When the Europeans had discovered America, the possibilities for them were endless. Although mistakenly discovered, it greatly aroused the curiosity of many European explorers. There were new opportunities for them to expand, and in more than just one way. Chances to spread religion, boost their economy, and help themselves politically. As soon as Columbus returned, the pope issued a decree saying the world itself was an inheritance of Christianity. Spain and Portugal, the two main Christian powers at the time, set out to spread Christianity all across the world following the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. What better place to start then with the new found land of the Americas. As soon as the Europeans figured out a reason, they began …show more content…
This created a large amount of wealth, and more and more markets and ports began to appear across America. A supply had been created and demand followed, creating economic success. Merchants and their ships increased and carried materials such as cloth and wool between European and American ports, and an economic boom with a steady population increase to show for it. This pushed exploration further in all directions, and they now had plenty of reasons to continue expansion. From the initial dominance of Christianity to the Protestant Reformation, religious cause for navigating toward America suited both sides. The political causes were justified in the monarchies interest in the new land, creating a way to expand their control, but eventually leading to war among one another. Economically, the Europeans benefited extremely well, and for that reason alone gave them a strong incentive for colonization in America. The three causes all relate with one another, and one cause relies heavily on another. The Europeans exploration had not expected to encounter such an opportunity, but with it came the success that eventually laid out the plans of America to be something beyond what they thought
labor. Eventually, this had lead to Spain’s failure and resulted in a time of "rapid inflation
Europeans came to America out of a desire for gold, God, and glory. Many notable explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Hernando Cortez traveled to the New World and encountered native populations. Columbus tried to convert
The Europeans were originally unaware that the Americas even existed. Explorers had accidentally landed on North America centuries before the discovery of the New World. Christian Crusaders played an important role in the indirect discovery; they wanted to have the goods that they had no previous knowledge of.
The reason America was discovered in the first place was because Columbus was looking for a water route to Asia. Columbus was sailing to avoid the tax and unfriendliness of the Ottoman empire. When Columbus realized that he was not in Asia and instead was in an whole new world basically, he sent captured indians back the Pope to show him that the Natives could be used for labor. After this, many conquistadors flooded to America looking for wealth and profit. Some well known conquistadors we're Hernan Cortes, who took over the Aztec Empire and all of their wealth and sent it back to Europe. Francisco Pizarro was an conquistador who dominated the Incas and sent the gold and silver back to Europe. Many other Spanish people saw the wealth was brought back and thought they could get in on the loot also. Colonization boomed after wealth came back to Spain. Another example of why wealth was an motivator for colonization is the population increase in Europe. Since more people we're being born, landlords we're profiting off lending land to serfs. With all the money the landlords we're gaining, they wanted to spend that money on new, luxurious items such as cotton and sugar. Since the demand for these products we're high, more and more people flooded to America to gain the new exotic items that we're not previously available. Both religious conversion and desire for wealth had an significant impact on the lives of Native Americans and
The very reason that Columbus himself sort forth on his voyage was to spread Catholicism. The French saw that they had the potential the trade with them, the English simply wanted the land they occupied, the Spanish saw the Indians as a form of labor, they also believed they could bring the Indians closer to the Spanish god. The Spaniards had a very difficult time converting the natives as their religion was very different from the one that the natives had been practicing. They believed that these “savages” were worshipping devils and they had to be saved. Cortes, forced Christianity upon the Indians and as he “cleansed” the temples of the idols, breaking them in public. Anyone who opposed the conversion was thought to be guided by Satan himself. The ecomienda system as well as the policy of repartimiento were instituted by the Spanish. The Spanish King Ferdinand also passed the Law of Burgos which were lays that said how the Indians were to be treated. He basically said that the Natives either had to choose to convert to Catholicism under their own free will or force will be used against
The history and culture surrounding America’s pre-colonization is often forgotten to our presidents and our tax rights. However, the natives whom have been impacted have not forgotten this. The Cherokee people have held on to the basics of their way of life and customs, while being forced to incorporate white culture into their daily lifestyles.
The two things that prompted Europe towards exploration and later on colonization was religious conflicts and trade. An example of how religious conflicts prompted Europe towards exploration was the Spanish victory against the Moors. During the 18th century, the Moors, Islamic invaders from North Africa, began to conquer Spain. But throughout the next centuries, Spanish Christians started to reconquer these lands and as a result, they began to organize new independent kingdoms. This religious conflict helped to unite Isabella and Ferdinand. As a result, this unification created a new leadership and power which allowed them to launch Columbus’s voyage. Another religious conflict that prompted European exploration and colonization was the Protestant revolt in Northern Europe which is also known as the Protestant Reformation. This revolt which took place in the early 1500s was when Northern European countries revolted against the Pope’s authority which eventually resulted in religious wars. This conflict inspired Catholics and Protestants to explore the Americas, Asia, and Africa to spread their own version of Christianity. Another factor that prompted exploration was trade. Trade prompted exploration because since the land route to Asia had been captured by the Ottoman Turks, European kingdoms could no longer use it and had to search for new routes for trade. As a result, these kingdoms began to look for new trade routes by exploring through the ocean. In hopes of finding a
The Spanish, British, and French were just three of the many European countries who came to the Americas. However, the three of them did not have all the same goals, with this newly discovered land. On the surface it may seem that the three countries just wanted to expand their empires, and make new settlements, but there was other motives to moving to the Americas, and some of them were not too great.
The Europeans began their explorations of the Americas between 1492-1682 because they started to think America as the “New World”. The Americans had what the Europeans wanted and needed. Between 1492 and 1682 in America, the Europeans went out to search for riches and other goods. Since the Europeans were in a lot of war, they needed money to pay for the war and weapons. They thought America had what they needed, which was goods and riches such as gold. They made up their mind and went to America to bring back riches. Another reason was when a religious group of Roman Catholics went to the New World to practice their religion. The group didn’t want to be persecuted, so they traveled to America to also expand their religion. Back in Europe in the late 1400s, there was only one religion, and it was Christianity. The Europeans wanted people to believe in only Christianity,
The discovery of the Americas greatly impacts the European countries as people, like the Spaniards and the Portuguese, began to expand their power and settlement there. A long time ago, around the time when America was discovered, Europe was going through a great religious change. There were lots of disputes in Europe about the Roman Catholic Church and its teachings. One german monk, Martin Luther, did not believed in the teachings and rituals of the Catholic Church. He did not believed that good work will earn salvation or grace like the church did. He was angry when the church purchased indulgences, meaning that individuals could use money to reduce their time in purgatory. Luther believed that only your own inward faith in God can earn
- The discovery and colonization of America propelled foreign trade and increased the volume of merchant
The religious motivation for European exploration and colonization’s of the Americas was the rivalry of European countries to impose their own form of Christianity to non-Christians in the Americas, Asia and Africa. The economic motivation for European exploration
When the missionaries had landed in the New World, they had begun converting natives to their religion, Christianity. Some adopted this peacefully, others did not and it was forcibly brought down upon them. Those who had resisted this were tortured until they converted, while others still refused and were killed. Over the course of a few hundred years, a lot of Catholic churches have sprung up all around in Central America, and even later into California. These missionaries were so successful that even large native tribes started converting altogether, with the Aztecs even paying tribute to the Spanish and to their newly adopted religion, as shown in the drawing, “An Aztec View of the Conquest” This whole new “crusade’’ was a key inspirational topic that drove many Europeans to the Americas to convert the masses of natives. That is how God ties into the European Colonization of
By 1732 George Washington the great coin thrower was born and the American colonies had been established by a combination of European settlers the puritans, polyglots, and planters but during this time they were still subject to British influence. Immigration with colonies also built way in increasing the population on the eastern seaboard setting up trade routes, merchant selling, and newly acquired markets to which brought common goods to America and abroad. Furthermore, ever since American was looked upon as exceptional it had always given abundance to anyone person who was willing to conquer the woods in the backcountry or just settle near the coast like the Puritans. The characterization that must be sought out is how did the English Americans
The seeking of power and new lands started all the way back to centuries ago. It was the time were Empires colonized the Americas establishing their own sets of rules that the Native Americans in the lands must followed. This Empires cause an enormous effect on this people because their lives changed completely, in a way that they had to adapt to a new way of living. However, not all Empires had the same success on the colonization or even the same process of colonizing these new lands. Spanish and Portuguese established their Empires in the Americas, creating all new political structure, religious believed, economical changes and social interactions.