1. The first Americans migrated to North America from Asia across the Bering Strait during the last Ice Age, gradually migrating south following food sources.
2. Europeans began exploring in the 15th century for economic, religious, and political reasons, seeking new trade routes, wealth, and converts to Christianity. This led to contact with indigenous peoples in the Americas.
3. The major European powers that engaged in colonization of North America were Spain, Portugal, France, and the Netherlands in the 16th-18th centuries, with Spain establishing the first permanent colonies through conquests of the Aztecs and Incas for gold and territory.