Colonization of Americans by European Empires

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Colonization of Americas by European Empires
Introduction
The conquest of America commenced with the explorations of early European travelers. Famous explorers from England, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal traveled to the Atlantic world for a myriad of reasons. While some came for profits, others explored Americas to realize religious freedom. Europe experienced turbulent times during the Medieval Period. From wars to incurable diseases, people were angry at a God who at that time seemed to have forsaken them. It is critical to note that a new era of exploration that changed the world forever arose out of the death and hopelessness experienced in Europe during Middle Ages. Europe’s lust for new soil, prolonged plagues, and hardships associated with provincial loyalties motivated people to seek salvation elsewhere. The Vikings were the first known Europeans to reach America during the eleventh century. Subsequently, European nations dominated the Atlantic World leading to profound changes in its population, landscape, animal, and plant life.
Factors behind the Colonization of America by European Empire
Europe had an apparent interest in the expansion of new territories for a broad range of reasons. During the early years of exploration, Europeans came to the Atlantic world in search of new opportunities for trade (Edling 1471). They also wanted alternative routes to overcome monopolies. For Europeans, acquisition of new domains implied more land, which in turn, signified power.

Spain and Portugal were the initial states to colonize America (Edling 1471). Primarily, they were in search of new trade routes and riches. England and France followed suit with the intention of gaining critical developments in religion, economics, and politics (Edling 1471). The idea of exploring an untamed land where there were no rules and regulations inspired Europeans to venture the new territories with the desire of developing a better faith. It is critical to note that the Puritans were discontent with the dishonored acts from Rome. They left England with the hope of reformation in another territory.
The desperate economic and political circumstances in Europe also motivated people to search for a new way of gaining land and homes. The different types of governments in the continent oppressed people through unemployment, high taxation, and other oppressive reforms (Edling 1472). With tones of unregulated land in the Atlantic, it was easy for them to join colonies and gain new territories. They cultivated the new land more than they did in Europe and accumulated a lot of wealth through exports. The people back home required imports. The colonies optimized this opportunity by putting our more exports and mounting their resources and economy. In the Atlantic world, Europeans had the chance to gather more land and economic opportunities. Over an extended period, many Europeans increasingly settled in America where they started a new lifestyle.
Social Consequences for the Atlantic World
As Europeans established their territories in the Atlantic, their societies became greatly segmented along racial and religious lines. Most people were not free as they labored as slaves helping other amass more wealth. Socially, Europeans instituted slavery in the American continent as they had a high demand for labor to cultivate their cash crops (Smithers 7). The intensifying need for labor resulted in Europeans relying entirely on Africans. They transferred substantial numbers of Africans from their homeland to the Atlantic to work in their tobacco and sugar farms. By the end of the 17th century, Europeans across the American continent relied heavily on Africans for slave labor (Smithers 5). Once sold to traders, African slaves found themselves confined is outrageously inhuman societies. Precisely, they faced a lifetime working in farms and factories harvesting and processing tobacco respectively. Africans fought slavery and created maroon communities in Jamaica and other parts of America where they resisted recapture.
Despite remaining form under the control of native peoples during the early decades of colonization, Americas adapted to the European lifestyle in subsequent years. With the introduction of new goods such as metal utensils, glass beads, and copper kettles, natives embraced European lifestyle radically (Smithers 7). As European settlements continued to intensify in the later years, their goods flooded native communities. In fact, natives started using these objects for the same reasons as their masters (Smithers 7). For instance, natives abandoned their animal-skin clothing for European textiles. Likewise, native weapons changed drastically. Local people refashioned European brassware utilized for chopping wood into firearms. Notably, the influx of European material in the Atlantic made war more lethal besides changing traditional patterns of leadership among local communities. After gaining access to European weapons and metal, formerly weaker groups unexpectedly gained more military power against their dominant counterparts. Ultimately, the natives utilized the new weapons against the Europeans when fighting for emancipation.
Economic Consequences for the Atlantic World
When they acquired territories in the Atlantic, Europeans introduced mercantilism, an economic theory that encouraged not only free trade but also promoted private ventures over foreign undertakings. Mercantilism implied that European colonies in America would export their raw materials back home to build economic strength and change the balance of trade in favor of their mother countries (Acemoglu and Robinson 1). The Mercantilist economy thrived since the colonies received the monopoly of tobacco market back home. With the European market in constant demand for goods such as rice, sugar, and tobacco, the colonial economy flourished significantly. However, with the introduction of Navigation Acts, the colonialists hindered the hindered the way in which colonies could trade, which subsequently affected their lives (Acemoglu and Robinson 1). By introducing limitations regarding the production and selling of products, the provisions of these acts benefited the mother country at the expense of the colonies. It is critical to note that the immense economic inequality observed in the Atlantic world today dates back the disparities during the colonial era.
On the positive side, colonialism in the Atlantic resulted in the development of supportive industries. In addition to sawmills, the Europeans introduced a broad range of specialized industries in Americas. Also, they established shipyards for fishing purposes and subsequently trading vessels. Regional patterns of growth had become apparent by the 18th century (Acemoglu and Robinson 1). The new colonies relied on farming, sailing, and fishing to generate wealth. Territories such as Carolina, Maryland, and Virginia specialized in the production of rice, indigo, and tobacco. On the other hand, the central territories of Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York conveyed these crops and other products. Aside from slavery, the standards of living in these colonies were higher than home countries.
Conclusion
Overall, the colonialization of the Atlantic world began as an exploratory expedition of the Europeans. Weary of the political, economic, religious and social issues in their home countries, European explorers traveled Americas in search of employment and other economic opportunities. Despite resisting their influence in the initial years, the natives embraced their products and lifestyle. Socially, Europeans introduced slavery in the Atlantic world. They transported thousands of slaves from Africa to meet the intensifying demand for labor in their farms and industries. Economically, their invasion of Americas supported the development of new industries. Regardless of playing a significant part in the economic disparities observed in the Atlantic world today, European colonialists improved the economy of the region as they opened the field for local entrepreneurs.
Works Cited
Acemoglu, Daron and James Robinson. “The Economic Impact of Colonialism.” Voxeu, 2017. Accessed from: https://voxeu.org/article/economic-impact-colonialism
Edling, Max M. “The Settlers’ Empire: Colonialism and State Formation in America’s Old Northwest.” Economic History Review, vol. 68, no. 4, Nov. 2015, pp. 1471-1472.
Smithers, Gregory D. Native Diasporas: Indigenous Identities and Settler Colonialism in the Americas. University of Nebraska Press, 2014. Borderlands and Transcultural Studies.