The History for Control over the Pacific Northwest

Have you ever wondered where why the many different countries in Europe came to America to explore and colonize? There were two main concepts that drew the Europeans to America: the excitement and profit of the "New World", and the past histories of their countries. The English, French, and Spanish each came to the Americas in search of a new beginning; a fresh start in which they could escape past torment and capture new wealth. However, each motive defined the character of each settlement.

This concept of discovery was not new. Europeans thought they had the right to claim their discovery. They thought of the new world as a wilderness waiting to be tamed, but this land as not empty. It was home to countless American-Indian people, who hunted, farmed and raised children on the land. These native residents disagreed, they viewed the land is theirs. From the beginning,

Europeans came to the Americas for many different reasons. Religious freedom, adventure, gold, new opportunity, and land are a few of them. Perhaps the most serious was the different way that Europeans and Native Americans thought about land. Land was extremely important to European settlers because land meant wealth, in which they established many communities where they lived and worked. Many of the settlers in the new country could have never owned land in Europe because they were too poor. The Native Americans believed that no one could own land. They

For many years migrants came in search of wealth and better opportunities and very often clashed either with Mexicans or Indians who defended their homeland and traditions. From the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 through the migration that resulted from the Transcontinental Railroad and the Homestead Act. Americans engaged in what Theodore Roosevelt termed "the Great Leap Westward." (Historynet.com). The settlers were motivated to expand to the west after Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the expedition (1804 to 1806) through the Louisiana purchase territory that was acquired from France in 1803. Their mission was assigned by President Thomas Jefferson with the intention to assess the land’s resources, make diplomatic contact with the Indians, and search for the Northwest Passage, a route to the Pacific Ocean.

Throughout the 1800’s there were more and more Americans that had moved onto the frontier of the West coast. The people of the United States believed they were destined to have their land stretched from the Pacific Ocean (the west) to the Atlantic Ocean (the east); from sea to shining sea. This settlement came from the fact that the west not only had an abundance of fertile land for farming, but it had such a great abundance of gold and mineral mining available. The Americans also believed that this was a way (and chance) to spread their beliefs! Many people saw the West as a new beginning, so they decided to head West and begin this journey. This is what the Americans believed they were destined to do… The rapid settlement of the West was caused by the great desire of the American

To continue the expansion of the United States and achieve Manifest Destiny, the federal government took several actions to encourage the rapid territory growth. From purchasing massive amounts of land, going to war with various countries, and negotiating treaties, the United States acquired land from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. Not all lands were bought or received fairly. Many Native Americans were forced off of their sacred land and forced to travel under harsh conditions to reach “Indian Territory”. The United States government also encouraged the settlement of the new lands by building railroads and allowing settlers to claim land.

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out from St. Louis and made there way across the unknown Western part of the country, they took detailed notes and created maps of the unknown areas, and once their expedition was complete, their journals were turned to print that highlighted the commodities of the unexplored West, which attracted traders, settlers, and trappers to the various

By sailing the Atlantic Ocean in the late 1500s, Christopher Columbus publicized and popularized the area known as North America. The area soon began to be known as the area of new beginning, thus sparking a fervor of immigration to the new land. While many used the area to spread religious ideals, the primary reason most people left the land to have a new start in life. Specifically, the New World was settled primarily because of the desire to find gold and the importance of trading, while religion was used as a means of self-justification for their means of reaching their goal.

Natives Americans settled in the New World way before the Europeans. Natives settled here and began colonization. They established villages, where they got the supply of food and water. In 1492 Europeans discovered the Americas they thought this was untouched territory. But they were wrong there was already civilization there. This would mark the continuous growing New World.

With the discovery of the New World, a wave of settlers from various European nations crossed the Atlantic with unique motivations for their voyage. Whether they migrated for personal prosperity, or aimed to garner wealth and glory for their country, each individual was met with the marvels and trials of relocating thousands of miles from their birthplace. Spanish conquistadors were among the first to settle the Americas, in current day Mexico and the American Southwest. English pioneers and settlers followed shortly, colonizing the Southern Atlantic coast of America. However, geography was not the only distinction between the Spanish and English colonies.

The first three major eras of the Pacific Northwest show some remarkable changes. What begins with the first people rapidly becomes a barrage of settlers, development and the harvesting of resources. Each period of time in the PNW brings changes in the people, the geography, and the culture.

There have been many explorers who were tasked with the mission of discovering the Northwest Passage. However, none have returned from their expedition with news of discovering the Passage. Although, most do end up exploring new areas that turn out to be notable on the world map. One of those explorers was the peculiar Greek navigator who sailed for the Spanish, Juan de Fuca. Just like many others, de Fuca failed to locate the Northwest Passage. Nevertheless, he managed to find a new passage that has significantly impacted North America as we know it today.

The Americas, or the "new world" as it was referred to back then, was of interest to many countries that were seeking opportunities to conquer the unknown land. This resulted in countries like Spain, France, and England to approach colonization of the “new world” through different methods.

There were many early expeditions from Europe to North America, most in search of a

The European conquest for establishing North American colonies began with various motivations, each dependent on different, and/or merging necessities: economics, the desire to flee negative societal aspects, and the search for religious freedoms. Originally discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492 in search for a trade route to Cathay (China), North America remained uninhabited, excluding the Native American establishments. Following this discovery, Spain –along with other European nations such as France, England, Sweden and the Netherlands– soon began the expedition to the new land with vast expectations. Driven by economic, societal, and religious purposes, the New World developed into a diversely structured colonial establishment