In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, daring European explorers made countless voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. Each ship that returned brought stories about new lands and new people across the seas. Soon, everyone wanted to learn about these lands of North, Central, and South America, then called the New World. And across Europe, there was no shortage of individuals—sailors, ships' captains, and even monarchs—willing to risk an investment of time or money in a journey to the New World.

The Promise of Great Rewards

Each person involved in such a venture expected great rewards. The monarch who sponsored the voyage hoped to become king or queen over newly discovered lands; one English king instructed an adventurer to "seek out, discover and finde whatsoever isles, countrey regions or provinces" previously unknown to Europeans. The captain wished to find a new river...