European Colonization Of The New World Essay

European imperialism during 1450-1750, began as a plan to gain more riches for the European nations. The Europeans did this for three main reasons, which were for God, Gold, and Glory. The Europeans domination over Latin America, Africa and Asia were made out to be good for the native people of these lands. However, the Europeans were not there to help these geographic areas. They were there to spread their influence and gain riches for themselves and the European nations. The successes and failures of the Europeans and non Europeans would decide their relationship status for as long as they could co-exist.

During the European age of expansion in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, various European nations were colonizing the newly discovered Americas. Spain and France would become prominent players in the Western Hemisphere, both conquering and colonizing new territories. However, each country had different methods of developing their colonies in the New World. Spanish and French settlements contrasted greatly with one another in terms of economic development and Native American relations.

In 1492 Christopher Columbus “discovered” the New World. This “discovery” led to the colonization of the New World by several European nations. European nations, such as Great Britain, started colonization for a variety of reasons.

The 1800s were a time of change in the world. Industry and imperialism became the main focus of many nations, no nation more than Great Britain. Britain already being a world power, lead the charge of industry throughout the world, using their far superior technology at the time to imperialize and colonize almost any nation that would benefit them. Britain was the workshop of the world and required an abundance of raw materials to fuel their industry. After losing a majority of its land in the west to American independence, Britain turned its attention to the east. Britain expanded to Africa and India both full of resources, and both full of people with different cultures, customs, and religions. When the British colonized these new lands, they changed things. Britain advanced the land and the territories greatly in terms of technology and society, it came at the expense of the native peoples.

During the sixteenth century European pilgrims migrated across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in North America. North America had just been introduced to the Western Civilization. The America’s were home to the indigenous people, that were made up of several tribes that were called Indians by the early settlers. Together the Indians and settlers began to thrive. Growth and development in the new world was made possible by the abundant amount of natural resources.

Europeans sought out lands that provided new sources of raw materials, cheap labor, markets, areas of investment, and military boosters. As European nations became competitive with one another, there was an increased pressure to practice Imperialism to maintain power. New Imperialism was motivated greatly by the Industrial Revolution and its advancements, and efficiency of manufacturing and supplying products. European nations also focused on opening trade routes that would give them places to sell their goods. Also significant was the Europeans desire to Christianize and “civilize” other nations through missionary work and the enforcement of European cultures and beliefs. The new Imperialism brought on social changes as well. Many people urged the taking up of the “White Man’s Burden”, bringing the European version of civilization to the rest of the world, regardless whether they wanted it or not.

Through the Columbian Exchange, the Indians brought potatoes to the Old World, which proved as a useful crop because you didn't have to take them out of the ground until you were ready to eat them. The Europeans brought over horses, pigs, sheep, and cattle to the New World. These animals flourished in the New World because they all were able to produce without having to worry about predators. The Europeans also brought sugar cane and bananas to the New World. These crops and livestock helped to make the New World a more diverse living space for the Europeans and the

1). The Nations of Europe sought to expand their empire because they were on the verge of overpopulation.Between 1550 and 1600 the population grew from three million to four million people. Also, England and Spain were at a war for power. The Spanish attempts at colonizing the New World had been extremely successful, for they had gained both wealth and power. The English did not see such success, as their ships would crash, be lost to the seas, or their colonization efforts would cease to be useful. Through the Spaniards control over the Americas they had gained a massive naval army, noted as the Spanish Armada. The Spanish attempt to invade England in 1588 failed which lead to the beginning of the fall of the Spanish empire in the New World.

When the Europeans came to the Americans they carried the diseases without knowing. Making majority of the population sick. Tribe after tribe they died because they could not fight these diseases. This clearly made more room for the Europeans but in a tragic way. Similarly, the European Empires were different from the Russian, Chinese, Mughal, and Ottoman Empires in their reasonings for expansion.

The new world opened a whole host of possibilities for Europeans. Farmers and Businessmen flocked to the Chesapeake region to work the land. Thousands of Puritans created religious settlements throughout New England. The colonies of the new world were no shabby villages, they were sprawling cities, towns, and farms. This society that needed more people to build it up opened the doors for new groups. With the new world thriving, vast religious colonies in the New England region and farming colonies in the South, naturally next to cross the Atlantic were immigrants from all over, hopping into the melting pot and altering the social fabric of the colonies.

As early as the fifteenth century, Europeans began to become eager to discover the New World that was unknown to them. With the concerns of rapid population growth, commerce, new learning, and the rise of competing for nation states, they set out for new adventures and discovery. For a long time, Spain and Portugal were the only European powers with New World colonies.

Impacts of European expansion reached across the world and affected more than the expanding European powers and their colonies in the new world. Life in the world changed when these two cultures that were directly opposite of one another collided. Europe was filled with greed for resources and wealth, the Indigenous people living on these resources were living a simple sustainable life with next to no government or regulation. Once the new world was set up Europeans who ran these new territories called colonists today developed their own society and way of living and would end up revolting against the homeland.

Why would anyone want to go through the trouble of colonizing? The English had such motives that compelled them to leave their motherland. It was for the reasons of seeking freedom, seeing there was nothing in Britain for them, and success accessed by other nations.

The discovery of the Americas was without a doubt a huge impact on world civilization. Some of these impacts were beneficial and some were disruptive, but it still helped move world civilization. Trade, slavery, religion, and New World and Old World issues were some of the impacts. The impacts started to actually took effect around the Thirty Years’ War and by 1492 the influences of the New World were irrevocably present in history. Every single one of them led to us in our modern day world.

The first continent had a big effect because of the Christopher Columbus’s voyages is Americas. Columbus was known as the person who “discovered” Americas, but that is not really true. On his way toward to Asia, he suddenly found the U.S and he did not even know that land was not in the map. On that land, there were already had people had lived there when Columbus came and he did not the first person found America either since before him, had some people had landed their voyages on there. According to John H. Parry, “Columbus did not discover a new world. He established contact between two worlds, both already old.” However, his journey made a big step in changing technology, population, and also some diseases of Americas. As an effect to American natives; the Columbia Exchange made an advantage in the technology such as improved their weapon (knives, guns, etc…). New equipment in farming as plow was also changed Americas really well. Furthermore, the population of Americas had a huge change also. Follow Columbus’s voyage, Europeans and Spain people began moving to