The Spanish, Portuguese, French, and English all wanted to explore and settle the New World for a variety of reasons. The European nations were searching for political dominance, and they would do whatever needed to be done to get it. An example would be the power hungry Spaniards who took control over the Aztec empire. Spain was much more advanced than the Aztecs and used their advantage of guns, horses, disease, and exploitation to swiftly conquer the empire. Another major reason for the Europeans expansion was their desire for wealth and gold. The New World seemed like an entire realm of possibility to the nations that they couldn't miss out on.
The European nations were also looking to spread religion, mainly Christianity, converting whoever lived overseas. Spreading religion would allow the Europeans to have greater influence in the New World, which would promote trade among the nations and the America's, increasing their riches. Religion played a significant role in the European's interactions with the Native American population.
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One of the most obvious impacts is the Columbian Exchange which introduced Europeans to many foods like chocolate, potatoes, pumpkin, as well as tobacco. This exchange enriched Old World diets, increasing Europe's population. The settlement also introduced an economic decline in Spain due to the enormous influx of gold and silver, causing problems like a stagnated economy and inflation. In return, the Europeans introduced the Indians to many foods, resources, and diseases impacting their lives immensely. The Columbian Exchange brought livestock such as cattle, sheep, pigs, and horses to the America's as well as grains and other foods. Catastrophically, the exchange also killed off more than half of the Native population with the introduction of diseases and epidemics, an example being The Black Death which alone destroyed one-third of the