Why were European nations were so successful at colonizing the Americas during the 16th and 17th centuries?
The gun, the cannon, and the horse. Europeans had them and American Indians didn't. Technology wins wars even if it's just a horse and saddle, and black powder.. Also the Europeans had an ally that the Indians couldn't overcome. Small pox and the plague killed at least a third of all Indians on the continent.
Major reason that europeans explored and colonized the western hemisphere in the 16th century?
An exploding population coupled with an increasingly limited amount of living space and resources. Just like water, conquest and colonization follow the path of least resistance. So it was either continue to fight the Muslims as had been done for centuries or go to the less populated and more easily conquered Americas. Also, the Americas were an unknown area which held more promise of adventure and profit than the world the Europeans already knew.
Which was one reason why most European efforts to colonize North America failed before the seventeenth century?
Rada, the only answer that fits is #2 ~ "Most people came unprepared for the harsh environments". While most "left" their home country for religious reasons ~ this would not be a reason why "some" Colonies failed before the 17th century. Best of luck, Gerry
What was the reason why European exploration expand in the 15th century?
The answer is that there was no single reason. 1. That Europeans were in war with each other. There was no single superpower which had taken over and thus could dictate a peace. 2. Europe had the materials needed to build large ships.2a. English oak tree from Poland to the hull. English Oak is one of the world's best wood species to build ships. There are about 10000 species of trees. Of the North American tree species, nobody is as good as English, this, despite many more species of oak. Most of the trees were obtained from Poland because the country was sparsely populated and the trees were older, taller and thicker.2b. Hemp from Russia, for ropes and sails.2c. Pine for masts and rigging, from Sweden and Norway.2d. Tar from Finland. To impregnate oak, pine and hemp for advice. 3. Training of navigators. It's a problem to find a way to the ocean as the waves look alike and there are no road signs. Normally, this problem was solved by sailing along the coast. The dark country must be far out on the right (or left) side of the ship.But to sail from Holland to the Baltic Sea, you must first pass the low coast of Jutland with dangerous reefs far from land.The solution was to measure the speed of the ship and sail for a compass. But this required a special education, which was a whole new invention at the time. 4. The military technical development was that the biggest ship won all matches. But in peace time the big ships were unemployed. It was hard fill them all with commodity and kings were to use the ships in the next war. And it could be difficult to assemble a large trained crew for these ships. One option was mapping. As the big ships demanded better maps of the sea (chart).