In an initial post of at least 250-300 words, explain why and how Europeans pursued expansion into and across the Atlantic Ocean during the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries. How does this impetus represent continuity with the past? How does it represent change over time? Cite specific examples from the required and recommended readings and address the following points in your response:

What factors motivated and enabled expansion into the Atlantic?
What elements of this expansion can be identified as part of previous patterns?
What elements of this expansion were unique or new?
How do you assess the overarching significance of the opening of the Atlantic in this period?