EUROPEAN EXPLORATION AND SETTLEMENT What do you know about European Exploration and Settlement? European exploration in North America began with Christopher Columbus’ discovery of what he thought was Asia. Since that time, there have many attempts by Europeans to settle in America, some successful, others not. There are many reasons why Europeans settled outside of Europe. Political, social, and economic forces encouraged the exploration of the New World, and money was almost always a motivating factor in the settlement of new colonies. One of the most well-known European settlements was Jamestown, Virginia, which was the beginning of European colonization in America. Other settlements can be found in Central America, most famously the conquest of early American civilizations such as the Aztecs. © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted for the purchaser to print copies for non-commercial educational purposes only. Visit us at www.NewPathLearning.com.
Along with people, the Europeans brought disease and technologies that had an impact on the native people of the areas in which they settled. A great number of Native Americans were either killed by disease or pushed out of their native lands in the push to explore the new continent by many countries and groups. This treatment of native peoples has been the subject of controversy for hundreds of years. The history of European exploration is a long and conflicted one, yet has had a significant impact on many places, especially America. © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted for the purchaser to print copies for non-commercial educational purposes only. Visit us at www.NewPathLearning.com.