Motivations Behind European Exploration and Settlement
Europeans had several reasons for settling in North America during colonization. The settler countries included the Spanish, British, French, and Dutch, each with different motivations and expectations of North America. The accumulation of power and wealth influenced the desire to settle in North America.
The primary reason for exploitation was economic, where the countries sought to expand trade routes and diversify products for sale and exchange in Western countries (Foner, 06). The countries wanted to expand and maintain trade routes via the sea due to improvements in navigation, which threatened the movement of products on the Silk Road.
After the rise of the Ottoman Empire, trade routes were disrupted, threatening a decline in business and more power to the Turks if European countries did not find alternative routes for transporting goods. Thus, they sought North America as a safe and efficient port for trade exchange in the colonies. Other reasons include religious factors, fortune-hunting, political freedom, expanding colonial territories, and competition to control the colonies.
Discoveries and Realities in the New World
Europeans went to North America expecting to find an untamed and free land without regulations. Europeans who had lost their property and fortunes in the West sought to reclaim their glory and wealth by exploring and claiming land in North America. Others expected a land with abundant gold and other minerals that could be significant in obtaining fortunes. As a colonial territory, Europeans expected to land with indigenous people who had no religion or proper governance from the local authorities (Foner, 06). The expectation led to settling in the land to harvest the fortunes, expand colonial settlements, establish trade routes, and spread Christianity to the indigenous community.
The European countries found what they had expected when exploring North America. The Spanish were the first European country to settle in North America and found vast amounts of minerals, particularly gold and silver. The French followed next and explored trade routes in the sea for trading fur. The British and Dutch explored the untamed land, expanding their colonial territories.
Nonetheless, the colonies did not expect an organized community with proper governance, political structure, culture, and language. Their interactions were not peaceful since they had invaded the natives’ land to exploit their resources and gain control. Thus, other factors that influenced European settlement, such as religion, became challenging due to native resistance to maintaining their indigenous culture.
Work Cited
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. W.W. Norton & Company, 2020.