Chapter III Summary and Analysis

The Age of Exploration began as Europeans looked for a way of reaching Asia. Colonies were established in various parts of the world as a result of sea travel. New technology resulted in navigation equipment like compasses and astrolabes, even though they had few maps. There was talk of legendary islands west of Portugal. Maps drawn in the early fourteen hundreds suggested the existence of Cuba, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Florida, but they were wrong in their estimated distances. They began to hypothesize that the world was round.

In 1492, Spain sponsored an expedition by Admiral Christopher Columbus who would sail west to reach Asia. He reached the Bahamas and felt that Asia was beyond the islands. He made a second trip and more people came under Spanish domination. There was an Indian slave business and many smugglers. Other explorers...