What contribution did improvements in ships and navigation make to historical change? 1 The Age of Exploration
With the help of new ships and methods of navigation: ● The Portuguese explored the coast of Africa, and Vasco da Gama found a sea route to India.
● The Spanish led by Columbus explored the continent of North and South America.
● Portugal and Spain conquered large territories and created powerful empires. ● In their empires, they spread their own language, culture and the Christian religion, whether Catholic or Protestant (see Chapter 7).
2 The slave trade
● About 12.5 million slaves were shipped from Africa to different parts of the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries.
● These slaves worked on the plantations of the European settlers, harvesting cotton and sugar, mining for gold and silver or working as domestic servants (see p. 113).
3 War
Ships were armed with cannons and these led to larger and bloodier battles. ● The Spanish Armada planned to invade England but was defeated by the English Navy in the English Channel. This saved England from invasion.
● The French Navy contributed to the defeat of the British in the Battle of Yorktown, which led to American victory in the American Revolution and to the independence of the country from Britain (see p. 165).
4 Decline of the Mediterranean
● The exploration of North and South America and Africa made the Atlantic Ocean more important that the Mediterranean Sea. Now much of world trade was carried on in the Atlantic.
● As a result, cities along the Atlantic coast – for example, London and Amsterdam – became larger and more important than the Italian cities of Venice and Genoa.
Assessing Your Learning 1.
List two features of the new ships and two features of the new navigation technology that were developed during the Age of Exploration.
2. Which two countries were the first to use the new technology of ships and navigation during the Age of Exploration?
3. What effects had these countries on the countries they explored? 4. How did the new ships and navigation affect the slave trade? 5. How did the new ships and navigation make battles bloodier? 6. Mention one example of those battles. 7. How was the Mediterranean Sea influenced by the new ships and navigation?