1. European Imperialism and Reasons for Exploration

2. What is Imperialism?
During the 1500s -1700s, powerful European countries would go into other Nations and attempt to take them over and control them. This is known as Imperialism. They would build Colonies in these lands so that they could build their Empires.

3. What is Imperialism?
Colony: A territory of land that is controlled by another country.
Empires: Are networks of colonies, controlled by a single country, sometimes called a Home Country.

4. (But what lead them to North America in the first place?)
European Imperialism
The 2 most powerful European imperial countries were Britain and France.
These 2 countries eventually competed with each other for territory in North America.
(But what lead them to North America in the first place?)

5. The Silk Road
The Silk Road was a trade route that led Europeans into China for silk and India for spices.
Europeans were looking for a new way to Asia other than the silk road

7. Why Look for a New Route?
The Silk Road was dangerous, and traders were often ambushed, attacked, or charged a "tax" to pass through it.
Europeans were forced to find another, less dangerous route to Asia, via the Ocean.

8. Oops…We Found land!?
In the process of trying to find a new route, however, explorers accidentally stumbled upon North America!
Europeans never meant
to find North America.
So why did they start
building colonies there?

9. Reasons for Imperialism
There were four main reasons, or benefits, for European countries to build colonies in new lands:
Economic
Competition
Religion
Curiosity

10. Reasons for Imperialism
Economics: Europeans set up colonies so they could claim the resources of the land for themselves. In North America this meant Beaver Fur, Fish, and Wood.

11. Reasons for Imperialism
Competition: The more colonies a country controlled, the bigger its empire and the more wealth, power, and prestige it had over other countries.

12. Reasons for Imperialism
Religion: Most people in France were Catholic, and most people in England were Protestant. Both groups wanted to spread “their version” of Christianity around the world.

13. Reasons for Imperialism
Curiosity: Many Europeans were curious about what lay beyond the horizon as they had never travelled that far West before.