Compare And Contrast The Spanish Settlements In The Southwest And The English Colonies

In a time when numerous countries were beginning to explore the new and exciting land of North America during the Age of Exploration, and groups of people from England and Spain were fleeing their home countries either for religious freedom or wealth, vast and civilized colonies began to form all throughout the New World. It is in this context that the colonies founded by the English and the Spanish began to develop and grow. There was a significant difference between the Spanish and New England colonies between 1492 and 1700 in terms of the treatment of indigenous people, and there were some immense similarities between the two colonies in terms of the role of religion in their society and the

In a time when the Native Americans were building complex structures and had control of all of the Americas, the Spanish arrived, and took control from the natives conquering the Americas and leaving behind their influence until 1680. Also in a time when new colonists are arriving from England to America to form settlements, and settlers begin to reconsider their traditions. It is in this context that the Spanish and New England colonists are compared and contrasted. The Spanish and New England colonies from 1492 to 1700 were significantly similar in terms of treatment of indigenous people and considerably different in control of religion and control of European government.

In the seventeenth century both Spanish and English immigrants came to America and settled into new lands. While they both sailed across the sea to a new world they were sailing for different reasons. The Spanish came to America in hope for riches and gold and the English came for religious freedom. Both groups of immigrants established their own separate colonies when they arrived in the Americas with their own economy, religion and politics. The institution that has created the greatest differences between the Spanish Southwest and the English colonies of New England is Religion.

Creating a New World has to start somewhere, even if it means it began separated between three different colonies. The New England colonies included Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, it was established in the early 1620’s by a religious group, the Puritans.The southern colonies included Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, Virginia was the first successful Southern colony and was established in the early 16th century. These colonies shared their similarities but also had a lot of differences.

The Spanish and English colonies varied in terms of religion such as immigration and opinions on salvation. Starting in the late 1500s and early 1600s, conquistadors such as Vasco Nunuez de Balboa and Herman Cortes of the Spanish empire first started to make their way into the New World. Known for their mantra, “Gold, Glory, God”, the main reason for their expansion was for power and wealth. In the Spanish church, the Pope decided who went to Heaven. This

The English had a much larger population in their colonies than the Spanish, in fact, in 1700; there was a total population of 250,000 in the English colonies compared to 4,500 in the Spanish. A larger population in the colonies meant there was more manpower for work and, in addition, a greater wealth development. This led to a greater distinction between the English and the Spanish, which was the mass level by which slaves were used in colonial society. The Spanish too had similar ways of acquiring cheap labor services by establishing the Encomienda system. This system, unlike the English, exploited the Indians for personal profits rather than slaves imported from Africa. As English colonies, particularly in the south, focused on establishing an agrarian society; the Spanish did not focus as much on maintaining an agriculture based society. In marked contrast to England’s compact, densely populated settlements on the Atlantic, Spain established far-flung inland networks of fortified trading posts and missions. Unlike the English, they were unable to attract large numbers of colonists, and thus enlisted Native Americans as trading partners and military allies. The Catholic nation had far greater success in converting natives to Christianity than their Protestant counterpart. By 1700, Spanish missionaries, traders, and soldiers were spreading their influence beyond the range of England’s colonies; to

Before the English ventured to Roanoke Europeans explored and settled the New World. The Spanish were the most successful in settling the New World. They conquered most of Central and South America. Their main objective was to convert all of the Indians to Christianity. “Spain’s claim to posses the Americas was based on discovery, conquest, and settlement, but even more important, it was founded on the sacred enterprise of extending the Catholic faith to (in Spanish eyes) “barbarous” native peoples” (Horn 12).

The Spanish, French, and English all established major settlements in North America in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In each colony, settlement revolved around different types of trade: plantations and mining in New Spain, the fur trade in New France, and tobacco and the family farm in British North America. There were many similarities among these countries’ approaches to settling, but also enormous differences.

From the mid 1500’s to the 1700’s, people from all over Europe flocked to the vast lands of North America. Spain and England quickly became the most dominant European presences in the Americas. Citizens of the two countries had very different experiences in the New World. This was partially due to their different interactions with Native Americans, religions and their different motivations for coming to the New World. Although rivals at the time, Spain and England’s colonization efforts shared many similarities.

In the 17th century England and Spain were both in a race to settle the New World. After Christopher Columbus had reached this New World Spain almost immediately sent people over to explore and colonize. After the Treaty of Tordesillas secured their land, Spain’s empire quickly expanded across The Americas. England had a bit of a late start when it came to colonization. Even though their first few attempts such as Jamestown, and Roanoke were not very successful England kept at it. Eventually, England and Spain became the two most powerful nations in the Americas. Even though both nations had the same goal, their political, religious, and economic development were very different.

During the 15th through 17th centuries, advancements in technology and the desire for new resources spurred the exploration of the New World for both Spain and England. Spain's interest in exploration soon surpassed the rest of the countries in the Old World and the nation began to claim the majority of territory in Central and South America. Spain sent conquistadores to assert their dominance in the New World through violent conquest which resulted in difficult relations with native populations. Although the English did not settle in North America until the early 17th century, well past the period of the Spanish conquest, their methods of colonization were more successful in the long term. The English were able to find economic success

Spanish and English had similar motivations for exploration of the New World, such as gaining land, goods from the natives, and gold. However, their motivations also differ greatly. The Spanish conquistadors also gained slaves from the native people, as well as spreading the word of Christianity. The English settlers came to the New World to get away from the religious oppression in England and to practice religion freely, and to grow tobacco to send back to England. The Spanish gained much more land quickly because, upon landing in places like the Caribbean and Brazil, because of their conquering and enslaving of the natives. The English came to the New World much less prepared,

In the seventeenth century, colonial America was categorized into three major regions; New England, the Middle Colonies, and the South. Each region provided various opportunities and breakthrough ideas that created a distinct economic, cultural, and political society different from any other region. These ideas became the beginning of some prominent themes and beliefs Americans see as essential in today’s society.

British colonies began with less interest in natives altogether than their European rivals. The British preferred to focus on their own settlements and goals without regard for the natives that had lived on their land before them. There was a centralized focus on establishing a permanent settlement; therefore, the British, like the Dutch, did not attempt to convert many natives to Christianity as it was a lesser concern. From the very start of Spanish and French colonization, one could see that religious conversion is a pressing goal for both empires, beginning with Columbus’s initial assessment of the natives’ ability to be converted to Christianity. Columbus wrote, “...in order that they may conceive affection, and furthermore be made Christian; for they are inclined to the love and service of their Highnesses...” (Columbus 6). He emphasizes that they are easily convertible and that they already hold affection for the Spanish. This is similar to the French colonization method in theory but not in practice. Both France and Spain had large mission systems, France through close-proximity Jesuit missions and Spain through

The greed for gold and the race for El Dorado were the main inducements of the Spaniards who, at the peril of their lives, crossed the ocean in unfit vessels in a mad pursuit after the gold and all other precious property of the Indians” (Peace 479). The royal rulers of Spain made it a rule that nothing would jeopardize their ability to rob the land from the native people of Latin America. The missionary process, “had to be encouraged, but the missionaries could not be permitted to dominate the colony at the cost of royal rule” (Gibson 76). The European governments established missionaries to cleanse their minds of any guilt aroused by the slaughtering of innocent men, women, and children. When European “ships arrived in the 16th century to colonize the land and exploit its natural resources, they killed indigenous people and brought black slaves from Africa. Millions of indigenous people were slain and their cultures completely destroyed by the process of colonization” (Ribero). The overall devastations caused by the Christianization of the native inhabitants created a blend of cultures within the indigenous civilizations which gradually isolated old native ways into a small population of oppressed people. The Christianized people became a symbol of loyalty to the European powers and were left alone simply on their religious status. This long term mission of total religious replacement caused very strong and advanced