| Lesson
In the following activity, your globe will help you better understand
the events that led to the historic expedition of Christopher Columbus
in 1492.
On your globe, locate and circle the following locations:
A portion of Western Europe that includes the countries of the
United Kingdom (of which England is a part), France, Spain, and
Portugal. Center your circle at 45N/7W.
The Molucca Islands (part of the East Indies) at 5S/127E
Eastern China. Center your circle at 35N/112E and include the
cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Jinan, Xi'an, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and
Shanghai.
The Cape of Good Hope 35S/18E
The country of India 20N/75E
The country of Iran (ancient Persia) 33N/50E
All of the above locations will be used in the following activity.
When they are mentioned, refer to them on your globe.
In the revival of learning that occurred during the Renaissance, more
and more Europeans became aware of the rich trade goods that were
available from Asia. As they learned about these goods it was natural
that they should want some of these exotic things for themselves.
In western European countries such as England, France, Spain, and
Portugal, two of the most sought after items were fine silks from China
and spices from the Molucca Islands (also known as the Spice Islands).
Unfortunately for the Europeans, these items were hard to obtain. In
addition to the control of the Middle Eastern trade routes by the
Ottoman Turks, there was another major reason that made it difficult to
transport goods from Asia to Europe. What do you think this reason might
have been? (1.) _____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Use your globe to measure the distance between Spain and the Molucca
Islands. How for is it? (2.) ________________________________________
Not only were Asian goods hard to get, but they were also very
expensive. Middlemen bought and sold the goods many times as they moved
in caravans along the Silk Road or while being transported over land and
sea by way of India and Persia. These numerous sales increased the final
cost of each and every item.
The difficulty of getting Asian goods to Western Europe, along with
the high prices, provided a great economic opportunity for someone who
could find a quicker and less expensive way to move the goods from their
sources to the customer.
The Europeans knew that a direct sea route to Asia, if one existed,
would offer the best opportunity to tap into this wealth. Even though a
sea route might be longer, it would still be faster, and it would
eliminate the numerous middlemen and thus lower the cost of the Asian
goods.
On your globe draw the three sea routes from southern Spain to the
Molacca Islands that would have been possible in the 1400s. Remember,
the Suez Canal and Panama Canal were not built until hundreds of years
later. (3.) ___________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Which of these sea routes do you think would have been the best
choice? (4.) _______________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Why do you think such voyages were not already being made in the mid
1400s? (5.) __________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
In the mid 1400s none of the routes you drew on your globe had been
discovered. Even though most educated people of the time new that the
earth was round, they did not know if the surface of the earth was
mostly land that surrounded the oceans or if the earth's surface was
mostly water that surrounded the lands. As a result, until the
opportunity to grow rich trading in Asian goods came along, there was
not much reason for governments to put up money for risky voyages into
unknown seas.
Imagine that you are the Queen or King of Spain and the year is 1492.
You want your country to grow wealthy by being the first in Europe to
establish direct sea trade with Asia. You have heard reports that your
rivals, the Portuguese, have recently rounded the Cape of Good Hope and
determined that the Atlantic and Indian Oceans are part of the same
large body of water. They are presently planning additional voyages that
might take them all the way to Asia. If successful, these voyages could
enable the Portuguese to gain control of the silk and spice trade into
Western Europe.
Now an Italian seaman by the name of Christopher Columbus is asking
you again to fund an expedition that he claims will enable
him to reach the riches of China and the East Indies by sailing west
beyond the known limits of the Atlantic Ocean. He tells you that he can
make the voyage in just a few weeks. The expedition will
be costly with no guarantee of success, and very few of your close
advisors agree with Columbus. What would be your decision? |
