Module 3: The Age of Discovery and the Impact of European Expansion

During the 15th to 17th centuries, European countries were motivated to explore the rest of the world. Explorers and conquistadors set out to start new colonies, find new trading routes, convert native populations, and find as many resources as possible for the glory of their mother country. As colonies settled in the New World, they created new societies and trading posts. The discovery of these new regions resulted in the exchange of products and ideas between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres in the Columbian Exchange. Trading increased among regions located within the prominent triangular trade as well.

World Map 1596 A.D.

As European countries expanded their empires, so too did the Ottoman Empire, Mughal Empire, China, and Japan. Competition for trading and overseas markets helped to unite the world economically and resulted in the Commercial Revolution.

Pre-Assessment

Before you begin this module, check to see how much you already know about the Age of Discovery. In this non-graded activity, read each statement and decide whether it is true or false. Then, select the appropriate answer and click Submit. Click the player to get started.

Key Vocabulary

To view the definitions for these key vocabulary terms, visit the course glossary.

cash crops	Hernando Cortez	plantation system
Christopher Columbus	indigenous people	Prince Henry the Navigator
Columbian Exchange	isolationism	shogun
Commercial Revolution	Istanbul	Sir Francis Drake
Constantinople	Jacques Cartier	slavery
Ferdinand Magellan	mercantilism	Taj Mahal
Foreign enclaves	Mughal Empire	triangular trade
Francisco Pizarro	Ottoman Empire	Vasco da Gama