I believe many of the motivators for the Europeans to move to and colonize North and South America was due to material gain and religious freedom. First I would like to talk about several of the material gains that were either made or expected to be made in the move to explore North and South America's. When the plans were being set out for the new colonies and the different propels that were laid out some of the ideas that were look at heavily were the material gains. One gain was the level of workload in some areas. It was believed that by moving to the United States that farming living conditions and making a living for themselves would be made much easier. An example of this was the Holland plantation. The settlers of that area could see their lives and the life of their colony decreasing severalty due to the heavy amount of work required and only made harder by area that they lived in. They finally made the decision to leave Holland for the United States after seeing that a lot of their children were becoming decrepit at a young age because they had to take on their own work load but also that of their parents which was too much of a burden for most of them to handle. The also had a problem with their youth for several different reasons would decide to leave their colony and peruse their own goals or just move into a larger city usually getting into trouble and going against most of what they were taught by their parents and their families. The situation that this colony was in though was not felt by most of settlers that chose to explore and colonize the Americas. Some of the other material gains that were looked at and therefore a driving force for some people moving to the Americas were farming. It was known that unlike in most of the other regions at the time land was amply in the Americas at that time. With a lot of the new settlers being farmers this was a great thing for them because it gave them a great chance to buy a large enough piece of land for them to sustain themselves as well as a family at the same time being able to look ahead to their children's future knowing that they would be able to do the same and not have to worry about being able to get land.
Throughout most of the nineteenth century, the United States expanded its territory westward through purchase and annexation. At the end of the century, however, expansion became imperialism, as America acquired several territories overseas. This policy shift from expansionism to imperialism came about as a result of American's experience in the Spanish American War and the Congressional debates that followed the American victory.
Toward the end of pre-colonial times in Europe, due to the fall of Constantinople, many European nations felt the need to find an alternate route to the East Indies. The trade of rare goods such as spices, rice, exotic fruits and silk fabrics were much in demand, but came at extreme prices. In the beginning of the ‘Age of Exploration’, Portugal was in the forefront with the early explorers Henry the Navigator, Zarco and Tristao Vaz Teixeira, and Diogo Silves discovering the Madeira Islands, the Azores, and the exploration of Africa respectively, but King John the II of Portugal was unconvinced by Christopher Columbus’s pleas to fund his plan to sail West to the East Indies. Columbus made many demands for self-profit, including ten percent of any riches with which he returned, and even an ‘Admiralty’. Subsequently, Columbus took his plans to Queen Isabella of Spain. Spain acquiesced, and Columbus set off on his fateful journey. The Roman Catholic Church was very interested in expanding the Christian faith during this time and applied its influence on the monarchy. Religion also played a large personal role as Columbus truly believed that God spoke to him, and guided his hand. Additionally, at this time in Europe, land and food were at a premium. The monarchs of the era were fully aware that the acquisition of more land, slave labor and possible natural resources would greatly increase their power, prestige and subsequent wealth. After learning of Columbus’ successful return and the Treaty of Tordesillas (which divided the New World between Spain and Portugal), King Henry VII of England threw his hat into the ring and sent John Cabot sailing from Bristol on an attempt to find a shorter route to the ‘Indies’. Not to be left out in ...
In the 17th century, Europeans were eager to colonize in the newly discovered world. Europe was willing to invest time, resources and money into expanding their power. Powerful nations such as Spain, France and Britain settled there by this time and subtly encouraged Europe to do the same. Europe sent people overseas to two sections, The Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Chesapeake Colony. At the beginning, every aspect influenced their colonies success such as social, political, economic, and geographic.
There were various reasons why the American Colonies were established. The three most important themes of English colonization of America were religion, economics, and government. The most important reasons for colonization were to seek refuge, religious freedom, and economic opportunity. To a lesser degree, the colonists sought to establish a stable and progressive government.
The pilgrims who settled in New England were in search of religious freedoms which was a major reason for them to leave England. These people believed that no one should be persecuted because of their religious beliefs. Some Protestants wanted to break away from the Anglican church while others wanted to be completely separate. Since there were many reasons for leaving England, there were many reason to go to America and set up the New England colonies. Another main reason for people such as farmers, craftsmen and traders to travel to America was to establish an all around better life. The colonies of Massachusetts and Rhode Island were settled by people in search of religious freedoms or a better overall way of life. They wanted a better
What challenges did explorers and colonists face in what became North America from the 1580’s until the 1630’s? Look at geographical, political, economic, indigenous peoples, climate, diet, etc., anything that presented a challenge to survival and development during this period.
Following Spain and Portugal's first efforts to claim the "New World" for their own, England, France and the Netherlands establish colonies throughout North America, predominantly seeking economic wealth and opportunities with occasional religious intentions. While the Spanish savagely plunder the riches of the natives to satisfy their own greed in this newly untapped world, the English, French and Dutch pursue a seemingly less violent approach through lucrative trade and establishing colonies, to meet their own intentions. In the northern regions of North America (what is today Canada) and the southeast (what is now Florida) occurred the beginning of French and Native American interactions for trade. On the Atlantic coast of what is today much of the Northeastern United States lies the English colonies that dominate their focus on producing tobacco and trading goods for luxurious furs. While there is the presence of a Puritan society that hoped for religious tolerance within the Massachusetts Bay colony, this was one of the few exceptions among the English settlements. In New Amsterdam, a Dutch colony in present day New York, lies a trading and farming community that is solely there to claim a stake in the "New World". Representing Spain, Columbus establishes a gold seeking society motivated in finding riches. As European countries settled vast expanses of territory through North America, each nation shows their desires for economic gains and a presence in the Americas.
Rough Draft Throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth century there was a great expansion into the European exploration and colonization of North America. Many Europeans sought to change their lives in the new world. Here, they could start a new life, and live free of the religious persecution occurring in Europe. The British were one of the main European groups who settled and colonized North America.
Colonization itself was first lead by Spain and Portugal as they searched for riches. England was the next country to follow in suite. Europe had always had an interest in expanding their territories. When land was expanded, they could add a new kingdom and have more power to use. The reason that the people of England wanted to travel was because they were oppressed and were losing their homes and jobs. They were also heavy taxes and reforms from government types and so they were desperate for a way to have land to live on and homes to live in. Many had hope that traveling to the new world would improve their situation.
The European exploration and colonization resulted in commercial expansion of trade in agricultural products between Europe and America. In some time, colonization resulted in religious tolerance and representative government that have for several years encouraged similar developments in other countries. In addition, early European exploration led to redistribution of human populations as magnitude of people from Europe and Africa moved to America. Before the colonization and exploration period, the Native Americans had established a number of forms of social organization.
To begin, Americans moved west because they were hoping to find gold. Many people were willing to give up their lives to move west. The gold rush “ helped colonize
Economic concerns of the British caused the colonization of British North America. Such economic concerns included the opportunity to acquire gold, silver, a North American waterway that would lead directly to China and the Indies, and the prospect of countering Spain's dominance in North America (Boorstin et al. 34). In addition to these economic reasons for colonization, the English were also seeking to obtain the essential "raw materials" in America that they had been previously buying from other European countries for exorbitant amounts of money and gold (Boorstin et al. 34). Great Britain also sought to solve other economic problems through American colonization. For example, England needed to replenish some of its diminishing materials and assets, generate another "market" to export its cargo and merchandise, maintain its powerful navy and "merchant marine" through business with new American colonies, and to provide a new place for the unemployed to settle rather than escalating populace/crime and the economic burden in its own cities (Boorstin et al. 34).
Pull factors, which draw people to another region, included economic opportunities, specifically available resources, as demonstrated by Columbus’ voyages to the Caribbean in search of gold and slaves. The promise of land was a powerful motivating factor, since most settlers during this time period came as indentured servants, who had to work for a predetermined amount of time for another person who paid for their voyages, and, at the conclusion of their term, could obtain a plot of land. Europe was running out of land at this time. The lands in America also offered a solution for the homeless, and a gain of land for the Europeans would represent a gain of power, since European nations wanted to build powerful empires. Religious freedom also served as a pull factor, such as
Colonization is when a country goes to another country and claims political control. The government is thinking about colonizing South America because they are having some hardships. In the mid 1800s, Europe colonized Africa and it created many different negative conflicts. The US government would not want this to happen if they were to take over South America. So as a result, South America should not be colonized because multiple people were killed for resisting and countless people were taken for slavery.
One of the most important events in the history of the last half millennium is the European "discovery" of the Americas. The traditional story of the contact explains the Europeans' eventual success by crediting the superior technology and military prowess of the Europeans. If the traditional story mentions luck at all, it is in explaining the Europeans' good fortune at finding such a sparsely populated "pristine" continent. While it is true that European ship technology was more sophisticated than that of the native peoples of the Americas, European conquering and exploration of the Americas was as much the result of three non-technological factors as of the sophistication of European ship technology. The first was Europe's relative backwardness in comparison to the Middle and Far East, the second was macro-evolutionary factors such as geography and relative lack of natural resources, and the third was plain dumb luck.