European Expansion

Aristidis Koukos Mr. Cannon AP United States History 24 August 2010 Essay on European Expansion Ever since the discovery of the Americas there has been a desire for territorial expansion, Europe is the main Country which took advantage of this opportunity for expansion. The inspiration fueling their ambition for expansion is the service of god and the pursuit for gold and glory. In order to fuel their ambitions they traveled the world searching for land and goods. In this essay I will discuss expectation, rewards and problems associated with the Europeans pursuit for expansion. Expectation held by the Europeans but specifically by the Spaniards and Portuguese were creating technological advancements in order to have easier and more efficient lives. Also Europeans were in search of open land in order to build a dominating empire over the rest of the world. In addition Europeans were constantly attempting to improve trade routes and the quantity as well as the quality of raw materials which they received back from trade. Furthermore Europeans were expecting an high abundance of gold, crops as well as spices. There were several rewards which evolved over time due to the European expansion. The first reward was developed technology for example the Portuguese using materials from various areas they developed their ships into caravels which could sail close to the wind. This technology made sailing the seas easier. A second reward was an improvement among Portuguese trading which evolved into a trade for many more materials including gold, tobacco, maize, beans, potatoes as well as slaves. Arguably the most important reward caused by the ambition of Europeans was the discovery of the New World which allowed Europeans to build a successful empire to empower all others. A final reward caused by European expansion is an improvement commercial agriculture Although there were major rewards associated with European expansion there were also problems which evolved over time. The first problems was as the Europeans spread into the Americas they spread diseases into the New World. These diseases caused several injuries and casualties among people inhabiting in the Americas. A second problem which occurred due to European expansion was the death of two Indian tribes which destroyed In conclusion the ambition of Europeans to expand their empire caused both unity amongst all Europeans but also to provided wealth due to the increases in trading and commercial agriculture. Also the ambition of Europeans led to Europe becoming one of the greatest continents in the world and from the early 16th century and on Europe was constantly on the rise economically, socially and politically.

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