Until the late 1400's, Europeans did not know the existence of the two American continents ( North and South America ). To the European explorers, exploring the other side of the Atlantic was like exploring an entire different world, hence the name- the New World. In 1492, Christopher Columbus unknowingly discovered the new continent. His original motives for exploring was to find an easier route to Asia but instead, he discovered the New World. Thus; Spain, France and …showed first 75 words of 815 total…

…showed last 75 words of 815 total…the search for gold and silver to wanting more land, it all boiled down to the countries being greedy. They all knew that they would profit, whether it be from gold ( Spain ), trading ( France ) , or colonies ( England ). But from these three countries, America has been enriched by their heritage. A source of strength, this heritage still lives today - centuries after the initial European exploration and settlement - a distinctive American civilization has been created.