Age of Exploration

Age of Exploration DBQ Essay • Introduction: The Age of Exploration (1400-1700)had a tremendous impact on the history of the world. Before this, there had been no lasting contact between the New World (the Americas) and the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia). Beginning with the Portuguese in the mid 1400’s, European explorers went on voyages of discovery, in search of gold and glory. The places and people that they came in contact with, as well as the exploring nations themselves, were forever changed.

• Using the documents provided and your background knowledge, answer the following in essay format:
What led to the Age of Exploration AND what were the effects of these new contacts?

o Your essay must reference at least 5 documents provided in the DBQ packet in support of your thoughts. [Documents should be referenced by their title or author.] o Make sure your writing delivers a clear understanding of both the reasons and effects portion of the question. You should be able to name and explain 3 factors that led to the Age of Exploration AND three effects of the Age of Exploration.

o The article should be at least 5 well written paragraphs long (containing an introduction paragraph, three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph). • You will be scored according to the following rubric:

|Area |Description |Point Value |Points Earned |
| | | | |
|Effective Use |The documents were correctly interpreted and used appropriately |20 | |
|of Documents |