LG-1: Social Studies

• Religion(God)


  • The Catholic church wanted to stop the spread of Islam. It's role was significant in encouraging the monarchies , especially the Catholic kingdoms of Spain and Portugal, to expand their territories overseas.
• Economic (Gold)


  • The wealth of the country is measured by the amount of gold and silver, this is the mercantilism system that existed then. The mercantilism policy in Europe at that time led to voyages to discover other land sources of wealth.
• Political (Glory)


  • The fame and power sought after will be achieved by gaining new conquered lands.
• The Travels of Marco Polo


     Marco Polo was a Venetian traveler who was the first European to reach China. His experiences were written in a book called "The Travels of Marco Polo". Europeans who read it were encouraged to look for wealth in the East.
• Crusades


  As the Catholics in Europe supported the military expedition, they saw the rich culture of the East, they were attracted by the products and goods, especially the spices.
• Fall of Constantinople

  • Constantinople then served as the shortest route to the East. It was easy for the Muslim Turks to conquer it, because of the conflict between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.
  • Europeans were prevented from going to the East and they imposed high taxes. This added to the determination of Westerners to find another route.
• Monopoly in Trading


    The monopoly of trade with the East was held only by the Italian city-state. Because of this, the benefit of this trade was seen by countries like England, France, Spain, and Portugal, so they started looking for a new route.
• New sailing technologies


  Many discoveries began with much knowledge and wisdom during the Enlightenment period. The compass and astrolabe are two of the most important instruments that helped to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The new design of the caravel vessel was created to withstand the strong winds of any storm.
• Portugal


  • Portugal took the lead in the exploration due to Prince Henry the Navigator's efforts.
  • He gathered information in map-making, excellent ships, and navigational instruments.
  • He built a sailing school and financed voyages to the west coast of Africa
  • As a result, the Portuguese were able to reach Azores, Madeira, Canary, and Cape Verde Islands.
  • Established trading posts
  • Built towers that controlled the trade of gold, ivory, and slaves in West Africa
• Spain


  • King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella financed voyages to find goods, spread Catholicism, and make Spain a powerful nation.
  • They knew that was a direct route that goes east to west.
• Christopher Columbus 


  • An Italian explorer
  • His expeditions with the goal of reaching Japan was funded by Spain, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabelle
  • He believed that the earth was round, so he was convinced that he will reach Asia by going west
  • In 1492, along with this three ships, Pita, Niña, and Santa Maria, landed on Bahamas which he named San Salvador
  • He thought he had reached India, so he called the natives there "Indians"
  • Until his death in 1506, he believed he had reached Asia
• Amerigo Vespucci

  • In 1499, Amerigo Vespucci sailed the Atlantic in 1499, he found out that the land discovered by Columbus was not Asia, but the New World
  • Later on, the New World was called "America" in honor of Amerigo Vespucci.
• Treaty of Tordesillas

  • Setubal, Portugal
  • In June 4, 1494 the Treaty of Tordesillas had divided up the newly discovered world into separate Portuguese and Spanish spheres of influence.
  • The easy route around the Cape of Good Hope was to be reserved for the Portuguese while the route across the Atlantic (except for the eastern hump of South America) was assigned to Spain. 
  • East = Portugal, West = Spain
• Father of New France

  • Samuel de Champlain
  • He was considered the founder of the French colony in the New World because of his establishment in Quebec near St. Lawrence River
  • Began the dominance of fur trade that extended to the Great Lakes
• Dutch West Indies Company


  Company founded in 1621 with the primary goal of exploiting and developing trade opportunities in the Americas, particularly in the Caribbean region and along the western coast of Africa
• Establishment of Dutch West Indies Company


  1. Founded in 1621

  2. Exploiting and developing trade opportunities in the Americas, particularly in the Caribbean region and along the western coast of Africa
• Settlements established by Dutch West Indies Company


  • Trading post at Fort Orange near the Hudson River & the Mohawk River
  • Settlement called New Amsterdam on the island of Manhattan
• New Netherlands


  Lands between Fort Orange and New Amsterdam
• New Netherlands had a good start but was eventually conquered by Charles II of England
• New Netherlands was renamed New York, after the king's brother, the Duke of York
• Dutch West Indies Company (Netherlands)


  • Capitalize on Hudson's discovery
  • In 1624, established a trading post at Fort Orange near Hudson and Mohawk River
  • The lands between Fort Orange and New Amsterdam were called New Netherlands
• Portugal


  • Bartolomeu Diaz - Cape of Good Hope
  • Vasco de Gama - Calicut, India
  • Pedro Cabral - Brazil
• Spain


  • Christopher Columbus - America
  • Amerigo Vespucci - America-New World
  • Vasco Nuñez de Balboa - Pacific Ocean

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  • Ferdinand Magellan - Philippines
  • Juan Ponce De Leon - Florida
  • Hernando Cortez - Mexico

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  • Francisco Pizzaro - Peru
  • Hernando de Soto - Mississippi River