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Chapter 1 Section 4. Migration to America. Portuguese Exploration:. The Portuguese will become the early leaders in sea travel. 1419: Prince Henry the Navigator set up a center for astronomical and geographic studies within Portugal.
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Chapter 1 Section 4 Migration to America
Portuguese Exploration: • The Portuguese will become the early leaders in sea travel. • 1419: Prince Henry the Navigator set up a center for astronomical and geographic studies within Portugal. • He brought in mapmakers, astronomers, and shipbuilders from all over Europe. • Goal: The Portuguese began charting the Western coast of Africa with the intentions of finding a trade route to Asia.
Famous Portuguese Explorers: • Bartolomeu Dias (1488): Became the first European to reach the southern tip of Africa (Cape of Good Hope). • This will lead to more voyages around Africa. • Vasco da Gama (1497): Becomes the first European to sail around Africa, into the Indian Ocean, and reach India. • Importance: Found a direct water route to Asia.
Vikings: * Around 700: Vikings (Norse) started to explore into the Atlantic Ocean. • Archeological evidence shows that the Vikings were the first Europeans to arrive in the America’s. • 1,001: Leif Ericson explored the coast of Labrador and Newfoundland. • Their attempt to settle permanently failed because the natives opposed them (More #’s and better weapons).
Columbus: • Mid 1400’s: Christopher Columbus (Italian navigator) becomes interested in sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. • Belief: He can reach India (Far East) by sailing west. • Why: Columbus studied the ancient works of Ptolemy. • Ptolemy: Egyptian mapmaker whose maps showed the basic lines of longitude. They only showed Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Columbus Miscalculates: • He believed that the distance from Spain to Asia was much shorter than it actually is (He could get there in a few days). • 1484: Columbus sought Portuguese financial backing for his voyage. • 1488: He is turned down by the Portuguese because they sailed around Africa. • He will then look to England and France for support. • He is a man without a country to sail for.