Enduring Understandings
- During the Renaissance, Europeans sought to profit from trade with Asian lands, and new technologies made long ocean trading voyages possible.
- Desire for wealth led European nations to establish colonies in the Americas. In North America, colonial rivalries led to war.
- The transatlantic slave trade began as Spain sought labor for its American colonies, and the Middle Passage brought misery to millions of enslaved Africans.
- The voyages of European explorers eventually led to the growth of capitalism, the adoption of the economic policy of mercantilism, and other economic changes in Europe.
Watch the My Story Video
to learn about the Spanish conquest of Mexico.