Tasha Kittle
History
11-25-11
The Age of Exploration
During the fifteenth and the sixteenth century the states of Europe began their modern exploration of the world with a series of sea voyages. These explorations increased European knowledge of the wider world, particularly in-relation to sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas. These explorations were frequently connected to conquest and missionary work, as the states of Europe attempted to increase their influence, both in political and religious terms, throughout the world. Through their explorations the Europeans also gained control of the spice trade. This accomplishment reduced the price of spices tremendously for the Europeans.With the lands they "discovered" they found new resources and a new market to sell their goods as well.
Europe's conquest and colonization of North and South America and the Caribbean islands from the fifteenth century onward created an insatiable demand for African laborers, who were deemed more fit to work in the tropical conditions of the New World. The numbers of slaves imported across the Atlantic Ocean steadily increased, from approximately 5,000 slaves a year in the sixteenth century to over 100,000 slaves a year by the end of the eighteenth century.

Evolving political circumstances and trade alliances in Africa led to shifts in the geographic origins of slaves throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Slaves were generally the unfortunate victims of territorial expansion by imperialist African states or of raids led by predatory local strongmen, and various populations found themselves captured and sold as different regional powers came to prominence. Firearms, which were often exchanged for slaves, generally increased the level of fighting by lending military strength to previously marginal polities. As the demand for slaves increased with European colonial expansion in the New World, rising prices made the slave trade increasingly lucrative. African states eager to augment their treasuries in some instances even preyed upon their own peoples by manipulating their judicial systems, condemning individuals and their families to slavery in order to reap the rewards of their sale to European traders. Slave exports were responsible for the emergence of a number of large and powerful kingdoms that relied on a militaristic culture of constant warfare to generate the great numbers of human captives required for trade with the Europeans. Areas that were hit hardest by endemic warfare and slave raids suffered from general population decline, and it is believed that the shortage of men in particular may have changed the structure of many societies by thrusting women into roles previously occupied by their husbands and brothers. Ultimately, the international slave trade had lasting effects upon the African cultural landscape.
Portugal and Spain reaped profits from the natural resources and products of their Latin American colonies. They also profited from trading with their colonies. Europeans utilized the Native Americans as labor. They used the encomienda system and mita to sustain a viable labor force. Also, gold and silver from the colonies offered immediate wealth to the Europeans. Products, such as tobacco, sugar, and animal hides were traded to Europe in return for finished products. Spain and Portugal’s Latin American colonies help them the prosper and grown in power and variety of goods.

4) In addition-to just learning about the presence of the lands themselves, these explorations often brought various new species and new cultures of people to light. For example, Cook's voyages brought back a significant amount of information from previously unvisited parts of the world. Methods of navigation and mapping also improved as a result of the travels of people like Prince Henry the Navigator. Prior-to his expeditions, navigators used traditional portolan charts which kept them tied to the shoreline. Among the many goals of his expeditions were to develop a new nautical chart so future sailors could sail out of sight of land. He did so, creating one of the first nautical maps. These would later be further refined by explorers like Vasco De Gama, Columbus, and Cabral. The Age of Exploration served as a stepping stone for geographic knowledge. It allowed more people to see and study various areas around the world which increased geographic study, giving us the basis for much of the knowledge we have today.