CAS HI 214 Lecture 6: Piracy 6.docx
12 Nov 2014
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Discovery of the world; europe begins to explore. Technology: medit calmer than atlantic, don"t know how to navigate to so follow land; new types of ships more capable of more arduous trips, development of cartology (maritime maps) Not seeking to conquer africa or india, etc. ; couldn"t and not interested wanted to look for commercial trading partners, economic expansion. People surprised by size of earth + speedbumps of n. amer + s amer. Made 4 voyages back + forth; believed he actually reached asia. Exported grain + could distill to make whiskey. Hard liquor becomes cheap mass alcoholism social problems. New microbes brought back and forth (ie. syphilis brought to eur. ) Smallpox brought to new world + others (ie. typhus) Horribly deadly, biological means of fighting it off by the native amer. population; 1538, estimated pop of 500. When hispaniola discovered in 1492, estimated 2-3 million. Before: wanted trade partners and after became possessive, wanted to take the land.
