How Did The Catholic Church Influence Colonial America

As the English and Spanish discovered the new world, they set up multiple colonies to host their immigrants or explorers. However, there were many differences among their individual colonies. The Spanish colonies were Catholic, interactive with the natives, were governed by crown through appointed viceroys, and were usually discovered for profit, not permanent residence. The English colonies, on the other hand, were Protestant, distant with the natives, governed locally, and were discovered for permanent settlement. These major differences answer many questions as to the successes and failures of each colony, such as why there were more religious sects in the English colonies, why North America decided to eventually create unions, and why the

Because of this the pope require Spain to spread Catholicism around the Americas. The Spanish say that their main goal of colonization was to rescue the Indians from their barbaric ways, and to prevent them from becoming Protestants. They did not want to eliminate the Indians, instead they wanted to help change them into obedient Christians. Along with Spain's goal of

Religion has shaped the colonial society in many ways because one of the reasons to leave England was religious persecution. The New England colonies overall are more strict in their religious practices, like the Puritan Massachusetts Bay, but there is some tolerance in places like Rhode Island. The Chesapeake region is less influenced by religion but they do have the Catholic Maryland. Although the Chesapeake colonies were founded for economic reasons, the New England colonies had a society more based off of religion through government, schooling and families. Therefore, the New England region was more heavily influenced by religion in society.

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).

During the period of Colonialism, the English settlers arrived in America from Europe looking for religious freedom, land and the opportunity for wealth. While the Spanish Settlers arrived at Hispaniola unexpectedly, like the English; however, the Spanish did not leave Europe because of religion persecution; rather, they wanted to expand their religious belief to the New Word. While in both the English and the Spanish colonization, the Indigenous people were oppressed and enslaved but the English took a different approach. Thereby, although both the English and the European colonized in order to obtain gold and silver to help their countries wealth, the Spanish explorers took a more forceful method of gaining land.

The three colonial empires of Portugal, Spain, and England were the most dominate in the fight for land in the Americas. While the motivations for these three colonial empires were similar and all of the Native Americans and/or Africans saw the Spanish Portuguese and English as one brutally similar people, economic differences between the three of them would ensure that their colonies would develop in dramatically unique ways.

During the early stages of North America, the Spanish settlements in the Southwest and the English colonies contrasted from each other as a result of different resources, religion, and various other factors. In the 17th century, North America was just beginning colonization. In 1588, the Spanish attacked the English but were defeated because the English used different tactics that were swifter. Both the Spanish settlers and English were devoted to their religions. While the English were trying to decide what path of religion to follow, the Spanish had already choses Christianity as their dominant religion. Some Spanish missionaries were founded in California and Texas with the goal to Christianize the natives. The English

Britain and Spain shared similar motivations for colonization, but their colonies were vastly different in many aspects due to differences in their own government and policies. Both countries created colonies to increase their wealth and expand their economies, but religious freedom played a factor in British colonization. The fundamental differences between the two countries led to a difference in the way the colonies of each country interacted with its government. The relationship of British and Spanish colonists with Native Americans also reflected the differences in the motives and the government of Britain and Spain.

The religious views of the Southwest Colonies and New England colonies hugely contrasted. The dominant religion in Spain at the time was Catholicism. Catholicism gave the Spaniards a common identity and allowed them to explore much faster than the English who were experiencing a religious civil war at the time. So the Spanish went over to spread Catholicism. “ The Franciscans and

For example, Spain was one of the most prominent contributor to the silver trade because it had many colonies and was a mercantilist economy. The Spanish had the quinto system where one-fifth of the silver collected in the colonies would directly go to Spain, the other four-fifths of the money would be used in trade. However, Tomás de Mercado, a Spanish Scholar, states the fact that Asian commodities had a high price (Doc 2). This resulted in all the silver to flow to Asia instead of Spain holding onto it. Additionally, although the flow of silver into Asia was hurting the Spanish and the European economy, they still continued to trade with the Asians (Doc 8). Charles D’Avenant, an English scholar, states that Europeans cannot stop trading their silver that lasts for Asian goods that are temporary as they have already gotten a taste of the luxury. He also states that it is a social issue as people of all degrees feel the need to buy Asian goods, no matter how expensive. The Europeans have too high of a demand for Asian commodities to stop the flow of silver into Asia. Furthermore, Antonio Vázqez de Espinosa, a Spanish priest concerned with the Spanish invasion of the Native American society (Doc 6). The Spanish authorities set up the mita system for the Native Americans where one-seventh of the men in the native village population were sent to work in the silver mines of Potosí. This shows the negative effect of the silver trade as it describes the horrible conditions that the Native Americans face while working in the mines. This is comparable to the encomienda system around the same timeline. The Spanish started settling in Southern America and began pursuing profitable plantation (sugar) and mining business; however they needed a labor force. In the encomienda system, the Spanish were given the right to force the Native Americans to work on their plantations and

In the 1700s, the Spanish wanted to expand their culture and religion because they wanted their wealth and power to grow. They also wanted to settle where no other Europeans would settle. To keep out the Europeans, they stationed strong military services by these missionaries. From Spain, the Fathers were sent to Northern America, settling in California, to spread Christian practices.

As stated before, the conquistadors traveled to the new world, claimed land, and captured native tribes. While claiming the land, the conquistadors also built churches. But, the conquistadors formed colonies around the churches, in favor of the Catholic religion. Because of the fact that religion was required for newly established colonies, the conquistadors were determined to convert the Natives to the Catholic religion.

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

“Encomienda or Slavery?” by Timothy J. Yeager. I will analyze the author’s thesis, the reasons why the encomienda system was a better choice for the Crown, and I will disagree with Yeager’s viewpoint that it is not a “curious” option for the Crown to choose over the alternative of enslavement. Encomienda was a system in which the Spaniards took over land, forced the natives to work for them and in return the encomenderos provided the native Indians with protection. I will also agree with the author’s views of the Crown confiscating property from the encomenderos. In Timothy J. Yeager’s article, he discusses why the Crown decided to implement a governmental structure of the encomienda rather than have the natives become their slaves.