European Exploration Dbq

1. There were several factors that caused or encouraged European exploration and expansion. The first factor was the Europeans’ long-lasting interest in areas outside Europe. Some writers wrote of an imaginary Christian kingdom in Africa led by Prester John, while other wrote of lands that were rich in resources or were filled with hostile creatures. Muslims long had control of trade routes in Eurasia, but the Mongols reopened the trade routes to Europeans, allowing travelers such as Marco Polo to visit East Asia to find spices and other luxury items. This brings us to our second motive: $$ MONEY $$ and profits. Europeans wanted to find gold and other precious items. Spices were considered extremely valuable by many Europeans and made many

investors rich. The third motive was spreading Christianity. Conquistadors and missionaries went to Central and South Americas to convert natives to Christianity. Maps that were developed by the Europeans became increasingly accurate. The compass and astrolabe ensured that Europeans would not get lost while travelling below the equator. The development of lateen sails and square rigs allowed the Europeans to sail against unfavorable winds. The Europeans also were increasingly knowledgeable when it came to wind patterns.
3.

While the slave trade existed long before the Europeans began to explore other areas, the trade expanded dramatically when the Americas were discovered and cane sugar became popular. Since growing cane sugar required many skilled laborers, more slaves were imported to the plantations to make cane sugar. The diseases the Europeans brought to the New World decimated the native populations, which made it necessary for the Europeans to replace their deceased laborers. Many slaves were bought since many of the slaves died in the cargo ships. As a result of the slave trade, many of the laborers working on the plantations were in fact Africans instead of the natives that were originally living in Central and South

Americas.
5. The British and French colonies in North America share some similarities, but had major differences in other areas. Both Britain and France wanted to establish colonial empires in the New World. Britain and France also depended on their colonies to supply their respective armies. However, many British people emigrated to the 13 colonies in the eastern area of North America, while France was unable to persuade many people to move to Canada, which meant that the populations of the French colonies were small. In addition, France also failed to give proper assistance to the French colonies, which allowed the British to take control of the former French colonies.
7. The economy of the eighteenth century wasn’t truly global since there were still areas that were not involved in trade. For example, Australia as of the 18th century still had no major trading posts. Most of Africa was virtually unaffected by the slave trade. The northwestern part of North America did not have any trading posts or colonies at all. Russia was the one of the few nations not to be involved in the expansion and exploration of the 18th century.
Primary Source Documents
1.

When Albuquerque decided to attack Malacca, he claimed that his primary motives were to serve God and the king of Portugal. According the admiral, expelling the Muslims would be a big favor for God. He considered the Muslims living in Malacca as enemies of God who must be expelled. He was also doing a big favor for the King of Portugal since he was wresting control of the spice trade from the Muslims so that Portugal would benefit from the spice trade. He also was helping to weaken the power of the Ottoman Muslims, which was good for the Portuguese.
3. Cortes was impressed by the appearance of the city of Tenochtitlan and the fact that the Aztecs were able to build such a magnificent city without having to use metal tools. People lived almost as well as the Europeans did in Spain. The city was also rich in precious metals such as gold and silver. Cortes went into great details to describe the riches that Montezuma had. Cortes talked of “reproductions made in gold, silver, [and] precious stones.” (Spielvogel 378) It’s quite obvious that Cortes wanted to pry the riches from the hands of the Aztecs, but he justified the destruction of the Aztec Empire with religion. He called the Aztec nation “a barbarous nation shut off from the knowledge of the God.” (Spielvogel 378) This remark showed how religious people are in Spain, to the point where they would pillage and destroy other nations for not being

Christian.
5. The Frenchman found several things wrong or ugly about the African slave trade. He described the slaves as helpless beings being purchased and sold off by inhuman monsters. He described the living conditions of a cargo holding 300 to 450 ships. He mentioned that the slaves are given horrible meals and are living in a condition that would want to make them commit suicide. He mentioned that once the remaining slaves survive the journey, they would work like animals for the rest of their lives. A slave trader justified his work by claiming that Negroes are inferior to the white people of Europe.
7. The Chinese emperor’s reply to Lord Macartney was a lot more frank and a lot less polite than the King of Tonkin’s reply to Louis XIV. Emperor Qianlong explicitly stated that “this [lifting of trade restrictions] is not in harmony with the state system of our dynasty and will definitely not be permitted.” (Spielvogel 387) As the reader can see, this response will definitely not please Lord Macartney since Macartney wanted the trade restrictions to be liberalized. Unlike the King of Tonkin, the emperor did not take measures to avoid offending Lord Macartney. Given the tone of the emperor’s edict, it can be assumed that the Chinese think of themselves as superior to the European foreigners.