European colonization began with the expansion of Portugal and Spain into new areas after the development of nautical navigation. Other countries saw the potential for new trade routes and land. As settlers came to the New World, there was an exchange of goods, livestock, farming methods, and deadly diseases. Production of goods in the south led to an increase in slave labor. The population of colonists continued to grow with those seeking freedom from religious persecution. As colonists met with economic success, they sought to break away from European