<span>"C. independence" would be the best answer, although power certainly plays a role as well. </span>
The correct answer is increase in industrialization.
Due to the technological advancements of the mid-late 1800's, Americans started to rely more on industry rather than farming. Working in a factory rather than a farm had its perks. People who worked in a factory had guaranteed wages, whereas in farming the amount of money a person makes is dependent on several different factors like the amount of people who want to buy your products, climate, location, etc.
Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer who, in 1498, became the first European to land on the Indian coast
i think He sailed for france