Early European Explorers

During the 15th and 16th centuries around the world, the lure of economic opportunity, heroism, and adventure tempted explorers from Europe to travel hundreds of miles to explore the worlds that existed outside their own. What they discovered upon arriving at their destinations, was that these new lands, rich in natural resources, were already inhabited by people who had been living there for hundreds of years. The interactions that ensued between the European explorers and …

…their own answers to questions raised by these new lifestyles. In turn, the early accounts of other cultures were sprinkled heavily with inaccurate perceptions that influenced the way they acted towards each other. Some of these interactions were positive, like prosperous trade, and some were negative, such as warfare. Whatever the result, the connections of these diverse cultures hugely impacted the further developments of these people and their role during the age of European exploration.