1. Why did the Western Europeans develop an interest in the New World once it was discovered not to be Asia? What were the purposes of colonization?

1. Why did the Western Europeans develop an interest in the New World once it was discovered not to be Asia? What were the purposes of colonization? 2. What was the primary cause of Indian depopulation, and was it the result of any systematic planning on the part of the European colonizers? 3. Why were Africans looked to as a labor source for the burgeoning plantation enterprises in the New World? 4. What role did religion play in the colonization of the New World?