Developments leading to the discovery of the New World

Crusades (1095-1291)

• Exposure to new goods.

• Trade and the high cost of the luxury items.

• Eliminate the middleman. (Asian and Italian merchants.)

Renaissance (14th-17th Centuries)

• Emphasis on reason, questioned authority and pursuit of free inquiry.

• Stimulated interest in geography and navigation.

Rise of the Absolute Monarchs

• Possessed the wealth to finance expeditions.

• Sought colonial empires.

• Trade sought by the middle-classes.

The Reasons for Exploration

• Seek passage to the Far East.

• $$$$$

• Establish claims to new lands.

• Convert the Native Americans to Christianity.

• Satisfy the spirit of adventure and intellectual curiosity.

• Pave the way for trading posts and settlements.

Spanish Colonization

Motives

• Gold and god.

• Established colonies in Florida, the American Southwest, the Caribbean, & Central and South America.

Government

• Strict control over the colonies by the king.

• Mercantilism

French Colonization

Motives

• Wanted a “piece of the pie.”

• Fishing grounds off the Newfoundland banks.

• Trade with the Natives for furs.

• Convert the Natives to Christianity.

Extent of French influence

• Mississippi River area, Caribbean, and the St. Lawrence River.

Few White settlers

• No gold or silver.

• Catholics alone could immigrate.

• No self-gov’t.

• Furs, not farming