DBQ-Mongols,Spanish,India

Until the 12th and 13th centuries, cross-cultural interactions were unprolonged and less in number when compared to later centuries. However, the assimilation of much of the Eurasian landmass into the Mongol empire as well as the later European exploration of the Americas contributed to the creation of prolonged global connections in which the world’s major continents were connected. Two of the most notable developments include the caravel, which aided European explorers in their conquest of the Americas, and the stirrup and composite bow, which the Mongols used to conquer Eurasia and eventually led to the Pax Mongolica. These technological developments had major effects on both societies.
The caravel’s use in the 15th century accelerated interactions between Native Americans and Europeans. The caravel (Doc. 4b) is an agile and maneuverable ship intended to carry goods or weapons and used to explore, conquer, or wage war with other peoples. It was one of the developments in naval technology in the 15th century along with the adaptation of the Chinese magnetic compass. It was utilized by Portuguese sailors, such as Vasco da Gama, who found an all water route to India and traded in the port of Calicut. The caravel ship made it possible for the Portuguese and the Spanish to travel long distances with speed. The caravel is often attributed to having been the technology that helped lead to the colonization of the Americas. It was used by Christopher Columbus who sailed for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, but was of Italian birth. When he arrived in the Americas, he unwittingly began the Columbian Exchange. In this exchange, Columbus brought products like beads and sugarcane to the Caribbean island he christened Hispaniola. Other products that were brought from Europe to the Americas during the Columbian Exchange included horses, other livestock, and wheat. The sugarcane eventually became the main industry of Hispaniola in the 1530’s (Doc. 5) as well as