How Did The Caravel Affect The Atlantic World

The allure of gold and riches in the Atlantic World tempted Europeans to begin and exploring there, but the long journey there was no easy task. A recently developed kind of ship, the caravel, was strong, durable, fast, and maneuverable. Before the caravel was developed, ships were either strong and durable, or fast and maneuverable; because of this, the invention of the caravel was instrumental in getting Europeans to the Americas. The reason that the caravel was so much better than the ships the Europeans had used previously was that mariners attached a triangular sail to the rear mast of the ship, in addition to the large square sails on the front and center masts. This triangular sail provided added protection from the wind and enabled sailors to return to shore from the sea …show more content…
Paper-making techniques and block printing inspired German artisans to put together a printing press, which made information much easier to access. Books were able to be printed accurately instead of transcribed copies that were prone to errors. Because it was so much easier to make books after the development of the printing press, books became cheaper and there were more of them, so more people were able to access books and the information in them. These books included Ptolemy’s Geography, which was utilized by mariners to teach them about the spherical Earth and about maps (Schaller, et al. 14). Lastly, Europeans had developed “techniques of warfare” (Schaller, et al. 15) that enabled them to explore and conquer. Gunpowder was obtained from China and it was used to propel missiles. Later, Europeans had produced an array of firearms that were helpful in “persuading” people of the Atlantic World to trade with them and let them explore American lands. New mining technology caused more iron to be produced, which was able to be made into swords and armor (Schaller, et