Cause And Effect Of Spanish Colonization

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Spanish Colonization


Spanish colonization is what shaped the Spanish and their empire. The Spanish Colonization that took place from 1492 to 1700 was motivated by religion and slavery which had a significant impact on the lives of native Americans and Africans.

To begin, there were many causes for exploration of the new world by the Spanish, the first being religion. At first the Spanish tried to force mass conversions on the natives. Any and all natives were converted or killed. The French didn’t force mass conversions, but only converted those who wanted to be converted, but the Spanish fought rough and force was the only way to get Catholicism into the natives. While the Pope did claim a certain percent of the wealth the Spanish found, the Spanish kept some if not most and it pushed more exploration. Also the Catholic Church funded the voyages and explorations in the new world. The other cause for exploration by the Spanish was slavery. Without slavery, slave trade, and other forms of unfree labor, colonization would have been very limited. So the Spanish were almost totally dependent on Indian labor. Slavery brought the Spanish through the 200 year colonization period. Wealth and slavery were the …show more content…

When Europe discovered the Americas in the 15th Century, Africans were enslaved numerously due to the new levels of sugar production and management. Europeans eventually started trading European goods for slaves by the end of the 15th Century. New technology changed the way slaves were carried and transported which made them cheaper. Natives before European colonization featured big economies and complex different cultures. When the Europeans arrived the natives were stripped of all cultures and many died off from new diseases. This connects to the main thesis because the Africans and natives were highly affected by the colonization of not only the Spanish but also the

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