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By 1415, Portugal had expanded into Muslim North Africa, seizing the port of Ceuta on the North African coast.
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Christopher Columbus reachesa the Caribbean.
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Ferdinand and Isabella appealed to the Spanish-born Pope Alexander VI to support their claim to the lands of the new world. The Pope set a Line of Demarcation.
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Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama rounds Africa and reaches India.
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He used Vespucci's descriptions of his voyage to publish a map of the region, which he labeled America.
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Cortes completes conquest of the Aztecs.
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Magellan's expedition circumnavigates the globe.
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Jocques Cartier explores the St. Lawerence River, claiming eastern Canada for France.
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The Dutch establish the Dutch East India Company.
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British colonists found Jamestown, Virginia.
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First cargo of slaves arrives in Virginia.
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The Dutcvh take Malacca from the Portuguese.
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China's emperor Qianlong begins his reign.
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Olaudah writes a book about his experiences during the Atlantic slave trade.
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The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the French and Indian War.
