Gold would give a country trade and money. Gold inspired many expeditions. In 1513 Juan Ponce De Leon went to Florida in search for gold. Hernan Cortes also went to North America in 1519 to conquer locals and find gold. For example, Jamestown, Virginia was founded for the hopes of finding gold. Gold would also come with the finding of a Northwest Passage. Gold equaled power for these men and this led to the next big motivation, Glory.
Glory was the goal of most explorers. People like Ferdinand Magellan and John Cabot sailed for glory. When they saw new land they mapped, and named it and believed that they would be remembered for this. When an explorer had found land he became well known in Europe, this inspired kings and queens to pay more for these explorers to sail for them.
The last motivation was God. This was perhaps the most important for many people. The smaller religions were looked down on upon in Europe. When word of newfound land had reached Europe, people of different religions packed their things and left for America. Quakers settled mainly in Pennsylvania. Pilgrims, which were Protestants, settled in Plymouth. One other major religious group that settled in America, were the Puritans. They settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Another reason to travel to the Americas for religion was to spread your religion and create new followers.
Exploration was a necessity for Europeans. Europe was crowded and everyone was subject to scrutiny. Most of the people that had emigrated from Europe wanted a new life, and most of the explorers that sailed wanted to be rich and famous. People explored in the 1400's and 1500's mainly because of greed and god.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
They all wanted to be successful and wealthy and hold a high, dominant position in the social ladder. Gold was being exported, imported and found all throughout the New World. The New World had an amount of gold that drew travelers in like magnets and really encouraged new settlers. There was such an abundance of gold it slowly began to lose it value, issues like this is one of the many reasons the spanish economy collapsed. Although it might have negatively impacted various places around the world, gold acted as a huge profit in the art of trading and gained countries things like spices and other…
- 510 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Columbus’s exploration showed that the world isn’t flat. This started up a whole new era of exploration. Before this explorers feared if they couldn’t see land they would fall of the edge of the world. They also believed they would get eaten by sea monsters. But since Columbus made this exploration people realized there was more in the world, so they began to explore more.…
- 167 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
In the first place, the spirit of adventure is the most major reason that caused European exploration. European started to traveled to other continent.…
- 475 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
One of the major reasons the European Exploration turned out to have a much bigger impact in history than any other exploration is due to the formation of the European Exchange. Thanks to the exchange many goods had been traded and thus the creation of many foodstuff as well as other materials such as tobacco and crops. The European Exchange is one of the major reasons that the European Exploration is recognized above all other explorations. The trade between these countries lead to many others to come to Europe for valuable resources and Europe began to expand and grow, not only due to the newly conquered land, but to the new people that were coming for the resources. I believe that this is because of how large this was on the scale and the explorers prior to the Europeans never made a big deal rather they just kept moving on and missed an opportune chance.…
- 530 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
1. The factors that motivated the European (Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch and English in particular) to explore and colonize North America and South America concerned material gain and / or religious freedom.…
- 1136 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Why did the Europeans exploration change? People have always set out to discover new lands and oceans. The greatest age in exploration of the world was in the beginning of the 15th century and lasted over four centuries. The Chinese and Arabs had already made big improvements in ship design and with navigation. Then the Europeans developed these further. The most common reason to explore the world was to trade. The Europeans wanted spices from Asia, ivory from Africa, and of course gold. The Europeans weren't just out to trade, they also wanted to try to convert local populations of the land that they have seized to the Christian faith.…
- 110 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
During the 15th to the 17th century, Europeans engaged in intensive exploration and colonization of the world. Some of the many motives for exploration were that the Europeans wanted prestige, power, wealth, and to convert individuals to Christianity. Some historians often refer to this as the Age of Discovery, in which the Portuguese and Spaniards play a major role during this time.…
- 608 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
2. What factors led to Europe’s increased exploration and to the discovery of the New World?…
- 3945 Words
- 16 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The European Age of Exploration was very beneficial to not only Europe but also the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Although the European Age of Exploration was said to have come about for the purpose of finding or discovering new spices, that was not the only reason. The Europeans also set out to find new trade routes that went around the Ottoman’s territory and this exploration lead to the European Golden Age because it brought Europe out of the “Dark Ages.”…
- 463 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The major purpose of exploration was to open trade routes. Sir Francis Drake, a famous English explorer, circumnavigated the globe from 1577 until 1580. The first daring voyage of Sir Francis Drake motivated other English men to follow his path. Sir Martin Frobisher was another famous English explorer. He is well-known for his voyages to Greenland and Labrador in 1578 and for attempting to discover a North-West passage (UUU), “a sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean” (JJJ). One of the other famous English explorers was Sir Walter Raleigh. He was famous for discovering large and rich Empire of Guiana, a South American region in 1595 (OOO).…
- 587 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Exploration blossomed across the Europe, Asia, and Africa which has lead to the newly discovered Americas. Countries in Europe are creating colonies throughout the New World to open trade along the newly established trade routes. Behind the creation of these trade routes and the establishing of new colonies were the great voyages of discovery. These voyages are the original paths of the explorers who charted the Americas and have become the backbone for trade and colonization.…
- 280 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The Age of Exploration was a time period from the 15th century to the 18th century in which Europeans embarked on extensive overseas expeditions. European nations, such as Portugal, Spain, England, and the Netherlands, participated heavily in global trade and set up many trade routes and colonies. Many people would say that the Europeans’ only reason for exploration was to spread Christianity, obtain gold, and gain glory through their conquests and acquisition of lands. Some people might also say that the Ottomans heavily influenced the Europeans to participate in this period of exploration. Although the goals of “God, gold, and glory” are often associated with the Age of Exploration, the Ottoman Empire had a greater influence on the desire…
- 1133 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
The early settlers to this great country fled from Europe to escape religious oppression. Most left their country because they were getting persecuted or even killed because of their religion. Although these people where many different denominations like, Catholic, Quakers, and Puritans, they all came to escape from religious persecution, each group varied on how their religion influenced their government.…
- 479 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The Gold Rush is not credited enough for the expansion of the United States. It brought immigrants into unknown territory and exploration of hidden secrets beneath the sand. Men and women encountered death and sickness for the promise of a fortune. A “foreign-exchange gold standard” was created to regulate international trade. It put many small towns on the map that may have never been founded without the discovery of gold. The Gold Rush of 1848 influenced the history of mining and helped shape the America we live in…
- 470 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
European traders had to solve their problem with Muslimcontrolled land - going by sea around Muslim-controlled…
- 2179 Words
- 11 Pages
Better Essays