Coming to the New World

Motivation for Exploration- 1400s To find a quick sea route to Asia Trade- spices and silk Money- gold and silver Spread Christianity More land=more power

Reasons to Establish Colonies Overseas 1.To add to the Wealth and Power of the home country 2.To gain Raw Materials 1500s – gold and silver (Spain) 1600s – fur pelts (French) To sell their own manufactured goods, such as cloth, lace, pots, dishes, books, 3.Thought their home country was overpopulated

Push Factors Economics: hunger, poverty, homelessness, lack of opportunity –Many people were willing to risk it all for a fresh start in a new place Religious Intolerance in home country –If a person did not conform to teachings of official state church, they were often persecuted –English Separatists traveled to Netherlands because of persecution in England; later traveled to New World as Pilgrims

Pull Factors Belief that America was a land of abundance –Open land, food, hunting… Religious Freedom –Pilgrims travel to America in hopes of religious freedom –The Pilgrims were followed by other non-conformists: Puritans, Quakers, Catholics, Jews, Baptists, and others

Force Africans kidnapped and forced to come to the New World (in chains) 1.Portuguese 1 st to enslave the Africans (1444) s – Spanish colonists importing large numbers of Africans to work on sugar plantations in the West Indies – a few Africans brought to English Colony of Virginia and sold as servants 4.Late 1600s – thousands of captive Africans brought into colonies each year and sold into slavery