Reasons for Exploration 2025-2026

Reasons for Exploration

By Ray Fortune

Overview

Europeans explored for:

• God – Share Christain beliefs with others

• Gold – Gain wealth from trade and land

• Glory – National pride and fame

• Curiosity - search for knowledge

• Europeans wanted to share Christianity with others.

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Religious Motives

Economic Motives: Mercantilism

• Mercantilism: Nations gain power by gaining money

• Countries competed for gold land, raw materials and trade

• Search for new trade routes to Asia

• New trade routes linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas

• Raw materials sent to Europe

• Finished products sent to Africa and the Americas

• Africans were enslaved and sent to the Americas to work in exchange for European goods

Triangular Trade

• Exchange of goods, diseases, etc between Europe and the Americas

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​Columbian Exchange

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a definition of mercantilism

• To bring into a country

• To ship out of a country

• A person who spreads the message of Christianity

• An economic policy meant to profit the mother country by increasing its wealth and power

• National pride

• Fame

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​Glory

• A time of curiosity & learning in Europe

• Began exploring new lands and mapping the world

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Curiosity

Multiple Choice

What was the INITIAL reason any European explorers sailed to the Americas?

• To find new trade routes to Asia

• To form military alliances

• To spread Christianity to Africa

• To find new sources of cheap labor

Multiple Choice

Which reason best completes this list?

• To spread democratic ideas

• To improve efficiency in manufacturing

• To locate potential new allies

• To claim new territory

• Spread Catholicism, gain land, wanted gold

• Enslaved native people

• Colonized parts of Central, South, and North America

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Motives by country: Spain

• Sailed for Spain in search of Asia

• Reached the Caribbean

• Began European exploration

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Christopher Columbus - 1492

• Conquered the Aztec Empire in Mexico

• Claimed land and wealth for Spain

​Hernán Cortés - 1519

• Search for Northwest Passage (imaginary short cut from Europe to Asia) & fur trade

• Settled in Canada, the Louisiana Territory, and parts of the Caribbean

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Motives by country: France

• Explored the Mississippi River

• Claimed Louisiana for France

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Robert de La Salle - 1682

• find gold, trade routes, natural resources expand empire (land)

• settled eastern coast of North America

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Motives by country: Great Britain

• Explored the Canadian coast

• Helped England claim land

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John Cabot - 1497

• Explored northeast North America

• Found Hudson River and Bay

• Claimed land for the English & Dutch

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Henry Hudson - 1611

• forced to come against their will

• forced to do work that Europeans weren't willing to do

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Motives by country: Africa

Multiple Choice

Which reason supports why France established North American colonies in the 1600s?

• To establish trading posts

• To search for valuable metals

• To limit the spread of Christianity

• To prevent the enslavement of African people

Multiple Choice

This list provides reasons for the establishment of European colonies in the New World.

Which European country was motivated to colonize the New World for these reasons?

• England

• France

• Germany

• Spain

Effects of Exploration

​Europeans

• reached and coloninzed the Americas

• established new trade routes

• developement of triangular trade and Columbian exchange

• expanded knowledge of world geography

• conflict with Native Americans

• increased rivalry between European countries

Multiple Choice

Why did European explorers search for the Northwest passage?

• To find the legendary Seven Cities of Gold

• To discover new technology for crossing the Atlantic Ocean

• To find the legendary waters of the Fountain of Youth

• To discover a new sea route to Asia