Social StudiesWeek One

Fourth Grade

What economic factors were both a cause and a result of the Age of

Exploration?

The expansion of international trade was caused by Europeans wanting to obtain spices and other goods from the Far East.

Which country was the first to seek a

water route to Asia?

Portugal, because of Prince Henry the Navigator’s leadership.

What caused Spain to fund Columbus’ trip to the New World?

Economic competition with Portugal. Spain wanted to be the first to find a water route to Asia.

What political factors motivated countries to explore the New World?

European countries were in competition for power and to own new lands. (Competition between nation-states)

What technological factors helped advance exploration?

1. Improvements in navigation including the astrolabe, compass

2. Improvements in shipbuilding – the caravel was a smaller, faster ship

3. Improvements in cartography (mapmaking) taught in the Portuguese School of Navigation.

Explorers were motivated by “God, Gold, and Glory.” What does this phrase mean?

1. Spreading Christianity

2. They wanted to find wealth/riches

3. Countries and explorers wanted to be the first to discover new lands

Who was the Viking explorer from Greenland who settled in Vinland in North American for a short time?

Leif Eriksson

Who sailed for Spain looking for a new, faster route to Asia? He discovered America?

Christopher Columbus

Who sailed for England looking for a quicker route to Asia? He was the first to claim land for England when he landed in Newfoundland.

John Cabot

His expedition was the first to sail around the world. He claimed lands for Spain, but died before the trip was complete.

Ferdinand Megellan

He was a Spanish explorer who traveled throughout the southeastern U.S. He entered through Florida and was the first to see the Mississippi.

Hernando deSoto

He sailed for both England and the Netherlands. He claimed the Hudson River and New York for the Dutch and Canadian lands for England.

Henry Hudson

He explored for France. He explored the Mississippi River valley, and named the area Louisiana, claiming all of it for France.

Robert LaSalle

Identify which countries claimed the numbered

areas.

1 – France2 – Spain3 – Portugal4 – England5 – The Netherlands

Which explorer followed the

highlighted route above?

Hernando de Soto

A

B

C

D

Which explorer followed Route A?

Henry Hudson

Which explorer’s route do the arrows above

indicate?

Leif Eriksson

In what direction did Robert LaSalle travel on the Mississippi River?

He started at its mouth in the north and traveled the whole length of the Mississippi to Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico.

What new plant and animal life did Europeans bring to America from their home countries?

Plant lifeWheat, rice, coffee

Animal lifeHorses, pigs, cows, chickens

How did horses brought by the Spanish improve life in North America?

It made it easier for Native Americans on the Plains to hunt the buffalo. They captured more buffalo quicker, which meant they had more food. Horses made moving their villages easier too.

What plant life did the Europeans take back to Europe from North America?

Corn, potatoes, peanuts and squash: These vegetable improved the diet of Europeans

What diseases did the Europeans bring to North America?

Diphtheria, measles, smallpox, and malaria

What do historians call this exchange of plant life, animal life, and disease between North America and Europe?

The Columbian Exchange