European

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the movements to explore the new world increased rapidly. Among them was the arrival of the early Europeans on Americas. Europeans were interested in exploring the Americas in the 16th and 17th centuries for different reasons. Some of the reasons that they explored were: to find a sea route to the species of Asia, to find gold, silver, and precious stones, to expand their knowledge of the world, to control a larger empire, and to expand Christianity. In Europe, many spices did not grow anywhere. They were only found in Asian countries like China, Japan, and India. It was very difficult to get the spices from Asia to Europe. Spices had to be brought across thousands of miles of dangerous mountains and deserts by spice traders, with bandits waiting to rob the spice caravans. The alternative was to bring the spices by ship, but the sea voyage was also dangerous because of pirates and storms. Since it was so difficult to get spices from Asia to Europe, spices were very expensive. Also, spices became even more expensive and difficult to find in Europe when the land route from Asia to Europe was cut-off by the Turkish Empire. The European rulers tried several times to defeat the Turks in battle, but they were turned back each time. Several European rulers finally decided to try to find a route around the Turkish Empire. If a country could find a way to get these valuable spices to Europe, the rulers would be very rich so European rulers fought many wars. They fought against each other and against the Turkish Empire. These wars were very expensive, so they needed to find lots of gold, silver, and precious stones to pay for them. Also, the search for gold was one of the main reasons for ColumbusÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їs journey too. Europeans were interested in settling the Americas in the 16th and 17th centuries because of religious problem. A different group of English people settled north of Jamestown. They were members of a religious group that wanted to purify the Church of England by removing some of its Catholic practices. Because of this, they were known as Puritans. Puritans believed in the idea of a Ð'ÐŽÐ'opriesthood of all believers.Ð'ÐŽÐ'± This meant that every worshipper should experience God directly through faith, prayer, and study of the Bible instead of through services conducted by church priests. Some puritans believed in trying to change the Church of England. Other puritans chose to leave the church and form their own congregations. They were known as Separatists. The English king punished anyone who broke away from the Church of England. One Separatist group, known today as Pilgrims, decided to leave England. In 1620, they arrived in North America and founded Plymouth Colony. In 1630, another group of Puritans sailed to North America, Like the Pilgrims; they came to practice their religion without fear of punishment. They started a settlement called the Massachusetts Bay Colony. By 1640, more than 20,000 English settlers lived there. The region would become known as New England.

As the 1400s began, European societies were still recovering from a series of disasters during the previous century. From 1314 to 1316, heavy rain and disease wiped out crops and livestock. Thousands of peasants died of starvation. Then, beginning in the 1340s, an epidemic of plagues killed over 25 million people a fourth of EuropeÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їs population. Meanwhile, long wars also raged across the continent, including the Hundred YearÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їs War between England and France. However, amid this turmoil, modern Europe began to take shape. After the plague, Europe experienced vigorous growth and change. The expansion of Europe pushed Europeans to look to other lands. The Crusades opened up Asian trade routes and whetted the European appetite for Eastern luxuries, such as silk, porcelain, tea and rugs. Merchants in Italian city-states were the first to profit from trade with Asia. They traded with the Muslim merchants who controlled the flow of goods through much of the Middle East. As trade opportunities increased, new markets were established and new trade routes were opened. By the end of the 1400s, EuropeÐ'ÐŽÐ'Їs population had rebounded from the plagues. This increase stimulated commerce and encouraged the growth of towns. The return