Fifteenth Century American Overseas Expansion

The fifteenth century was a period composed of remarkable discoveries; new lands in foreign countries were both explored and conquered. A majority of the countries responsible for the overseas expansion during this age of discovery originate from Europe. These countries include Spain, Portugal, and England. However, the motives for expansion vary for each country. Wealth, religion, and expansion of empires are a few of the reasons as to why these countries traveled to the New World. While these countries had successes in their endeavors, there was one country that's achievements surpassed those of any other from Europe. Although Spain and Portugal were successful in their overseas expansion of the New World, England was able to accumulate the most land and wealth. The overseas expansion of the New World was first led by Portugal, which sought wealth and the spreading of Christianity. Portuguese explorer Prince Henry the Navigator was the first to lead Portugal into exploration; through his expeditions, he was able to find gold along the West African coastline. This increased the economic prosperity of Portugal because gold was …show more content…
The English were motivated by religious freedom and the expansion of England. The first permanent settlement was Jamestown, Virginia in 1607; from that point, the colonization of what would become America had expanded. The English fought the Spanish American War, which ended in 1898. Through this war, the English gained the Pacific coast of America from being victorious against the Spanish. The population of immigrants that had traveled from England to America was far more than the Spanish or Portuguese. This benefited the English in the war because they had more soldiers than the Spanish. It also helped the spread of Christianity since the English were able to convert natives to Christianity more