In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean with ships paid for by Spain. What was he trying to find on that voyage?

Hernando de Soto led a Spanish expedition across the present-day southeastern United States in the early 1540s. What was that expedition mainly searching for?

Juan Ponce de Leon explored present-day Florida in 1513 and claimed the land there for Spain. Claiming land for a country shows which kind of motive?

William Penn founded the colony of Pennsylvania in 1681. Why did he want that colony started?

The Virginia Company sold shares to Londoners and used the money to pay for the ships that carried English colonists to Jamestown in 1607. Why did the company pay for that voyage?

The English settlers who founded Plymouth in 1620 came mainly so they could worship in their own way.

A missionary traveled with a Spanish expedition into the Southwest in the 1500s. What was a missionary's main job on such a trip?

French colonists along the St. Lawrence River traded metal tools, pots, and cloth to Indigenous nations in exchange for ___, which sold for high prices in Europe.

In England in the 1600s, farmland was costly and hard for an ordinary family to buy. Because of this, many families sailed to English colonies hoping to do what?

A Spanish captain wrote that he claimed a bay for his king so no other country could take it. A merchant wrote that he came to cut timber and sell it in Europe. How do their motives compare?

Historians sort the reasons Europeans came to North America into three kinds of motives: economic, political, and ___.

What phrase is often used to summarize three major motives of European exploration?

Why did many European explorers look for new sea routes to Asia?

Which trade good was especially important to Europeans because it helped flavor and preserve food?

A country that paid for an explorer’s voyage usually hoped to gain what?

Instead of reaching Asia, where did Christopher Columbus's ships actually make landfall in October 1492?

True or False: Columbus’s main goal was to prove that Earth was round.

Which motive means wanting to become famous or honored for achievements?

Which motive means wanting riches such as silver, valuable furs, or trade profits?

Which motive was connected to spreading Christianity?

Why did explorers often claim land for their home countries?

True or False: Curiosity about unknown places was one reason some explorers traveled.

What best describes a trade route?

Why did Portugal support voyages along the coast of Africa?

What did Vasco da Gama accomplish that helped Portugal’s trade goals?

Spain paid for Ferdinand Magellan's 1519 voyage, which became the first expedition to sail around the world. What did Spain hope that voyage would find?

Why was Magellan’s voyage important to European exploration?

Who were the Spanish conquistadors?

True or False: All explorers had exactly the same reason for traveling.

Jacques Cartier sailed for France in the 1530s and explored the St. Lawrence River. What was the king of France hoping he would find?

French traders shipped huge numbers of beaver furs from North America to Europe. Why was beaver fur so valuable there?

Why did England sponsor exploration and settlements in North America?

Which motive is at work when a ruler wants their country to be stronger than rival countries?

True or False: Better navigation tools helped make long ocean voyages possible.

Which tool helped sailors know direction while at sea?

Why did explorers keep journals and make maps?

In the 1610s, Jamestown colonists began growing a crop that sold for high prices in England. This crop helped the colony earn money. Which crop was it?

In 1634, Lord Baltimore started the colony of Maryland partly as a safe place for one religious group that was treated unfairly in England. Which group was it?

True or False: European exploration affected Indigenous peoples in the Americas.

Which statement best explains why explorers took dangerous journeys?