Between 1400 and 1650, European sailors started to plan for expeditions that were aimed at taking them further than the world they were aware of. In 1492, Christopher Columbus became the first European to step on the American continent. Christopher’s original intentions for exploring were to search for an easier way to the Asian continent. However, he discovered the two American continents (North and South America).
Consequently, other European nations started sending explorers to the uncharted terrains of the New World driven by various reasons. These were the acquisition of mineral wealth, search for the fabled ‘El Dorado’ (a place of vast riches and abundance), increased trade opportunities, spreading of the Christian religion, building European Empires, a search of the Northwestern Passage, thrill of adventure, and some through a sheer sense of imperialism (Fiero, Chapter 9). The predominant Euro countries, which participated in this exploration, were Portugal, Spain, France, and England.
After the success of this exploration, the European nations started to establish their presence in Africa and the Americas. They achieved this through conquests, claims, and colonies. This confrontation led to the growth of the slave trade, the development of strong relations with the natives in some parts, the advent of civilization, and the establishment of direct contacts between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.