Europeans Set Sail

Leif Eriksson was the first European to reach North America

He and his crew landed in present-day Canada, and then sailed farther south to the island of Newfoundland and what is now New England (in America)

The Vikings left their settlements because of the constant Native American threat

Once they left North America, Europeans didn't return for hundreds of years

Portuguese prince who was responsible for advances that made exploration more successful

He built an observatory, a school of navigation, he also gave money to mapmakers and shipbuilders

He paid for explorations to the west coast of Africa

Europeans wanted to explore the world for several reasons:

Wanted Asian spices

Convert people to Christianity (religion)

Curious abut Asia and its cultures

Sailors began using tools such as the magnetic compass, astrolabe (use stars to know ship's location) which made traveling on the open sea easier

Portuguese made advances in shipbuilding too:

Caravel: a smaller, lighter and easier to steer ship with triangular sails allowing it to sail against the wind

Portuguese navigators:

Bartolomeu Dias reached the southern tip of South Africa, founding the Cape of Good Hope

Vasco da Gama reached southwestern India winning the European race for a sea route to Asia

Start of Atlantic Slave Trade

The slave trade harmed African communities - broke up families, led to increased warfare between African kingdoms

Many enslaved people were sent to Europe and its colonies where they worked under brutal conditions