European Countries Motivation Towards Expansion (Essay Sample)

European Countries motivation towards expansion
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European countries motivation towards expansion
Europeans were in the category of the group that believed the universe was flat. Between 1400s and 1500s there was the rise of explorers and navigators that came and changed this perception. Based on the new view that the world was not flat, there was a spark for the need to explore. Besides, there was stiff competition between countries and this contributed to the expansion towards the new world. Different countries had various motivations for exploration.
Spain had three primary ideas that served as the fundamental motivation. First, it was gold that was introduced to the natives by Columbus. He reported to people in Spain that there was massive potential for riches in gold. Besides he also told them that there were gold mines as well as other metals, therefore, this facilitated more exploration for the Spanish in search for the mines.
There were no mines on Hispaniola, but the people were vibrantly exploring and surveying the parts of the world that could present the opportunity. They heard of rich gold mines that were in existence in Mexico, and this caused more exploration towards the west. The Spanish people were obsessed with the search for gold because they had already believed they would find riches if they followed that path.
The second motivator for the Spanish people was search for glory. Most explorers like Ferdinand Magellan and John Cabot sailed to achieve glory. When any explorer found land, he/she would map and name it and from then they could be popular in Europe and be remembered for that. Kings and queens started looking for explorers to sail for them then they could be rewarded and honored. Land in Europe was little, thus discovering land in the new world became a huge motivator for people seeking glory.
God was the other motivator which, conceivably was the most paramount for the people in Spain. Europe looked down upon the small religions, therefore, upon discovery of the newfound land many people left for America. Quakers settled in Pennsylvania, pilgrims in Plymouth and the puritans in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Other groups travelled with an objective of spreading their religion and creating new followers.
On the other hand, Portuguese were motivated by various aspects namely religion, commercial, intellectual and technical reasons. The catholic religion was adhered to in Portugal, therefore spreading it to other races was a core reason for explorers to take the voyage of discovery. Besides, Portuguese wanted to find the trade routes to India, which was a spices land. Spices was the only method of preserving food thus they were perceived to be important. Also, the payment...