REASONS FOR AMERICA’S EXPLORATION TOMAS: RELIGIOUS REASONS: One of the reason for the exploration in the 15th century was religion.
Spanish people wanted to teach their religion (Christianity) through the world because they wanted to expand. Also, they wanted to gain more power, and through religion, back then, they can get more powerful. Their goal was to make Christianity the only religion in the world and that everyone follows it. The ones that were assigned to do this mission were called conquistadors.
They had to spread the religion all around the colonies. They were sent by the Roman Catholicism. They were the official religion of Spain. At the end, conquistadors ended up achieving their goal and final the Christian religion spread through Asia, with the Spanish people. Study.com.
(2018). Spreading Religion in the Age of Exploration – Video ; Lesson Transcript | Study.com. online Available at: https://study.com/academy/lesson/spreading-religion-in-the-age-of-exploration.html Accessed 17 Oct. 2018.
Encyclopedia Britannica. (2018). European exploration | Definition ; Facts. online Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/European-exploration Accessed 17 Oct. 2018.
FRANCESCA: ECONOMIC REASONS: During the 15th century, Spain and Portugal traded with different countries like China and India where they exchanged species, silk, cotton and others. The new technological developments the European people were achieving, helped Columbus to travel to other places and discover new trading goods and by this, they eliminated the dependency on the eastern side. During finals of the 15th and principles of the 16th century, small groups of people were assigned to explore the first stage of European expedition. Even though Columbus purpose was to find a shorter route to Asia to bring all the demanding products people in Spain were so ambitious, he ended discovering ” The New World”. Empires of Spain and Portugal were some of the first to set out on new voyages of investigation.
Last but not least, the empire were seeking for american silver and gold since the demand of luxury goods every time was bigger. (n.a,n.d, “The European Voyages of Exploration: Introduction” retrieved from https://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/HIST201-3.1.1-EuropeanExplorationIntro-FINAL.pdf ) (n.a, n.d “What was the purpose of Christopher Columbus’ first voyage?” retrieved from https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/1-describe-christopher-columbus-voyage-2-what-was-373091) ALFREDO POLITICAL REASONS: Global dominance was a competition that Spaniards and Portuguese had constantly . They started to colonize quickly and with much aggression for the nation which had more terrain was the one who was more powerful. Portuguese were far more advanced as they had colonized northern africa and had now a domain over the slave trade.
Spain , desperate for power, recurred to the plan of Columbus. This plan was rejected several times by other colonies and was finally accepted by the Catholic Kings in 1492 in the military camp outside the last empire of Granada. He argued that the circumference of the planet was not as wide as believed, and proposed a trip for avoiding all the trouble that implied to travel through the enormous african continent. This way, spain would have a faster route for trade and could also colonize these terrains. After Columbus’ discovery of America, Countries in Europe recognized that having colonies in the so called New World would grant them the power they desired.
The ambition for governing over other countries and having a greater political structure would be the major reason for desiring power, David Kennedy and Lizabeth Cohen, The American Pageant: A History of the American People, 15th (AP) ed. (Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, 2013)
