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European powers colonizing the Americas

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The colonization of the Americas, also known as the “New World”, began in the 15th

century, when European countries such as Spain and Portugal sent ships on expeditions to

find new trade routes in Asia[ CITATION Cañ18 \l 2057 ]. In 1492, Christopher Columbus, by

chance, discovered a land in the Western Hemisphere that became known as the “New

World”. The “New World” was abundant in natural resources, including gold and vast

reserves of other minerals[ CITATION Ong19 \l 2057 ]. The fertile farmlands and pastures of the

plains, valleys, and mountains piqued the interest of European countries in beginning

colonization of the Americas.

The availability of unexploited natural resources was the common goal that drove

European countries to colonize the Americas. The European powers saw the Americas as a

vast wilderness with enormous economic potential[ CITATION Cañ18 \l 2057 ]. Because of

natural resources, European powers decided to settle in America to gain control of the wealth,

as they did not regard the Indians and the Americas as owners of their lands[ CITATION

Ong19 \l 2057 ]. Spain and Portugal were the first European countries to colonize the

Americas, with Spain claiming Mexico, the majority of Central and South America, and

several Caribbean islands. Portugal ruled Brazil, while France colonized Canada, parts of

North America, and a region on South America's northeast coast[ CITATION Bal15 \l 2057 ]. The

Dutch settled in the Hudson River Valley, while England ruled the 13 colonies on North

America's Atlantic coast and several Caribbean islands. These European countries were

funded by European trading companies looking for riches in crops, furs, and minerals in the

“New World”.

Despite their shared interest in the "New World," specific European countries had

distinct goals that led to the colonization of the Americas, resulting in significant differences

between them[ CITATION Cañ18 \l 2057 ]. The desire to convert Indians to Christianity drove

the Spanish Roman Catholic priests. Portuguese were farmers. They partitioned Brazil into
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sections where Portuguese farmers grew sugarcane for export to Europe. On the other hand,

some English colonists, such as Puritans and other Protestants, desired to secede from the

Church of England, which drove them to North America[ CITATION Cañ18 \l 2057 ]. Finally,

some French colonists arrived in North America as traders, missionaries, and soldiers.

From 1775 to 1825, the Americas gained independence from the European

superpowers. The United States declared independence in 1776, Mexico and Central America

declared independence in 1821, and South American countries declared independence

between 1810 and 1825[ CITATION Ong19 \l 2057 ].

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REFERENCES

Balanya, J. S. (2015). Colonization of America by Drosophila subobscura: the founder event

and a rapid expansion. Journal of Heredity, 85(6), 427-432.

Cañizares-Esguerra, J. (2018). The “Iberian” Justifications of Territorial Possession by

Pilgrims and Puritans in the Colonization of America. In Entangled Empires, 161-

177.

Ongaro, L. S. (2019). The genomic impact of European colonization of the Americas.

Current Biology, 29(23), 3974-3986.