Why did the Europeans come to the Americas?

Why did the Europeans come to the Americas?

Many parts of the Americas soon came to be under the rule of Europeans, resulting in large migrations, exchange of goods, and contagious diseases. It was Spain and Portugal that made the first conquests of the Americas, with Spanish conquering Aztec and Inca Empires and Portugal, leaving its mark across the eastern part of South America.

Why was there so much change in the 1600s?

The 1600s were a time of big changes in the Americas, spurred on by a couple groups of people who were seeking a better life in a new land.

Why did the settlers from England first come to North America?

Half the set- tlers were nobles who were not interest- ed in planting crops. They only wanted to search for gold. They found no gold, and soon all their supplies were gone. Many of them died from starvation or sickness. By spring, one half of the set- tlers were dead.

Where did the English colonize in the 1600s?

Two main groups of English settlers colonized America in the 1600s. The secular colonists of the Jamestown Settlements landed off the coast of Virginia in 1607.

When did the Thirteen Colonies become the United States?

The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies or the Thirteen American Colonies, were a group of colonies of Great Britain on the Atlantic coast of North America founded in the 17th and 18th centuries which declared independence in 1776 and formed the United States of America.

Why did the people come to the colonies?

These young men and women were unmarried and sought to work off their debts and begin their new life in the colonies, where capitalism had made the ventures of growing sugar, tobacco and cotton promisingly profitable ventures. Some colonists that came to the American colonies were not sent by their own will, though.

Who was the first European to colonize the Americas?

Vikings are believed to be the first Europeans that have reached the Americas and established colonies in Greenland that survived for 400 years (they have been sailing to Iceland but ended up in Greenland instead).

When did most people come to the United States from Europe?

European Immigration: 1880-1920. Between 1880 and 1920, a time of rapid industrialization and urbanization, America received more than 20 million immigrants. Beginning in the 1890s, the majority of arrivals were from Central, Eastern and Southern Europe.

Who was the first European to settle in the United States?

The Spaniards are thought to be the first Europeans to establish a continuous presence in what is now the contiguous United States, with Martín de Argüelles (b. 1566) in St. Augustine, then a part of Spanish Florida, and the Russians were the first Europeans to settle in Alaska, establishing Russian America.

Why did the Spanish come to the United States?

Spanish Immigrants in America. The main objective for Spain to travel to and settle in America was to gain wealth and prestige for the country as well as to spread the Catholic religion. Spain established towns, missions and military installations throughout the south Atlantic coast, Mexico and Caribbean islands.