How Did Europeans Reach The Americans

Both of the Iberian countries of Spain and Portugal had been restricted access to the Spice Trade. While Portugal decided to sail around Africa in order to reach Asia, Spain had another plan. Christopher Columbus rightly believed the Earth was round and if that was the case, he should be able to sail west to Asia. He did reach land, but not Asia, instead he landed in America.

The European conquest of America began as an offshoot of the quest for a sea route to India, China, and the islands of the East Indies, the source of the silk, tea, spices, porcelain, and other luxury goods on which international trade in the early modern era centered. Profit and piety-the desire to eliminate Islamic middlemen and win control of the lucrative trade for Christian Western Europe-combined to inspire the quest for a direct route to Asia. Long before Columbus sailed, Europeans had dreamed of a land of abundance, riches, and ease beyond the western horizon. They hoped America would bring them a

Using basic knowledge of geography Christopher Columbus proposed a voyage to Asian trading posts by traveling west. The Spanish monarchy decidedly financed this mission in hopes of expanding Spanish influence in the Asian trading community. Thus, in 1492 Columbus set off on his mission to the West Indies. However, his journey did not lead to the West Indies, but rather to the Americas. This is considered to be a blessing in disguise for the Spanish because, not only were they able to discover other tradable goods but also fertile land for the

His finding of the Americas not only created a new continent, it also still appears in the foods we eat today. Foods such as Florida oranges, French vanilla ice cream, and Colombian coffee came to America because of foods being traded from the Old World (Europe) to the New World (America)(Document #6).The third reason for the Europeans exploration was gold.Europeans, the Spanish, and Portuguese all set out for gold, needing it for various different reasons. The search for gold created a direct route from Europe to India, and a route along the west African coast. The search for and discovery of gold lead to a trade route, which introduced new foods and ideas to many parts of the world, such as spices that we use in our food

Vikings started the trend of exploring to the new world. At around the 16th century England was in need of spices, and contact with Asia. Christopher Columbus, who was supported by the Spanish government, Ventured out into the unknown so that he may be rich and fortunate. In his attempts to find Asia, he accidentally discovers a new inhabited land. These continents were later named the Americas because of the voyage of Amerigo

European exploration and trade began in the 15th century with Portugal as they played a very significant role to the age of discovery, a period of time that designated Europe as an exploration powerhouse. Portugal paved the path with Prince Henry the Navigator funding multiple endeavors in attempts to spread Christianity and purse the profitable spice trade largely dominated by Muslims. Prince Henry knew that the spices in the European market were obtained from Asia. He also knew that seizing a direct route to Asia without having to use Muslims as a middleman would enrich his country and diminish the religious strength of the Muslims. In order to achieve this goal, Prince Henry establish explorations to seek a route to Asia, instead he came across the coast of West Africa. Relationships with African port cities were founded and trading posts made. Trading started with gold and ended with slaves, as other European

Columbus and other European explorers expect to find in the Northwest Passage, which they believe it was a shortest way to Asia. Also, the Europeans explorer wanted to spread Christianity, mineral wealth, and gold. The explores wanted to have new land in order to expand their Empire.

Once the New World was discovered there was a very competitive drive by European countries to colonize these new lands. In the 16th century ships transporting valuable goods, people and various other things could be traveling anywhere from the Caribbean all the way up the coast then across the Atlantic back to Europe. The currents of the gulf stream would help carry ships out of the Caribbean and right between the straits of Florida and the Bahamas then up the East coast of America; the area between Florida and the Bahamas became a prime spot for Royal ships or pirates to ambush ships filled with valuables heading back to Europe. Spain believed they had rights to the continent because they had the blessing of the Catholic Church, the

In the 15th and 16th centuries, European mariners started to explore global waters to establish new sea routes that would support long distance trade. Specifically, Columbus took to the sea in 1492 in order to gain access to the Asian markets by a new, western route. He did not reach Asia, but instead stumbled upon the Bahamas and the Caribbean. This accidental discovery and news of his exploration led English, Dutch, and French explorers to the American continents and the Caribbean islands in search of gold and agricultural opportunities. Columbus’s voyages to the islands in South America had momentous consequences that would dramatically change the social structure of the Native American peoples through conquest, settlement, exploitation, and forced religious conversion. Mariners gathered geographical knowledge that enabled them to create a new global network and trade. Commercial exchange, food and animal stocks, disease, and human migrants dramatically influenced and changed societies and the migration of human communities drastically changed the social development and culture of the world and pushed the world’s regions towards global integration.

Explorers such as Columbus and Magellan revolutionized Europe. Columbus’s desire to spread Christianity to new lands causes him to discover a route from Europe to Asia (Beck, Crowston, Davila, Ebrey, McKay and Wiesner- Hanks 462). Magellan’s fleet finds a way to get around America , and becomes the first to sail around the world. Although many explorers tried to find a way through the

During the age of exploration, trade, gold and spices were major keys in countries relationships. Gold and spices were extremely important to all the nations involved in trade. Many countries were trying to find new routes to asia because of the italians charging high prices for these wanted spices. The Spanish and Portuguese were the leaders in these expeditions. The countries tried to find a way around the tip of Africa to get to Asia. After 30 years of trying a Portuguese finally completed the journey and reached India; when they left India they left with tons of spices and tons of gold. Furthermore, after many people sailed east to india’ a man named columbus decided he was going to sail west. During his journey, columbus came across a

The chronology of Europeans exploration dates way back before Columbus and the Age of Exploration in the 15th century. In actuality, the Age of Exploration started with the iconic Venetian explorer Marco Polo and his own exploration in the East. Evidence indicates that in the late Middle Ages, the Venetian explorer Marco Polo voyaged to Asia (1271- 1290) in hopes of discovering a route into Asia’s silk and spice trade. During that era, the spice and silk trade was the world’s biggest industry: it established and destroyed empires, led to the discovery of new continents, and in many ways helped lay the foundation of obsession for exploration in the 15th century. Between the 12th and the 14th century, the demand for spices grew drastically, resulting in numerous efforts for European explorers to find possible routes into the profitable business that the Silk and Spice trade offered. There were many forces that drove this

. The Spanish wanted to spread Catholicism, Spanish influence, and cleanse Spain of Spanish Muslim and Jewish Spanish. Portugal had trading post in Africa and was searching for India. the Spanish turned to Christopher Columbus.(Tanihill) August 1942, 90 men wait to board 3 ships, to set sail for King, Queen, Catholicism and explore new routes for trade. After months and a string of occurrences including broken mast, loss of food and a shipwreck. He would land upon present day Bahamas (Hispania). Columbus himself had doubts to as if he would ever find a way. But he could not let his patrons down, they lobbied for him for over 10 years and he had hidden his concerns about the crew in journals. He was fearful they were going to revolute against him. On October 11th, he would spot a flock of seagulls and this would give him and his crew hope. (Beergreen) The crew would pass out necklaces of beads to the natives and call them Indians. Once he realized it was not India he would circle the Bahamas searching for new spices, gold, and glory. Anything he could bring back for Spain. What he found was this was not the land that he thought.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, many European nations sponsored expeditions, hoping to find great wealth and even undiscovered lands. Christopher Columbus’s main goal was to find a direct route from Western Europe to Asia. He made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean to reach Spain, which were in: 1492, 1493, 1498, and 1502. When Columbus was planning his first voyage, he had the idea to

In 1492 Christopher Columbus received a grant from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to sail west to reach the Asia. Asia produced various materials that France wanted, including spices and silk. There was only one problem in his master plan to save time by sailing west, there is a continent in the way. Columbus landed in the Caribbean, which he believed was Asia. He still needed goods to bring back to Spain, so back in Spain, he promised gold and slaves (the natives) to the king and queen. Columbus went on a total of three voyages to what he believed was Asia, before his death in 1506. An increasing number of people, explorers and civilians left on the long voyage to the New World. Not all survived the journey and many died from disease or starvation once there.