with the Turks.
b) Rise of National States - Because of isolation during the
Dark and Middle Ages, new languages and cultures developed
in Europe. This resulted in the creation of new countries
such as England, Spain, Portugal, France and the Italian
city-states.
These new countries would begin to compete for trade and
this would encourage the new trade routes and exploration.
Portugal and Spain with coasts on the Atlantic and located
on a peninsula were the first to begin the Age of
discovery. (Influence of environment on a way of life)
c) Interest in learning - Renaissance - new interest
developed in the past as a result of the journeys of the
crusaders. This interest focused on new knowledge from
the East as well as interest in the ancient civilizations
of Greece and Rome. New schools opened and new knowledge
increased the curiosity of the people. This led to the
desire to explore.
d) New inventions and discoveries would provide the means to
take the curious to new lands. The clock, compass,
astrolabe would allow ships to sail beyond sight of the
coast and still know how to return and in what direction
they were sailing.
e) The growth of towns and cities led to a need to find
better ways of preserving foods. Salt and spices from the
Far East provided such a solution and this as well as the
chance to make a profit encouraged the middle classes in
the cities to become involved in the trade.
E. Economic Cause for the Age of Discovery
1) Goods desired from the Orient were very expensive in
Europe because they had gone through the hands of many
middlemen and as a result the price of the goods
increased.
2) The price was also high because both the Ottoman Turks
and the Italians had a monopoly on the trade.
3) This resulted in countries like Portugal and Spain
trying to find a direct route to the Orient. They
intended to avoid the middlemen and travel directly to
the Orient themselves.
The Turks prevented this and closed the trade routes to
them. As a result they started to search
for an all-water route to the Orient. This was the
start of the Age of Discovery.
(DO YOU SEE CAUSE AND EFFECT HERE - DRAW A DIAGRAM FOR YOURSELF AND STUDY CAREFULLY. )
(DID YOU CATCH ALL THE NEW VOCABULARY WORDS IN THESE NOTES?)