The document discusses the religious and economic divisions in Europe that arose during the Protestant Reformation and Age of Exploration, and how these divisions influenced the colonial settlement of North America. It describes how Europe was initially connected through the Catholic Church, but Martin Luther's reforms in 1517 led to the establishment of Protestantism and a rivalry between Catholics and Protestants. When Europeans colonized North America, they brought their religious differences with them. It also explains how the desire for wealth and trade routes to Asia led European powers like England, France, and the Netherlands to explore and establish colonies in North America in the 16th-17th centuries despite the Treaty of Tordesillas dividing territory between Spain and Portugal.