According to Roberts, by the end of the eighteenth century, “European nations, including Russia, had already laid claim to more than half the world’s land surface”(633). The advanced technology and navy Europe had, allowed them to settle colonies in the Americas and control a vast majority of the New World. This is significant because it symbolized the creation of the European colonial empires. This overseas empire ultimately benefited the economy of these European countries through the establishment of a system known as Mercantilism. According to Roberts, “the Spaniards and Portuguese were the only powers colonizing in the western hemisphere...who managed to make their American possessions not only pay for themselves but return a net profit for the metropolis”(647). In other words, Mercantilism established a favorable relationship within the European countries and its colonies. It is said that the colonies existed to provide agricultural goods and wealth for the mother country. Hence, the establishment of colonies in the Americas allowed for the stability and dominance of European