Answer:
The European powers were looking for three basic things: land, power, and wealth.
Explanation:
The 16th and 17th centuries were a time where the main European powers become interested in exploring territories beyond the known borders of the world at the time. This begins a period known as the Age of Exploration. Travelling to the Americas was made possible by advances in map-making, shipbuilding, and navigation. Another reason that heavily contributed to the exploration of the "new continent" was the predominant economic policy of the time: Mercantilism.
Mercantilism suggested that there was a limited amount of gold/money in the world, so powerful European countries, such as Spain, Britain, and Portugal began to compete against each other. Most of the wealth in Europe was already controlled by someone so their best chance at obtaining new riches was exploring other lands. Establishing colonies in the Americas gave the Europeans first-hand access to wealth and resources that were typically shipped to Europe. The kings of Spain, Britain, and Portugal filled their coffers at the expense of the native populations.
