The Pros And Cons Of European Exploration

In the year 1492, Christopher Columbus made his famous voyage west in search of a new and shorter route to reach Asia and the valuable resources that it contained. However, Columbus would never reach Asia, instead locating a new continent and ushering in an era of exploration and expansion. In this time many explorers backed by European governments would set sail to the new world in search of new territory to claim as well as new resources to exploit. In this time of expansion, new sailing technologies allowed explorers to reach their destination faster and more accurately than ever before in the history of Europe. These new technologies coupled with the desire to expand would fuel exploration missions and conflict between nations that marked this time period.

In this time the invention of new technologies would forever change the way that Europeans sailed and gave them the accuracy need to reach their destinations. First came modifications to the boats in the form a the new axial rudder and the square rigged sails that allowed ships to become more mobile and agile than previous European models. Sailors with an increasing

In the coming years it became increasingly important for countries to establish claims in the sew world to gain access to vast untapped resources and wealth. While Spain and Portugal were the dominant powers in the beginning, eventually the French, British, and other nations would attempt to gain territory themselves. A negative effect from this era of exploration to the new world is that it allowed for the expansion of the slave trade into one of the most profitable industries of the day. While it was extremely beneficial in the beginning of the exploration period, eventually rivalry between European powers would much conflict and hardship as they attempted to expand their gains in the New