Exam - Free Response 1

Free Response #1: Describe and analyze how overseas expansion by European states affected global trade and international relations from 1600 to 1715.

o Overseas expansion by European states affected global trade and international relations by increasing the appeal to explore, which brought in resources, money, and goods, allowing Europe to become even wealthier than it was with the implementation of taxes and trade, and giving Europe control over the areas being discovered, such as the Americas.

o Animals, spices, food was taken from Europe to Americas. Once things were taken there, America and Europe could trade with each other.

o Explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Hernando Cortez established new areas to trade and explore. Incas and Aztecs were found. Cape of Good Hope was discovered.

o Europe was able to gain wealth by taxing people in the Americas and sustaining how they lived. They could sell goods to them at a high price.

o Europe gained power, and because of the discoveries of multiple places with navigation routes mapped out, trade increased. Relations between countries came into existence because they were communicating through trade.

Overseas expansion by European states was prevalent from 1600 to 1715. With many explorers seeing the work of others take off, they became interested in doing the same and finding what they could in areas such as India, Brazil, and the North America. Specific people such as Hernando Cortez, Francisco Pizarro, and Christopher Columbus used their interest in exploring to discover new places. Overseas expansion by European states affected global trade and international relations by increasing the appeal to explore, which brought in resources, money, and goods, allowing Europe to become even wealthier than it was with the implementation of taxes and trade, and giving Europe control over the areas being discovered, such as the Americas.

Trade was able to increase when trade routes where established between Europe and the newly discovered places, such as America, the Caribbean, and India. Animals were able to be taken from Europe and put in the new world, these animals being pigs, cow, sheep, etc. Spices and food were also taken to the Americas. The Americas could also share the knowledge that it had and its resources with Europe. When the Americas were discovered, trade could begin with the colonies that were established along the eastern shore. Knowing the easiest route to America as drawn out by explorers, trade could be easier than it ever was before. Trade could increase with the number of people that went to the Americas and with the knowledge of the route to get there. By trading, Europe was gaining new resources that could expand its prosperity, power, and rule.

Explorers, such as Christopher Columbus and Hernando Cortez established new areas to trade and explore. The Incas and Aztecs were discovered by Cortez and Pizarro. The Cape of Good Hope was another trade route and place that was discovered. With these places being discovered, and Europe discovering them first, Europe gained power and control. Prince Henry the Navigator was another person who was very much in favor of exploration. Christopher Columbus, one of the main people who established the Americas, was funded by the Queen. He opened up a whole new trade route by discovering the Americas. With all of these areas being discovered, Europe was opening up a multitude of new trade routes. It also had claim on the areas because it was the one that discovered their existence.

The Americas were a major trade route for Europe. With colonies being set up, and parts of Europe claiming many parts of North America, trade could begin. Countries claimed their territory; for example Spain claimed what is known today to be Florida and the Dutch settled in what it now Canada. Europe was able to tax those people that left and moved to the colonies in the Americas. Europe could sell goods to the Americas at a high price because the people living in the colonies needed these goods to live. The trade coming from the Americas could be sold at a low cost to Europe because the makers needed money and wanted their goods to be sold. Europe was able to have a distinct hold over the Americas. It controlled what went on and how trade occurred. The Americas became a major trade route for Europe.

Europe gained power, and because of the discoveries of multiple places, the Americas, the Caribbean, Brazil, and India, and having navigation routes already mapped out, trade increased. Explorers used their drive to discover to discover places that were very beneficial to Europe. Relations between countries came into existence because they were communicating through trade. Europe remained the dominant power because it had control over so much that it had discovered.