Europeans gained new materials like gold, silver, and jewels. The Europeans enslaved the Native Americans and took most of them back to Europe. The explorers also gained new foods like corn and pineapple. Columbus also discovered tobacco seeds and brought the seeds back to Europe
The voyages of explorers had a dramatic impact on European trade. As a result, more goods, raw materials and precious metals entered Europe. New trade centers developed, especially in the Netherlands and England. Exploration and trade led to the growth of capitalism.
Europeans were primarily motivated by money, religion, rivalry, and conquest. If they could find a quicker route to Asia, profits would balloon and religious ideologies would spread. At this time, wealth was measured by how much gold or silver a country had on hand
