There are many motivations for exploration. Great expeditions are all driven in part by curiosity and excitement about the unknown. However, if we look past the glories of ships returning with trunks full of exotic treasures and sailors full of incredible tales of life at sea, there remain other reasons for undertaking exploration.
The kings and queens of Europe were interested in expanding their personal wealth, power, and reputations – new trade routes and trading partners had been a driving force behind westward exploration since the 1400s. They saw opportunity in sending their representatives out to chart and claim lands that would expand their territory, provide them with resources, and potentially give them more royal subjects to put to work or to convert to Christianity.
Nations interested in expanding trade possibilities were excited about the discovery of trade routes. In the 15th and 16th centuries, European demand for spices like pepper and nutmeg sent Spanish and Portuguese mariners on a search for a western sea route to India and the “Spice Islands.” Giovanni Caboto, sailing for England as John Cabot in 1497 and 1498, sought a trade passage by a northern route, but died while off what is now the east coast of Canada. The riches of the spice trade had driven the economy of the Silk Road for thousands of years, and even the expeditions of the 18th century were sent out to find a passage that would improve the lucrative trade with Asia. The idea that the northern seas could be used as a Northwest Passage became a significant attraction to countries exploring the Pacific Northwest.
Profit is a powerful motivator. Just as nations desired commercial sea routes, traders wanted goods and people to exchange with. The fur trade drew European and First Nations interest. The promise of cash for fine pelts far outweighed the scientific examination of sea otters and the meaning of these animals in indigenous coastal cultures. Spanish regents and viceroys were content to leave the Pacific coast north of Spanish California alone until the Russians showed interest in furs. It was cash that spurred the Spanish to begin exploration and to make “Acts of Possession” for king and country along the north Pacific coast in the late 1700s.
