The Spanish and New England Colonies
In a time between 1492 and the 1700 the Spanish and the English started to colonize the New World with the Spaniards coming over first in 1492 after being approved by the Roman Catholic Church. The Spanish people started their colonization in present day Mexico, while the English colony of Massachusetts in 1630 by Puritans fleeing England due to persecution. It is in this context that there were two similarities and a differences from both European countries. The Spanish and New England colonies from 1492 to 1700 were significantly similar in terms of the economic base in which the colony was set upon, and considerably different in the role religion had on the colony and the control the government had
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The similarity occurred because both colonies found out that big money could be made on the cash crops that were wanted around the world. The Spanish and the New England Colonies from 1492 to 1700 were considerably different in the role religion had on the colony. The two colonies were similar in the fact that both were started on Catholic religious principles that converted the Native Americans in the area. Even though both were started on Catholic religion, the role that the church took on was much different in the separate colonies. In Spanish colonies, the Friars were sent by the Roman Catholic Church to convert Native Americans to Catholicism no matter if it was wanted or not and used Missions as places where Friars would send Natives for hard labor. Here the enslaved natives lived about 12 years due to the harsh conditions. In the New England colony of Massachusetts, there were Praying Towns used for when natives decided to convert, not by force but by free will. This difference in the role of religion is because with Spain, the Roman Catholic Church went hand and hand with the government to control what happened with the colony, but with Massachusetts, the people of the colony set the religion and government guidelines for their colony. Furthermore, the Puritans believed themselves to be pure, and as John Winthrop put it in his City Upon a Hill sermon, he wanted Massachusetts to be where all other Christians around the world could
The role of religion in the colonies of New England and the Spanish were incredibly different. Both the Spanish that fled and the New England colonists that fled from England fled from the church, but the English that fled wanted to change the Church completely and the Spaniards were fleeing from the religious conflict between the Catholics and the Muslims. In the New England colonies, the colonists had Anglican beliefs. The colonists were split into mainly two groups, the Separatists and the Puritans. The Separatists wanted to split from the Roman Catholic Church (Anglican
The two colonies were largely similar in the way that religion played a role in each society. Although, there is also a difference in the way religion influenced them. The Spanish used Christianity, in a negative manner, to force it upon the lives of the Native Americans. The New England colony did not use religion as a reason to punish others, but rather accepted all religions. One similarity between the two colonies was that the New England colonies believed in the Protestant work ethic, which is that you will be rewarded from hard work and not because you were chosen by God. The Spanish used Christianity to force work upon others, such as Indians, through the encomienda system. The similarity was evident throughout Colonial America because of the way in which each of the colonies were motivated to work, negatively from the Spanish and positively from the English, by each religion. In addition, another similarity is that the New England colonists shifted from “cod to God” which occurred when younger merchants of Massachusetts focused more on profits than religion. The Spanish forced the Natives to do hard labor in order to mine and make a profit from the crops or resources, such as sugar and gold, to follow to mantra of “God, gold, and glory”. The two colonies were similar in
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.
These factors not only produced differences between the colonies and England, but among the colonies themselves. Brinkley writes that, “Many distinct societies developed in the colonies, but the greatest distinction was between the colonies of the North and those of the South” (81). This resulted in the colonist not only developing their own identity from that of England, but in many ways from each other. The same distinct factors such as population, economics, and society and religion, and political ideas that differed between the colonies and England, were the same factors that differed from each of the colonies. Although, while it is true that the colonist differed from each other they were always more alike than they were with England.
There are similarities and differences of the geography of New England and Southern colonies. The South had mild, rainy winters and long hot humid summers. This means,the South could grow many crops. According to “A Virginia Plantation,” the south had lots of plantations with tobacco and corn (Doc 6). However, New England had long cold winters and a short growing season. This means New England did not grow as many crops as the South. Instead, many colonists had small farms for their family or community. Therefore, the differences in geography helped to shape the development of the New England and Southern regions.
During the 17th century, many nations started settling all throughout North America. Spanish conquistadors claimed much of the Southwest, while England began to occupy the Northeast. The Spanish and English colonies varied in terms of the impact of religion and control of the economy.
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
Throughout the 17th century, many European countries sent explorers and settlers to America. The two most eminent countries that colonized area of America were Spain and Great Britain. Britain began to establish colonies in the northeast; in the area they called New England. The Spanish interest lied in the southwest. Living in two unassociated areas caused the Spanish settlements and the New England colonies to be quite unlike each other. When faced with the task of finding similarities between the two, not much can be found. It is the differences that stand out when studying the English and Spanish, from religion to politics to ideals.
Although the Chesapeake and New England colonies were the earliest English colonies to flourish in the New World, they were both extremely different in the ways that they developed. Similarities between the colonies can be found, but the colonies were mostly different. The colonies differed most in religion, society, culture, economy, and their relationships with the American Indians of the region. The reasons for such differences can be understood by realizing that the colonies were settled by incredibly different people who possessed different cultures, religious beliefs, and motivations for settling in their respective colonies in the first place. The Chesapeake and New England colonies had similarities and differences in their development, including how each colony affected nearby American Indians. Their differences and similarities can be understood by analyzing each colony’s geography, economy, religions, and cultures.
Some of the most populous colonies were the ones situated in the Chesapeake and New England areas. Although these colonies were both settled by the English and had other key similarities, there were also many differences between them. The New England and Chesapeake colonies both had an aristocracy that governed over them, and had frequent issues concerning the Native Americans that previously inhabited the lands. However, their political and economic systems were considerably different. Chesapeake had an oligarchy whose main export was tobacco, while New England had a theocracy whose exports included timber, fur, and fish. Therefore, although the colonies had similarities their differences outweighed the resemblances.
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.
In the New World, various resources, climates, and considerable amounts of land allowed numerous opportunities for settlers. Those who once yearned to climb the social ladder or gain the freedoms bestowed from land ownership flocked toward the newfound settlements. Colonization proved to be a grueling task; however, success was found after adapting to the new environment and facing many hardships. Two colonies established early in the seventeenth century included Virginia and New England. Both Virginia and New England were forerunning settlements that differed in the following senses: political, social, and economical.
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.
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.